Intishal Al Timimi, founder and chief of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, is stepping down from the fest’s top leadership role.
Al Timimi had joined the festival when it launched in 2017 in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, 250 miles south of Cairo, and rapidly put the event on the international festival map, proving its mettle in promoting the cream of the region’s cinematic crop, while also providing key support in nurturing new works through the informal CineGouna market. Going forward, he will will continue to work closely with the festival as a member of its international advisory board. His new role is that of strategic advisor “under which he will continue to offer guidance to the team and help develop the event,” the festival’s statement said.
The fest was created by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris whose brother Samih built the El Gouna resort.
Al Timimi had joined the festival when it launched in 2017 in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, 250 miles south of Cairo, and rapidly put the event on the international festival map, proving its mettle in promoting the cream of the region’s cinematic crop, while also providing key support in nurturing new works through the informal CineGouna market. Going forward, he will will continue to work closely with the festival as a member of its international advisory board. His new role is that of strategic advisor “under which he will continue to offer guidance to the team and help develop the event,” the festival’s statement said.
The fest was created by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris whose brother Samih built the El Gouna resort.
- 3/25/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Intishal Al-Timimi, the long-time director of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, is stepping down from the role he has held since the event’s launch in 2017 in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna.
The respected Iraqi-born, Netherlands-based festival programmer will continue to work closely with the festival as a member of the International Advisory Board, in the new role of Strategic Advisor under which he will offer guidance to the team and help develop the event.
Al-Timimi has played a key role in building the El Gouna Film Festival, which was spearheaded by the El Gouna resort’s creator Samih Sawiris and his brother, media and property tycoon Naguib Sawiris.
“I would like, on behalf of each one of us at El Gouna Film Festival, to express our deepest appreciation to Intishal Al-Timimi for his outstanding leadership and countless contributions,” said Samih Sawiris.
“His passion for cinema...
The respected Iraqi-born, Netherlands-based festival programmer will continue to work closely with the festival as a member of the International Advisory Board, in the new role of Strategic Advisor under which he will offer guidance to the team and help develop the event.
Al-Timimi has played a key role in building the El Gouna Film Festival, which was spearheaded by the El Gouna resort’s creator Samih Sawiris and his brother, media and property tycoon Naguib Sawiris.
“I would like, on behalf of each one of us at El Gouna Film Festival, to express our deepest appreciation to Intishal Al-Timimi for his outstanding leadership and countless contributions,” said Samih Sawiris.
“His passion for cinema...
- 3/25/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
In a heartfelt and sincere acceptance speech, Mohannad Al-Bakri — the Managing Director of the Jordanian Royal Film Commission (Rfc) — dedicated the Arab Cinema Personality of the Year Award, which he received from the Arab Cinema Center (Acc) at this year's edition of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), to Palestinian filmmakers, while also acknowledging the Acc's role in elevating the film industry and amplifying the voices of Arab storytellers on a global scale.
The award ceremony was held at Acc's booth at the Berlinale on Saturday, February 18th in the presence of notable figures in the film industry, including two previous recipients of the aforementioned award — producer and scriptwriter Mohamed Hefzy and Mohamed Keblawi, the Founder and General Manager of the Malmo Arab Film Festival — President of the Cairo International Film Festival Hussein Fahmy, and filmmaker Marianne Khoury.
With genuine humility and gratitude, Al-Bakri expressed his deep appreciation for being...
The award ceremony was held at Acc's booth at the Berlinale on Saturday, February 18th in the presence of notable figures in the film industry, including two previous recipients of the aforementioned award — producer and scriptwriter Mohamed Hefzy and Mohamed Keblawi, the Founder and General Manager of the Malmo Arab Film Festival — President of the Cairo International Film Festival Hussein Fahmy, and filmmaker Marianne Khoury.
With genuine humility and gratitude, Al-Bakri expressed his deep appreciation for being...
- 2/22/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
The 6th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival (Gff) has wrapped with a feeling of quiet triumph. The glitz and celebrities were largely absent, although Egyptian star Yousra and legendary French actor Christophe Lambert both appeared at In Conversation events. But in a way, this allowed festival organizers to better focus on the core values which they wish to take forward.
For artistic director Marianne Khoury, the mission was clear, though the challenges were extraordinary, even before the horrific attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. “I joined in June, so it was quite a crazy summer where we’re working almost every day. Then on the 10th October, we decided to postpone. So it was very overwhelming. Since then, we were on hold every day. We wanted this edition to take place before the year end.”
Better late than never; better small than not at all
With the 2022 edition already having been canceled,...
For artistic director Marianne Khoury, the mission was clear, though the challenges were extraordinary, even before the horrific attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. “I joined in June, so it was quite a crazy summer where we’re working almost every day. Then on the 10th October, we decided to postpone. So it was very overwhelming. Since then, we were on hold every day. We wanted this edition to take place before the year end.”
Better late than never; better small than not at all
With the 2022 edition already having been canceled,...
- 12/21/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
An “eco-system” of finance, lending and talent development is driving the creation of Saudi Arabia’s nascent film industry, key figures in the Middle Eastern kingdom’s cultural sector said this week.
Speaking during the third edition of the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Abdullah Alkhaldi, chief investment and credit officer at Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Development Fund, said its aim was to be “the financial enabler in pursuing and achieving a cultural vision.”
The fund, which launched two years ago, has $152 million available for lending to cultural projects along with a $80 million Film Investment Fund, which was announced in Cannes last May.
The Cdf would support the country’s emerging film industry with a focus on both its cultural and economic benefits until it became a “self-sustaining sector,” Alkhaldi added, at a market panel on “Unlocking Co-Production Opportunities With the Arab World.”
The fund was focused on investing in infrastructure,...
Speaking during the third edition of the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Abdullah Alkhaldi, chief investment and credit officer at Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Development Fund, said its aim was to be “the financial enabler in pursuing and achieving a cultural vision.”
The fund, which launched two years ago, has $152 million available for lending to cultural projects along with a $80 million Film Investment Fund, which was announced in Cannes last May.
The Cdf would support the country’s emerging film industry with a focus on both its cultural and economic benefits until it became a “self-sustaining sector,” Alkhaldi added, at a market panel on “Unlocking Co-Production Opportunities With the Arab World.”
The fund was focused on investing in infrastructure,...
- 12/8/2023
- by Nick Holdsworth
- Variety Film + TV
The 45th edition of the Cairo Film Festival, which was due to run from November 15 to 24, has been postponed amid rising tensions in the Middle East due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The festival said in a short announcement that the decision to postpone the festival had been taken by Egypt’s Minister of Culture Neveen Al-Kelani.
Fresh dates have yet to be set.
No reason was given for the decision, but the move comes amid growing tension in the Middle East, sparked by a brutal terror attack by Palestinian group Hamas out of Gaza on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people and resulted in the taking of 199 hostages.
The attacks have been condemned by political and religious leaders of all denominations worldwide but there is now growing outcry over the suffering of Gaza’s 2.1 million inhabitants who are bearing the brunt of Israel’s retaliatory blockade and bombing campaign.
The festival said in a short announcement that the decision to postpone the festival had been taken by Egypt’s Minister of Culture Neveen Al-Kelani.
Fresh dates have yet to be set.
No reason was given for the decision, but the move comes amid growing tension in the Middle East, sparked by a brutal terror attack by Palestinian group Hamas out of Gaza on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,400 people and resulted in the taking of 199 hostages.
The attacks have been condemned by political and religious leaders of all denominations worldwide but there is now growing outcry over the suffering of Gaza’s 2.1 million inhabitants who are bearing the brunt of Israel’s retaliatory blockade and bombing campaign.
- 10/18/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The co-heads of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, which was rescheduled at the eleventh hour this week due to the Israel-Gaza crisis, have vowed that its sixth edition will go ahead in some shape or form.
The festival, unfolding in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El Gouna, was on the cusp of opening its sixth edition this Friday when the management team announced Tuesday that it was postponing the event to new dates running from October 27 to November 2.
More than 120 cinema talents had been confirmed to attend including Bosnian Quo Vadis, Aida? director Jasmila Zbanic as the main jury president, French director and producer Luc Besson with Dogman, Italian animator Enzo d’Alo with A Greyhound Of A Girl; Indian director Anurag Kashyap with Kennedy, Ukrainian filmmaker Maryna Vroda with Stepne and Sudan’s Mohamed Kordofani with his Best International Feature Film submission Goodbye Julia.
“The situation, of course,...
The festival, unfolding in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El Gouna, was on the cusp of opening its sixth edition this Friday when the management team announced Tuesday that it was postponing the event to new dates running from October 27 to November 2.
More than 120 cinema talents had been confirmed to attend including Bosnian Quo Vadis, Aida? director Jasmila Zbanic as the main jury president, French director and producer Luc Besson with Dogman, Italian animator Enzo d’Alo with A Greyhound Of A Girl; Indian director Anurag Kashyap with Kennedy, Ukrainian filmmaker Maryna Vroda with Stepne and Sudan’s Mohamed Kordofani with his Best International Feature Film submission Goodbye Julia.
“The situation, of course,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
South Asia Competition jury also includes David Michod, Isabel Sandoval and Marianne Khoury.
Acclaimed India-born filmmaker Mira Nair is to preside over the main South Asia Competition of the upcoming Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival (October 27-November 5).
She will be joined by Australian writer/director David Michod, Filipina filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval and Egyptian producer and director Marianne Khoury, who was named artistic director of the El Gouna Film Festival in June.
Jio Mami revealed its full lineup yesterday, confirming that it had dropped its international and India Gold competitive sections in favour of a South Asia Competition, to...
Acclaimed India-born filmmaker Mira Nair is to preside over the main South Asia Competition of the upcoming Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival (October 27-November 5).
She will be joined by Australian writer/director David Michod, Filipina filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval and Egyptian producer and director Marianne Khoury, who was named artistic director of the El Gouna Film Festival in June.
Jio Mami revealed its full lineup yesterday, confirming that it had dropped its international and India Gold competitive sections in favour of a South Asia Competition, to...
- 10/10/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival is back after a one-year hiatus with a rich mix of Arabic and international titles launching into the Middle East and plenty of promising projects from Arab countries set to be unveiled to prospective partners at its CineGouna industry side.
The event launched in 2017 by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris – whose brother Samih built the El Gouna resort in a swathe of desert near the tourist town of Hurghada 250 miles south of Cairo – was put on pause in 2022 ostensibly due to the country’s economic crisis following five editions during which fest co-founder Amr Mansi and chief Intishal Al Timimi had managed to rapidly put El Gouna on the international festival map while also making it a favourite with the local crowd.
“If there is a positive from the fact that we were forced to skip a year it’s that we were sorely...
The event launched in 2017 by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris – whose brother Samih built the El Gouna resort in a swathe of desert near the tourist town of Hurghada 250 miles south of Cairo – was put on pause in 2022 ostensibly due to the country’s economic crisis following five editions during which fest co-founder Amr Mansi and chief Intishal Al Timimi had managed to rapidly put El Gouna on the international festival map while also making it a favourite with the local crowd.
“If there is a positive from the fact that we were forced to skip a year it’s that we were sorely...
- 10/6/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Bosnian director Jasmila Zbanic will preside over the main jury of the 6th edition of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, which has announced its full lineup, featuring a rich mix of Arabic and international titles making their Middle East premieres as they compete for top prizes.
Following a one-year hiatus, the Oct. 13-20 event held in the Red Sea resort about 250 miles south of Cairo is back in full swing with founder and director Intishal Al Timimi firmly at the helm bolstered by widely respected Egyptian producer-director Marianne Khoury in the artistic director chair.
Alongside a roster of previously announced international festival circuit standouts competing for El Gouna awards, such as Justine Triet’s Cannes Palm d’Or-winning “Anatomy of a Fall,” Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Luc Besson’s “Dogman,” which was announced today, the new Arabic additions to El Gouna’s competition selection comprise the world premiere...
Following a one-year hiatus, the Oct. 13-20 event held in the Red Sea resort about 250 miles south of Cairo is back in full swing with founder and director Intishal Al Timimi firmly at the helm bolstered by widely respected Egyptian producer-director Marianne Khoury in the artistic director chair.
Alongside a roster of previously announced international festival circuit standouts competing for El Gouna awards, such as Justine Triet’s Cannes Palm d’Or-winning “Anatomy of a Fall,” Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Luc Besson’s “Dogman,” which was announced today, the new Arabic additions to El Gouna’s competition selection comprise the world premiere...
- 9/18/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
After a one-year hiatus, the much-missed El Gouna Film Festival (Oct. 13 – 20) is back and poised to make an increased impact. Joining beloved festival director Intishal Al-Timimi this time around is esteemed Egyptian producer-director Marianne Khoury in the artistic director position.
Khoury’s long-time championship of female filmmakers and themes finds an echo in the impressive first wave of programming just announced. Of the 19 features, 10 boast a distaff helmer or co-director.
The kudo-laden titles include “Anatomy of a Fall” from Justine Triet, “On the Adamant” from Nicolas Philibert, “Scrapper” by Charlotte Regan, “Stepne” from Maryna Vroda and “The Strange Path” from Guto Parente, which claimed every prize in Tribeca’s international competition.
Among the other buzzed-about auteur titles are Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Wang Bing’s epic documentary “Youth.” Emerging talents Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó offer dystopian hybrid-animation “White Plastic Sky,” while a robust documentary selection includes Tatiana Huezo...
Khoury’s long-time championship of female filmmakers and themes finds an echo in the impressive first wave of programming just announced. Of the 19 features, 10 boast a distaff helmer or co-director.
The kudo-laden titles include “Anatomy of a Fall” from Justine Triet, “On the Adamant” from Nicolas Philibert, “Scrapper” by Charlotte Regan, “Stepne” from Maryna Vroda and “The Strange Path” from Guto Parente, which claimed every prize in Tribeca’s international competition.
Among the other buzzed-about auteur titles are Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Wang Bing’s epic documentary “Youth.” Emerging talents Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó offer dystopian hybrid-animation “White Plastic Sky,” while a robust documentary selection includes Tatiana Huezo...
- 8/24/2023
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival (Gff) has unveiled a first wave of international titles due to play at its upcoming comeback sixth edition, unfolding from October 13 to 20 after a one-year hiatus.
The selection features a number of high-profile festival titles including Justine Triet’s Cannes 2023 Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall, Berlinale 2023 Golden Bear winning documentary On the Adamant by Nicolas Philibert and Guto Parente’s Tribeca Film Festival break-out The Strange Path.
The line-up also showcases a host of buzzy first and second films including UK director Charlotte Regan’s Sundance 2023 Grand Jury Prize winner Scrapper and French filmmaker Delphine Deloget’s Cannes Un Certain Regard social drama All To Play For, starring Virginie Efira.
Respected Egyptian distributor and producer Marianne Khoury is overseeing the selection for the first time, following her appointment as artistic director earlier this year, working alongside long-time festival director Intishal Al Timimi.
The selection features a number of high-profile festival titles including Justine Triet’s Cannes 2023 Palme d’Or winner Anatomy Of A Fall, Berlinale 2023 Golden Bear winning documentary On the Adamant by Nicolas Philibert and Guto Parente’s Tribeca Film Festival break-out The Strange Path.
The line-up also showcases a host of buzzy first and second films including UK director Charlotte Regan’s Sundance 2023 Grand Jury Prize winner Scrapper and French filmmaker Delphine Deloget’s Cannes Un Certain Regard social drama All To Play For, starring Virginie Efira.
Respected Egyptian distributor and producer Marianne Khoury is overseeing the selection for the first time, following her appointment as artistic director earlier this year, working alongside long-time festival director Intishal Al Timimi.
- 8/23/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Egyptian producer, director and mentor Marianne Khoury has been appointed artistic director of the El Gouna Film Festival in a clear sign that the prominent Arab event is aiming to make an ambitious comeback for its sixth edition following a one year hiatus.
The fest, launched in 2017 by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris – whose brother Samih built the El Gouna resort in a swathe of Egypt’s desert near Hurghada, a tourist town 250 miles south of Cairo – was cancelled in 2022 after being held successfully for five years.
Khoury will replace Amir Ramses who stepped down as El Gouna’s artistic director at the end of its fifth edition before the event took a one year pause. Ramses subsequently took the reins as artistic director of the Cairo Film Festival, which is Egypt’s oldest and preeminent film event.
Though no reason was given at the time for El Gouna’s...
The fest, launched in 2017 by Egyptian telecom billionaire Naguib Sawiris – whose brother Samih built the El Gouna resort in a swathe of Egypt’s desert near Hurghada, a tourist town 250 miles south of Cairo – was cancelled in 2022 after being held successfully for five years.
Khoury will replace Amir Ramses who stepped down as El Gouna’s artistic director at the end of its fifth edition before the event took a one year pause. Ramses subsequently took the reins as artistic director of the Cairo Film Festival, which is Egypt’s oldest and preeminent film event.
Though no reason was given at the time for El Gouna’s...
- 6/26/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Cairo Film Festival’s Cairo Film Connection co-production market spread the love at an award ceremony Sunday night, with 15 projects claiming 20 prizes in the Egyptian capital valued at some 225,000.
Among the standouts were Suzannah Mirghani’s “Cotton Queen” and “Lamp in the Dark,” from Sudanese filmmaker Mahdi El-Tayeb, which both took home awards from marketing and distribution outfit Mad Solutions for distribution in the Arab world with a 50,000 minimum guarantee.
Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, “Cotton Queen” — which won the ArteKino Award at the Cannes Film Festival’s L’Atelier this year — follows a teenage girl as she begins to question cultural expectations and the collapsing cotton industry, under threat from both insect and human pests. “Lamp in the Dark” turns on a generational clash in a Sudanese village after the arrival of a mobile cinema.
No film won more than two prizes, with Amjad Al Rasheed...
Among the standouts were Suzannah Mirghani’s “Cotton Queen” and “Lamp in the Dark,” from Sudanese filmmaker Mahdi El-Tayeb, which both took home awards from marketing and distribution outfit Mad Solutions for distribution in the Arab world with a 50,000 minimum guarantee.
Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, “Cotton Queen” — which won the ArteKino Award at the Cannes Film Festival’s L’Atelier this year — follows a teenage girl as she begins to question cultural expectations and the collapsing cotton industry, under threat from both insect and human pests. “Lamp in the Dark” turns on a generational clash in a Sudanese village after the arrival of a mobile cinema.
No film won more than two prizes, with Amjad Al Rasheed...
- 11/21/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
New works by Palestinian docmaker Amer Shomali (“The Wanted 18”), emerging Egyptian filmmaker Sara Shazli (“Back Home”) and first-time Jordanian director Amjad Al Rasheed are among the 16 projects selected for the 9th Cairo Film Connection, the Cairo Film Festival’s co-production platform.
The event features films from 10 countries, including five from the host nation, with 11 fiction and documentary features in development and five currently in post-production being presented to producers, distributors, sales agents and festival programmers.
This year’s edition received a record 135 submissions, according to incoming Cairo Film Connection manager Lynda Belkhiria, pointing toward a broader surge in production across North Africa and the Middle East. “There is a need, there is a demand,” she said. “There is something going on across the region.”
Many of the projects are female-led and examine the ongoing struggle of women to define themselves against the expectations of their families and societies. Still others...
The event features films from 10 countries, including five from the host nation, with 11 fiction and documentary features in development and five currently in post-production being presented to producers, distributors, sales agents and festival programmers.
This year’s edition received a record 135 submissions, according to incoming Cairo Film Connection manager Lynda Belkhiria, pointing toward a broader surge in production across North Africa and the Middle East. “There is a need, there is a demand,” she said. “There is something going on across the region.”
Many of the projects are female-led and examine the ongoing struggle of women to define themselves against the expectations of their families and societies. Still others...
- 11/17/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix is launching an incubator to help foster female screenwriters in Egypt.
The U.S. streaming giant has partnered with Sard, a dedicated hub for screenwriters in the Arab world on a writing program called Because She Created.
Its stated goal is training twenty women from outside Cairo and to “expose untapped talent to the creative tools and industry insight needed to advance their creative and professional development,” Netflix said in a statement.
The program is financed by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity.
Sard was founded by award-winning writer Mariam Naoum in 2016 as a space for aspiring screenwriters to improve their writing skills and unleash their creative potential.
Naoum is a prominent Egyptian screenwriter and social activist whose credits include Kamla Abou Zekry’s Cairo-set ensemble film “One/Zero”; and the TV series “A Girl named Zat,” “Heat Wave” and “The Women’s Prison,” a scathing exploration of the Egyptian prison system,...
The U.S. streaming giant has partnered with Sard, a dedicated hub for screenwriters in the Arab world on a writing program called Because She Created.
Its stated goal is training twenty women from outside Cairo and to “expose untapped talent to the creative tools and industry insight needed to advance their creative and professional development,” Netflix said in a statement.
The program is financed by the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity.
Sard was founded by award-winning writer Mariam Naoum in 2016 as a space for aspiring screenwriters to improve their writing skills and unleash their creative potential.
Naoum is a prominent Egyptian screenwriter and social activist whose credits include Kamla Abou Zekry’s Cairo-set ensemble film “One/Zero”; and the TV series “A Girl named Zat,” “Heat Wave” and “The Women’s Prison,” a scathing exploration of the Egyptian prison system,...
- 8/16/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Egyptian producer, director, writer and mentor Marianne Khoury is being honored with the Legion of Honor, France’s highest prize.
Khoury, who is the niece of late great Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, is a managing partner in prominent Cairo-based Misr International Films, which Chahine founded. She has directed several documentaries, most recently “Let’s Talk,” which premiered at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam in 2019 and interweaves a treasure trove of archive material with cinematic conversations between four women from different generations in her family.
Besides having worked closely with Chahine, who was one of Arab cinema’s leading lights, Khoury –– who holds economic degrees from Cairo and Oxford Universities –– has shepherded some 30 Arab films and docs, many of which are centered around themes of identity, memory, marginalization and womanhood, and launched Zawya, which is Egypt’s first art house cinema circuit.
Having established close ties to France’s film community,...
Khoury, who is the niece of late great Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, is a managing partner in prominent Cairo-based Misr International Films, which Chahine founded. She has directed several documentaries, most recently “Let’s Talk,” which premiered at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam in 2019 and interweaves a treasure trove of archive material with cinematic conversations between four women from different generations in her family.
Besides having worked closely with Chahine, who was one of Arab cinema’s leading lights, Khoury –– who holds economic degrees from Cairo and Oxford Universities –– has shepherded some 30 Arab films and docs, many of which are centered around themes of identity, memory, marginalization and womanhood, and launched Zawya, which is Egypt’s first art house cinema circuit.
Having established close ties to France’s film community,...
- 1/20/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Cairo Film Festival’s Cairo Film Connection co-production platform wrapped Saturday with a glamorous prize ceremony which saw Egyptian first-timer Adhan El-Sherif’s “Ravens of the City” and French-Egyptian filmmaker Namir Abdel Messeeh’s “Life After Siham” stand out, though awards were widely spread.
“Ravens” of the City,” a gritty drama in development about a reckless hustler named Gharib who desperately needs cash to enter a street car race and falls prey to a money lender, scored four awards worth a total of $60,000 in cash. Produced by Sudan’s Mohammed Alomda (“You Will Die at Twenty”), “Ravens” will be getting consulting from U.S. non-profit Film Independent, which collaborates with Cairo.
Reflecting director Messeeh’s bi-cultural background, “Life After Siham,” is about a French film director conducting a filmmaking workshop in Egypt which turns into a way for him to confront the trauma of his mother’s death. “Siham,...
“Ravens” of the City,” a gritty drama in development about a reckless hustler named Gharib who desperately needs cash to enter a street car race and falls prey to a money lender, scored four awards worth a total of $60,000 in cash. Produced by Sudan’s Mohammed Alomda (“You Will Die at Twenty”), “Ravens” will be getting consulting from U.S. non-profit Film Independent, which collaborates with Cairo.
Reflecting director Messeeh’s bi-cultural background, “Life After Siham,” is about a French film director conducting a filmmaking workshop in Egypt which turns into a way for him to confront the trauma of his mother’s death. “Siham,...
- 12/5/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Cairo International Film Festival’s 42nd outing saw films directed by women or featuring female-centric stories dominate its short film section, Cinema of Tomorrow.
Films receiving their world premieres at Ciff included Saudi Arabian director Sara Mesfer’s second self-funded short, “The Girls Who Burned the Night,” a 25-minute story of two sisters and a small act of rebellion that ends in violence when one is refused entry to a grocery store.
According to Mesfer, the film was shot on “practically no budget” and derived from “certain feelings of being trapped and feeling mad about being trapped” that the Jeddah-based director wanted to portray.
“Those are the feelings of the main character, who is the opposite of her sister,” she adds.
Also premiering at the festival was French/Tunisian short “I Bit My Tongue,” the second short film from Marseille-based documentary film editor Nina Khada, which explores some lost aspects...
Films receiving their world premieres at Ciff included Saudi Arabian director Sara Mesfer’s second self-funded short, “The Girls Who Burned the Night,” a 25-minute story of two sisters and a small act of rebellion that ends in violence when one is refused entry to a grocery store.
According to Mesfer, the film was shot on “practically no budget” and derived from “certain feelings of being trapped and feeling mad about being trapped” that the Jeddah-based director wanted to portray.
“Those are the feelings of the main character, who is the opposite of her sister,” she adds.
Also premiering at the festival was French/Tunisian short “I Bit My Tongue,” the second short film from Marseille-based documentary film editor Nina Khada, which explores some lost aspects...
- 12/10/2020
- by Ann-Marie Corvin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival (October 23-30), the Middle East’s first sizeable Covid-era physical film event, has set Peter Webber (Girl With A Pearl Earring) as jury president.
Gérard Depardieu will receive the festival’s Career Achievement Award and actor Said Taghmaoui (La Haine) will received the Omar Sharif Award.
Hannibal Rising and Emperor director Webber told us: “It has been a difficult year for many and especially those of us in the film industry, yet it is important to remember that it is our work that has been keeping so many people entertained, inspired and engaged as they were trapped in their homes or struggling during the biggest pandemic in living memory.
“Therefore it’s a great delight and a privilege to be invited to be president of the jury at El Gouna Film Festival, a festival that will celebrate the importance of film at this crucial time.
Gérard Depardieu will receive the festival’s Career Achievement Award and actor Said Taghmaoui (La Haine) will received the Omar Sharif Award.
Hannibal Rising and Emperor director Webber told us: “It has been a difficult year for many and especially those of us in the film industry, yet it is important to remember that it is our work that has been keeping so many people entertained, inspired and engaged as they were trapped in their homes or struggling during the biggest pandemic in living memory.
“Therefore it’s a great delight and a privilege to be invited to be president of the jury at El Gouna Film Festival, a festival that will celebrate the importance of film at this crucial time.
- 10/13/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Other winners include ’Ghost Tropic’, ‘The Fourth Wall’ and ’A Certain Kind of Silence’.
Immigrant drama I Am No Longer Here, from Mexican director Fernando Frias, has won the Golden Pyramid for best film at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Frias’ timely drama centres on a Mexican teenager forced to move to the Us after getting on the wrong side of a drugs cartel. Its young star, Juan Daniel Garcia Trevino, was feted with best actor.
Also in the international competition, Belgian director Bas Devos won the Silver Pyramid for urban night-time odyssey tale Ghost Tropic.
Immigrant drama I Am No Longer Here, from Mexican director Fernando Frias, has won the Golden Pyramid for best film at the 41st Cairo International Film Festival.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Frias’ timely drama centres on a Mexican teenager forced to move to the Us after getting on the wrong side of a drugs cartel. Its young star, Juan Daniel Garcia Trevino, was feted with best actor.
Also in the international competition, Belgian director Bas Devos won the Silver Pyramid for urban night-time odyssey tale Ghost Tropic.
- 12/2/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
“I’m No Longer Here,” a drama about immigration and identity by young Mexican director Fernando Frias, was the big winner at the Cairo Film Festival, which wrapped Friday.
“I’m No Longer Here,” which turns on a 17-year-old urban tribe leader forced by conflict with a cartel to leave Mexico for Queens, scooped Cairo’s top prize, the Golden Pyramid, for best film. It also took acting honors for newcomer Juan Daniel Garcia Trevino, who plays Ulises Sampiero, leader of Los Terkos, who are known for their dance moves and extravagant hairstyles. In Queens, Ulises winds up either sparking hostility from other immigrants or being treated as a fashion curiosity. The pic, which launched internationally in Cairo, is generating buzz after recently scoring the top prize at the Morelia fest in Mexico.
The Cairo jury, headed by Oscar-winning U.S. writer-director Stephen Gaghan (“Syriana”), awarded the Silver Pyramid to “Ghost Tropic” by Belgian helmer Bas Devos,...
“I’m No Longer Here,” which turns on a 17-year-old urban tribe leader forced by conflict with a cartel to leave Mexico for Queens, scooped Cairo’s top prize, the Golden Pyramid, for best film. It also took acting honors for newcomer Juan Daniel Garcia Trevino, who plays Ulises Sampiero, leader of Los Terkos, who are known for their dance moves and extravagant hairstyles. In Queens, Ulises winds up either sparking hostility from other immigrants or being treated as a fashion curiosity. The pic, which launched internationally in Cairo, is generating buzz after recently scoring the top prize at the Morelia fest in Mexico.
The Cairo jury, headed by Oscar-winning U.S. writer-director Stephen Gaghan (“Syriana”), awarded the Silver Pyramid to “Ghost Tropic” by Belgian helmer Bas Devos,...
- 11/29/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
“Let’s Talk,” which interweaves a treasure trove of archive material with cinematic conversations between four women from different generations in the family of late great Egyptian master Youssef Chahine, is a quintessentially personal project for director Marianne Khoury.
Chahine, who was Arab cinema’s leading light for over half a century, was her uncle. It’s a family in which life and movies are closely intertwined.
Which is why Khoury in making this doc – that is world premiering in competition at Idfa and segueing rapidly to a plum competition slot at the Cairo Film Festival – insisted that she produce it herself through Misr International Films, the storied Cairo-based production company that her family has been running for over half a century.
Khoury, who besides being a director is also a producer and a writer, spent years gathering material for this unique project being sold internationally by France’s Pyramide Films.
Chahine, who was Arab cinema’s leading light for over half a century, was her uncle. It’s a family in which life and movies are closely intertwined.
Which is why Khoury in making this doc – that is world premiering in competition at Idfa and segueing rapidly to a plum competition slot at the Cairo Film Festival – insisted that she produce it herself through Misr International Films, the storied Cairo-based production company that her family has been running for over half a century.
Khoury, who besides being a director is also a producer and a writer, spent years gathering material for this unique project being sold internationally by France’s Pyramide Films.
- 11/26/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
After being appointed director of Dox Box earlier this year, the acclaimed French-Egyptian documentary filmmaker Jihan El-Tahri had a vision for how she could foster the continued evolution of a Berlin-based organization already devoted to the development of a sustainable documentary industry in the Arab world.
From the start, that meant strengthening ties between the Arab region and sub-Saharan Africa, “having spent 30 years of my life trying to connect the north of the continent to the south of it,” said El-Tahri, whose credits include the Emmy-nominated “House of Saud.” “It’s the idea of being that bridge that for me was really important.”
El-Tahri points to the fundamental challenges facing both African and Arab documentary filmmakers, working without broad financial or institutional support in their own regions, while frequently being marginalized by funding bodies in the global north. “We’re trying to be more inclusive,” she said. “We’re trying...
From the start, that meant strengthening ties between the Arab region and sub-Saharan Africa, “having spent 30 years of my life trying to connect the north of the continent to the south of it,” said El-Tahri, whose credits include the Emmy-nominated “House of Saud.” “It’s the idea of being that bridge that for me was really important.”
El-Tahri points to the fundamental challenges facing both African and Arab documentary filmmakers, working without broad financial or institutional support in their own regions, while frequently being marginalized by funding bodies in the global north. “We’re trying to be more inclusive,” she said. “We’re trying...
- 11/23/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Artistic director Orwa Nyrabia talks female representation, Edward Snowden event, the future of the Edn and Saudi Arabia.
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) got off to a powerful start on Wednesday evening (November 20) with Iranian work Sunless Shadows about a group of teenage girls serving time in a juvenile detention centre for murdering either their father, brother or another male relative.
It is the sixth feature documentary from Iranian director Mehrdad Oskouei, whose previous work Starless Dreams premiered in the Berlinale in 2016, where it won the Amnesty International Film Prize.
In a conversation with Screen, Idfa artistic director Nyrabia...
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) got off to a powerful start on Wednesday evening (November 20) with Iranian work Sunless Shadows about a group of teenage girls serving time in a juvenile detention centre for murdering either their father, brother or another male relative.
It is the sixth feature documentary from Iranian director Mehrdad Oskouei, whose previous work Starless Dreams premiered in the Berlinale in 2016, where it won the Amnesty International Film Prize.
In a conversation with Screen, Idfa artistic director Nyrabia...
- 11/21/2019
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
The 32nd International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) opened Wednesday with gender parity, inclusion, and young talent front and center.
Twenty-one year-old Canadian-Vietnamese director Carol Nguyen — whose short “No Crying at the Dinner Table” screens at the festival — kicked off the evening, reflecting Idfa’s commitment to young talent and women filmmakers. Nguyen said that she was optimistic about the position of women in film.
“Within the last few years alone, we have seen a rise of diverse representation in mainstream media,” Nguyen said. “Society and our audiences are more conscious than ever about the lack of gender and racial parity in film. Film festivals have even set gender parity goals for themselves. We are all demanding it.” Nguyen added that there is still a lot more work to be done, and that everyone must act together to achieve parity.
In his opening speech, Orwa Nyrabia, Idfa’s artistic director,...
Twenty-one year-old Canadian-Vietnamese director Carol Nguyen — whose short “No Crying at the Dinner Table” screens at the festival — kicked off the evening, reflecting Idfa’s commitment to young talent and women filmmakers. Nguyen said that she was optimistic about the position of women in film.
“Within the last few years alone, we have seen a rise of diverse representation in mainstream media,” Nguyen said. “Society and our audiences are more conscious than ever about the lack of gender and racial parity in film. Film festivals have even set gender parity goals for themselves. We are all demanding it.” Nguyen added that there is still a lot more work to be done, and that everyone must act together to achieve parity.
In his opening speech, Orwa Nyrabia, Idfa’s artistic director,...
- 11/20/2019
- by Damon Wise and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The Cairo Film Festival, which is the grand dame of the Arab world’s cinema shindigs, looks set for a watershed edition, its second headed by producer Mohamed Hefzy whose reboot effort is coming into full swing.
Besides the Middle East launch of Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” which is Cairo’s opener, Hefzy and his team have secured roughly 25 international bows and several world premieres. They’ve lured top talents such as Oscar-winning U.S. writer/director Stephen Gaghan (“Syriana”) who is presiding over the main jury, as well as Terry Gilliam and Guillermo Arriaga.
Industry execs making the trek include Agc Studios topper Stuart Ford, AMC Networks’ VP of productions Kristin Jones, and Netflix director of international originals Ahmed Sharkawi, just as TV becomes an integral part of the fest’s market component.
Launched in 1976, amid the Egyptian film industry’s golden age, the Cairo fest soon soared...
Besides the Middle East launch of Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” which is Cairo’s opener, Hefzy and his team have secured roughly 25 international bows and several world premieres. They’ve lured top talents such as Oscar-winning U.S. writer/director Stephen Gaghan (“Syriana”) who is presiding over the main jury, as well as Terry Gilliam and Guillermo Arriaga.
Industry execs making the trek include Agc Studios topper Stuart Ford, AMC Networks’ VP of productions Kristin Jones, and Netflix director of international originals Ahmed Sharkawi, just as TV becomes an integral part of the fest’s market component.
Launched in 1976, amid the Egyptian film industry’s golden age, the Cairo fest soon soared...
- 11/14/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Shoring up artistic director Orwa Nyrabia’s commitment to showcasing more women’s stories and platforming more women’s voices, Idfa has announced that this year’s festival features the highest percentage of female filmmakers in the event’s 31-year history: 64% of competition titles and 47% of the total program.
“Reaching a fairer representation was much easier than it seemed to be,” noted Nyrabia. “We only had to keep our goal in mind. The outstanding films that found their way to us this year was a humble reminder that we are in the presence of exceptional female filmmakers.”
The festival opens with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s “Sunless Shadows,” which depicts five young Iranian women complicit in the murders of abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law. Oskouei’s film competes in the Feature-Length Documentary Competition alongside Jørgen Leth’s “I Walk”; Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández’s “In a...
“Reaching a fairer representation was much easier than it seemed to be,” noted Nyrabia. “We only had to keep our goal in mind. The outstanding films that found their way to us this year was a humble reminder that we are in the presence of exceptional female filmmakers.”
The festival opens with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s “Sunless Shadows,” which depicts five young Iranian women complicit in the murders of abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law. Oskouei’s film competes in the Feature-Length Documentary Competition alongside Jørgen Leth’s “I Walk”; Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández’s “In a...
- 10/24/2019
- by Damon Wise
- Variety Film + TV
Festival brass say 64% of competition titles directed by women, representing record 47% of total programme.
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
- 10/23/2019
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Festival brass say 64% of competition titles directed by women, representing record 47% of total programme.
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
- 10/23/2019
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
Festival brass say 64% of competition titles directed by women, representing record 47% of total programme.
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
The International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the line-up for its 32nd edition, which is set to take place from Nov 20-Dec 1.
At present, 64% of the festival’s competition titles are directed by women, representing 47% of the total programme - the highest in the festival’s history.
Idfa will open with the world premiere of Mehrdad Oskouei’s Sunless Shadows, about five young Iranian women who are all accomplices in the murder of their abusive husbands, fathers, or brothers-in-law.
The flagship 12-strong Best Feature-Length Documentary competition line-up includes I Walk,...
- 10/23/2019
- by 1101184¦Orlando Parfitt¦38¦
- ScreenDaily
The French sales agent’s slate includes two films being showcased at Venice, four at Toronto, six titles in post-production and an upcoming documentary by Marianne Khoury. It looks as though French international sales agent Pyramide International (managed by Eric Lagesse) will be kept extremely busy at the 76th Venice Film Festival and the 44th Toronto Film Festival (5-15 September), as it boasts a jam-packed line-up containing 17 features. At Venice, the team headed up by Agathe Mauruc will be negotiating deals for Back Home by France’s Jessica Palud, which will be world-premiered in the official selection, in the Orizzonti section. Meanwhile, You Will Die at 20 by Sudan’s Amjad Abu Alala will be unveiled on the Lido, in the Giornate degli Autori, before being screened at Toronto, in the...
The Robert Bosch Foundation, one of the main partners of Berlinale Talents, has successfully grabbed the attention of high-profile Arab and German filmmakers through its Film Prize for International Cooperation edition between young German and Arab filmmakers. The festive dinner hosted by the Robert Bosch Foundation on Friday, February 6th, witnessed the presence of a slew of filmmakers and cinema professionals and further guests from the 65th Berlin International Film Festival (currently running).
The dinner gala was attended by several filmmaking figures including Alaa Karkouti, CEO and Co-founder of Mad Solutions; Maher Diab, Creative Director and Co-founder of Mad Solutions; Abdallah Al Shami, Mad's Managing Partner for Mad's Gcc operations; Jane Williams, Arab Cinema Center Consultant at Berlinale; Emirati/Lebanese Producer Paul Baboudjian; Egyptian Producer Hani Osama, Co-founder of The Producers; Emirati Filmmaker Nawaf Al-Janahi; Shivani Pandya, Managing Director of Dubai International Film Festival ;Ahmed Shahm, Founder of the post production company X-Rated; Wagih Ahmed, Co-founder of X-Rated; Lebanese Director Myrna Maakaron; Egyptian Actor/Producer Ahmad Al Fishawy, Founder of Crystal Dog; George David, General Manager of the Royal Film Commission-Jordan; Josef Kullengard, Malmo Arab Film Festival Project Coordinator; Egyptian Filmmaker Marianne Khoury and Hania Mroue, Founder and Manager of Metropolis Art Cinema Association.
The event was also attended by Florian Weghorn, Program Manager at Berlinale Talents;Christine Tröstrum, Project Manager at Berlinale Talents; Berlinale Shorts curator Maike Mia Höhne; Irit Neidhardt, Director at Mec Film;Adriek Van Nieuwenhuyzen, Director of Industry Office International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam;Claudia Jubeh, Head of Programming at Alfilm- Arab Film Festival and Fadi Abdelnour Artistic Director at Alfilm-Arab Film Festival.
Presented by Dr. Ingrid Hamm, CEO of the Robert Bosch Foundation along with Frank W. Albers, Project Manager and Initiator of the Film Prize, the evening was intended in the first place to gather and create a network among Arab and German cinema professionals, as well as the festival's guests. The evening also included the screening of Bassem Breish's Free Range, a winner of the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Foundation.
This year marks the 3rd edition of the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Foundation which grants three awards for international co-operations between young German and Arab filmmakers in the categories documentary, short fiction film and animation.
The 1st Film Prize of Robert Bosch Foundation was initiated in 2013. The three prizes, each worth up to 70,000 Euros, are awarded in a gala within Berlinale Talents to the best 3 projects in the categories: animation, documentary, and short fiction film. One or two members of each winning team will have the opportunity to be guests at Berlinale Talents in its upcoming edition in the following year.
The Film Prize targets film co-productions between young German filmmakers and their partners from the Arab World to encourage intercultural exchange. Applying for this competition starts annually in May and ends in September and the winning film will benefit from the value of the prize in funding his/her film project.
The dinner gala was attended by several filmmaking figures including Alaa Karkouti, CEO and Co-founder of Mad Solutions; Maher Diab, Creative Director and Co-founder of Mad Solutions; Abdallah Al Shami, Mad's Managing Partner for Mad's Gcc operations; Jane Williams, Arab Cinema Center Consultant at Berlinale; Emirati/Lebanese Producer Paul Baboudjian; Egyptian Producer Hani Osama, Co-founder of The Producers; Emirati Filmmaker Nawaf Al-Janahi; Shivani Pandya, Managing Director of Dubai International Film Festival ;Ahmed Shahm, Founder of the post production company X-Rated; Wagih Ahmed, Co-founder of X-Rated; Lebanese Director Myrna Maakaron; Egyptian Actor/Producer Ahmad Al Fishawy, Founder of Crystal Dog; George David, General Manager of the Royal Film Commission-Jordan; Josef Kullengard, Malmo Arab Film Festival Project Coordinator; Egyptian Filmmaker Marianne Khoury and Hania Mroue, Founder and Manager of Metropolis Art Cinema Association.
The event was also attended by Florian Weghorn, Program Manager at Berlinale Talents;Christine Tröstrum, Project Manager at Berlinale Talents; Berlinale Shorts curator Maike Mia Höhne; Irit Neidhardt, Director at Mec Film;Adriek Van Nieuwenhuyzen, Director of Industry Office International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam;Claudia Jubeh, Head of Programming at Alfilm- Arab Film Festival and Fadi Abdelnour Artistic Director at Alfilm-Arab Film Festival.
Presented by Dr. Ingrid Hamm, CEO of the Robert Bosch Foundation along with Frank W. Albers, Project Manager and Initiator of the Film Prize, the evening was intended in the first place to gather and create a network among Arab and German cinema professionals, as well as the festival's guests. The evening also included the screening of Bassem Breish's Free Range, a winner of the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Foundation.
This year marks the 3rd edition of the Film Prize of the Robert Bosch Foundation which grants three awards for international co-operations between young German and Arab filmmakers in the categories documentary, short fiction film and animation.
The 1st Film Prize of Robert Bosch Foundation was initiated in 2013. The three prizes, each worth up to 70,000 Euros, are awarded in a gala within Berlinale Talents to the best 3 projects in the categories: animation, documentary, and short fiction film. One or two members of each winning team will have the opportunity to be guests at Berlinale Talents in its upcoming edition in the following year.
The Film Prize targets film co-productions between young German filmmakers and their partners from the Arab World to encourage intercultural exchange. Applying for this competition starts annually in May and ends in September and the winning film will benefit from the value of the prize in funding his/her film project.
- 2/11/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Industry events include co-pro forum, China Day, Argentina-Brazil focus.
The Rome Film Festival’s (Oct 16-25) boutique market Business Street (Oct 17-21) has reported a record 25% increase year-on-year in international buyers, sales agents and producers, according to organisers. This should see a rise on the average number of industry accreditations of 750.
The market will welcome approximately 90 sellers and 283 buyers from more than 50 countries.
Attending sellers will include The Match Factory, Beta Cinema, Wild Bunch, Gaumont, Le Pacte, EuropaCorp, HanWay, WestEnd and Bankside.
Buyers include TWC, Magnolia, Film Movement, Memento, Senator, Soda, A Contracorriente, Metropole and Cineart as well as Asian buyers from Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Japan and Australia.
“This year we are looking at 20-25% year-on-year growth,” confirmed Business Street head Massimo Saidel. “By the end of July we were having to turn people away.”
Industry events
The market will feature around 80 market screenings as well as the return of sidebar Re-make It!, a selection...
The Rome Film Festival’s (Oct 16-25) boutique market Business Street (Oct 17-21) has reported a record 25% increase year-on-year in international buyers, sales agents and producers, according to organisers. This should see a rise on the average number of industry accreditations of 750.
The market will welcome approximately 90 sellers and 283 buyers from more than 50 countries.
Attending sellers will include The Match Factory, Beta Cinema, Wild Bunch, Gaumont, Le Pacte, EuropaCorp, HanWay, WestEnd and Bankside.
Buyers include TWC, Magnolia, Film Movement, Memento, Senator, Soda, A Contracorriente, Metropole and Cineart as well as Asian buyers from Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Japan and Australia.
“This year we are looking at 20-25% year-on-year growth,” confirmed Business Street head Massimo Saidel. “By the end of July we were having to turn people away.”
Industry events
The market will feature around 80 market screenings as well as the return of sidebar Re-make It!, a selection...
- 10/6/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Similar to the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes, or the Visions and Vanguard programmes at Tiff, Venice has their own special sidebar for the more experimental folk on the cinema stage, called Orizzonti (Horizons). Last year saw some pretty heavy titles in this section, including Catherine Breillat's dream fable Sleeping Beauty, José Luis Guerín's local colour doc Guest, Hong Sang-soo's quadrant-structured Oki's Movie, and Patrick Keiller's continuation of his heady essay films with Robinson in Ruins. The full announcement for this year's edition will be dropping in the coming weeks, but today saw the unveiling of the jury, as well as their opening film, which will be Iranian filmmaker Amir Nedari's Cut. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, whose masterful and lethargic Syndromes and Century played in the 2006 main competition, had already been crowned jury prez some four weeks ago, but has been forced to drop out for unspecified reasons (let's hope...
- 7/13/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
Studio Ghibli, London
If you've never stepped into the universes of Hayao Miyazaki and co, it's time you discovered what you're missing. These aren't just some of the best animated children's movies ever made; they'e some of the best movies full stop. The vibrant fantasy worlds, airborne adventures and noble junior heroes of Studio Ghibli's movies fascinate kids, but they're richer, more challenging and more psychedelically epic than most of what passes for grown-up fantasy. Avatar looks like Mr Men compared to, say, Princess Mononoke – which deals with similar themes with considerably more nuance. Having first championed them 10 years ago, the Barbican brings back Ghibli classics, from Laputa: Castle In The Sky and My Neighbour Totoro (the best one for young viewers), right up to previews of their latest, Arrietty, a version of The Borrowers.
Barbican Screen EC2, Wed to 31 Jul
Liverpool Arabic Fim Festival
Partly as a result of the Arab Spring,...
If you've never stepped into the universes of Hayao Miyazaki and co, it's time you discovered what you're missing. These aren't just some of the best animated children's movies ever made; they'e some of the best movies full stop. The vibrant fantasy worlds, airborne adventures and noble junior heroes of Studio Ghibli's movies fascinate kids, but they're richer, more challenging and more psychedelically epic than most of what passes for grown-up fantasy. Avatar looks like Mr Men compared to, say, Princess Mononoke – which deals with similar themes with considerably more nuance. Having first championed them 10 years ago, the Barbican brings back Ghibli classics, from Laputa: Castle In The Sky and My Neighbour Totoro (the best one for young viewers), right up to previews of their latest, Arrietty, a version of The Borrowers.
Barbican Screen EC2, Wed to 31 Jul
Liverpool Arabic Fim Festival
Partly as a result of the Arab Spring,...
- 7/1/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Filmmaker Marianne Khoury was attacked by protesters in Egypt as she attempted to hand out blankets to pro-democracy supporters.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Cairo in the past few weeks to call for the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 30 years.
They've clashed with Mubarak supporters, resulting in several deaths, and Khoury admits she's been left stunned by what is happening in her city.
She tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Everything is shut down; life is at a standstill. People are glued to their TVs."
Khoury attempted to show her support for the Mubarak protesters by handing out blankets as they spent time camped out in the Tahrir Square area.
However, her efforts were hampered by Mubarak's supporters, who attacked her car.
The star explains, "It was an extremely traumatic experience. People in the street saw the car full of blankets and guessed who they were for. The whole street attacked us with unbelievable violence and people started banging on the windows.
"Finally I was taken in a truck to an army checkpoint and sent home."...
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Cairo in the past few weeks to call for the resignation of president Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 30 years.
They've clashed with Mubarak supporters, resulting in several deaths, and Khoury admits she's been left stunned by what is happening in her city.
She tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Everything is shut down; life is at a standstill. People are glued to their TVs."
Khoury attempted to show her support for the Mubarak protesters by handing out blankets as they spent time camped out in the Tahrir Square area.
However, her efforts were hampered by Mubarak's supporters, who attacked her car.
The star explains, "It was an extremely traumatic experience. People in the street saw the car full of blankets and guessed who they were for. The whole street attacked us with unbelievable violence and people started banging on the windows.
"Finally I was taken in a truck to an army checkpoint and sent home."...
- 2/10/2011
- WENN
I'm adding the make-up of the Venice Film Festival Horizons sidebar selections a little late to the site, I'm mostly curious to see the low ratio of films that'll be picked up from this section for the upcoming Tiff announcements. Deemed as re-branding of the section, a more eclectic melange of titles mixing short, medium length pics, documentaries film and feature length items, of the items that will generate the most interest are the opening and closing titles which were revealed the week before, but we should see media coverage mentions on Paul Morrissey's News From Nowhere, Jose Luis Guerin's docu Guest (I've yet to see 2007/2008's In the City of Sylvia) and Sion Sono's Cold Fish and short film offerings from Guillermo Arriaga, Isaac Julien and Clara Law. Horizons: Feature-length Works "Sleeping Beauty," Catherine Breillat (France, opener) "Oki's Movie," Hong Sang-soo (South Korea, closer) "The Nine Muses,...
- 8/2/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.