Spa town Karlovy Vary is known for more than healing waters to emerging filmmakers and producers from Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Those on track to reach global audiences are well acquainted with the festival’s industry section, headlined by the Eastern Promises collection of development and marketing workshops and mentorship programs.
Aside from packed panels and talks by international veterans, such as the masterclass by indie mogul Christine Vachon of Killer Films, one of the industry program’s most buzzworthy events is the regionally focused Midpoint Institute Feature Launch.
This year-round training platform took off more than a decade ago to support emerging talents by helping them to integrate their projects into the marketplace. It provides them with international collaboration and networking opportunities which, as Sona Morgenthalova, Feature Launch program coordinator for Midpoint, says, have proven highly effective.
“The numbers say it all,” she notes. “Thanks...
Aside from packed panels and talks by international veterans, such as the masterclass by indie mogul Christine Vachon of Killer Films, one of the industry program’s most buzzworthy events is the regionally focused Midpoint Institute Feature Launch.
This year-round training platform took off more than a decade ago to support emerging talents by helping them to integrate their projects into the marketplace. It provides them with international collaboration and networking opportunities which, as Sona Morgenthalova, Feature Launch program coordinator for Midpoint, says, have proven highly effective.
“The numbers say it all,” she notes. “Thanks...
- 6/30/2023
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
When “Avatar 2: Way of the Water” surged to the top of the Romanian box office earlier this year to become the highest-grossing film of all time, it marked an auspicious sign for a theatrical business still looking to recover from the doldrums of the coronavirus pandemic.
Yet local industry-watchers were even more encouraged to see a historic first in 2022, with two Romanian films cracking the top 10 at the year-end box office — a striking achievement for an industry that hasn’t historically been known for cranking out crowd-pleasing hits.
Topping the list was “Teambuilding,” a satirical workplace comedy from directors Matei Dima, Alex Coteț and Cosmin Nedelcu, which briefly reigned as the top-grossing film ever in Romania before being knocked from its perch by James Cameron’s blockbuster, which has raked in more than $8.3 million to date.
Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Cristian Ilișuan’s “Mirciulică,” a comedy about a 30-year-old forced...
Yet local industry-watchers were even more encouraged to see a historic first in 2022, with two Romanian films cracking the top 10 at the year-end box office — a striking achievement for an industry that hasn’t historically been known for cranking out crowd-pleasing hits.
Topping the list was “Teambuilding,” a satirical workplace comedy from directors Matei Dima, Alex Coteț and Cosmin Nedelcu, which briefly reigned as the top-grossing film ever in Romania before being knocked from its perch by James Cameron’s blockbuster, which has raked in more than $8.3 million to date.
Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Cristian Ilișuan’s “Mirciulică,” a comedy about a 30-year-old forced...
- 6/13/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
In writing the harrowing story of a Romanian stowaway trying to reach America aboard a cargo ship while hiding from merciless Taiwanese officers, Mihai Mincan found inspiration in the overwhelming fear that he once felt in his own dire predicament.
“To the North,” which screens in competition at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, is loosely based on the 1996 Maersk Dubai incident, in which the captain and officers of a Taiwanese container ship murdered three stowaways on two consecutive voyages by throwing them overboard. Crew members saved a fourth stowaway, keeping him hidden until they reached their destination.
It was cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”) who first told Mincan about the incident.
“At first I didn’t know what to do with the story,” the writer-director recalls. “But a few years later it just clicked. I said, okay, I can make this film about what I feel; this is a film about fear:...
“To the North,” which screens in competition at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, is loosely based on the 1996 Maersk Dubai incident, in which the captain and officers of a Taiwanese container ship murdered three stowaways on two consecutive voyages by throwing them overboard. Crew members saved a fourth stowaway, keeping him hidden until they reached their destination.
It was cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”) who first told Mincan about the incident.
“At first I didn’t know what to do with the story,” the writer-director recalls. “But a few years later it just clicked. I said, okay, I can make this film about what I feel; this is a film about fear:...
- 11/14/2022
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
More than 50 countries have announced their submissions in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category, and so far the race is broad and varied but without the kind of clear favorite that “Parasite,” “Roma” and “Amour” were in past years.
Then again, the Japanese movie “Drive My Car” didn’t appear to be a runaway favorite last year at this point, but it swept the critics’ awards and turned into a prohibitive frontrunner by the time Oscar voters began to cast their ballots. So maybe there is a dominant film in the mix, but we just don’t know it yet.
Still, with key countries like France, Italy, Denmark and Mexico yet to announce their entries the race, the category has a few favorites and a lot of uncertainty as the Oct. 3 deadline for submissions approaches.
Also Read:
India Snubs Hit Musical ‘Rrr,’ Chooses ‘Last Film Show’ for the Oscars...
Then again, the Japanese movie “Drive My Car” didn’t appear to be a runaway favorite last year at this point, but it swept the critics’ awards and turned into a prohibitive frontrunner by the time Oscar voters began to cast their ballots. So maybe there is a dominant film in the mix, but we just don’t know it yet.
Still, with key countries like France, Italy, Denmark and Mexico yet to announce their entries the race, the category has a few favorites and a lot of uncertainty as the Oct. 3 deadline for submissions approaches.
Also Read:
India Snubs Hit Musical ‘Rrr,’ Chooses ‘Last Film Show’ for the Oscars...
- 9/22/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Best Friend Forever has unveiled the trailer for “To The North,” Romanian Mihai Mincan’s feature debut which is world premiering in the Horizons section at Venice.
Inspired by true events, the edgy thriller follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by Radu Stancu at De Film Production, and co-produced by Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
Best Friend Forever 2022 line-up also includes Oscar-nominated director Alê Abreu’s a”Perlimps...
Inspired by true events, the edgy thriller follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by Radu Stancu at De Film Production, and co-produced by Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
Best Friend Forever 2022 line-up also includes Oscar-nominated director Alê Abreu’s a”Perlimps...
- 9/4/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international sales rights to Mihai Mincan’s drama thriller “To The North” which will world premiere at Venice in the Horizons section.
Inspired by true events, the film follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor, who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by De Film Production (“Alis”), Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
“We can’t be prouder to represent the film. It is surprisingly masterful for a debut, an immersive cinematographic experience,...
Inspired by true events, the film follows Joel, a religious Filipino sailor, who finds a Romanian stowaway, Dumitru, hidden between some containers during his shift on a transatlantic ship. Joel decides to hide him and subsequently starts feeling tormented by his crew, friends and even God.
“To The North” stars Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona and Olivier Ho Hio Hen (“Stillwater”). The topnotch crew includes cinematographer George Chiper-Lillemark (“Immaculate”), sound designer Nicolas Becker (“Sound Of Metal”) and sound mixer Cyril Holtz (“The Sister Brothers”).
“To The North” is produced by De Film Production (“Alis”), Remora Films, Studio Bauhaus, Screening Emotions and Background Films.
“We can’t be prouder to represent the film. It is surprisingly masterful for a debut, an immersive cinematographic experience,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The French writer-director will help young film enthusiasts choose the best film from selection.
French director Céline Sciamma has been named jury president of this year’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA), which runs alongside the Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Sciamma will preside over 27 young European film enthusiasts to select the recipient of the GdA Director’s award for best film from the Giornate Official Selection. The process will be coordinated by Karlovy Vary Film Festival director Karel Och.
It is the only award given at the GdA, a sidebar of the Venice Film Festival which runs independently parallel...
French director Céline Sciamma has been named jury president of this year’s Giornate degli Autori (GdA), which runs alongside the Venice Film Festival (August 31 - September 10).
Sciamma will preside over 27 young European film enthusiasts to select the recipient of the GdA Director’s award for best film from the Giornate Official Selection. The process will be coordinated by Karlovy Vary Film Festival director Karel Och.
It is the only award given at the GdA, a sidebar of the Venice Film Festival which runs independently parallel...
- 7/14/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
French director and screenwriter Céline Sciamma has been announced as jury president of Venice parallel section Giornate degli Autori (GdA), running August 31 to September 10.
She will preside over a jury of 27 young European cinephiles attending GdA under the auspices of the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative organized by the independent sidebar, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas
This jury decides the GdA Director’s Award, the sidebar’s only official prize, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
“Our choice of Céline Sciamma as jury president doesn’t only mean having one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary film with us at Giornate degli Autori; most importantly, what it means is embracing her vision of reality,” said GdA artistic director Gaia Furrer of the Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and Petite Maman director.
“Céline Sciamma has always...
She will preside over a jury of 27 young European cinephiles attending GdA under the auspices of the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative organized by the independent sidebar, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas
This jury decides the GdA Director’s Award, the sidebar’s only official prize, under the coordination of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) director Karel Och.
“Our choice of Céline Sciamma as jury president doesn’t only mean having one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary film with us at Giornate degli Autori; most importantly, what it means is embracing her vision of reality,” said GdA artistic director Gaia Furrer of the Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and Petite Maman director.
“Céline Sciamma has always...
- 7/14/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Utama’ won the World Cinema grand jury prize at Sundance earlier this year.
Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama won both the best film prize and the audience award at the 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival which closed yesterday, Sunday June 26.
Distributed internationally by Alpha Violet, the Bolivian-Uruguayan-French co-production about an elderly Indigenous man trying to survive in the Bolivian highlands, premiered earlier this year in Sundance where it received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema: Dramatic Competition. It is Grisi’s debut feature.
Iceland’s Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson won the best director prize...
Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama won both the best film prize and the audience award at the 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival which closed yesterday, Sunday June 26.
Distributed internationally by Alpha Violet, the Bolivian-Uruguayan-French co-production about an elderly Indigenous man trying to survive in the Bolivian highlands, premiered earlier this year in Sundance where it received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema: Dramatic Competition. It is Grisi’s debut feature.
Iceland’s Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson won the best director prize...
- 6/27/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
‘Utama’ won the World Cinema grand jury prize at Sundance earlier this year.
Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama won both the best film prize and the audience award at the 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival which closed yesterday, Sunday June 26.
Distributed internationally by Alpha Violet, the Bolivian-Uruguayan-French co-production about an elderly Indigenous man trying to survive in the Bolivian highlands, premiered earlier this year in Sundance where it received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema: Dramatic Competition. It is Grisi’s debut feature.
Iceland’s Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson won the best director prize...
Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s Utama won both the best film prize and the audience award at the 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival which closed yesterday, Sunday June 26.
Distributed internationally by Alpha Violet, the Bolivian-Uruguayan-French co-production about an elderly Indigenous man trying to survive in the Bolivian highlands, premiered earlier this year in Sundance where it received the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema: Dramatic Competition. It is Grisi’s debut feature.
Iceland’s Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson won the best director prize...
- 6/27/2022
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Bogdan George Apetri’s “Miracle” took home the top prize in the Romanian Days competition at the Transilvania Intl. Film Festival, which saw nine first-time directors among the 12 filmmakers competing in the annual showcase of domestic cinema.
It’s the first time such a formidable number of debuts have featured in the competition, offering a snapshot of what the fest’s artistic director Mihai Chirilov describes as a “balanced landscape” of new and established voices in Romania’s celebrated film industry.
It’s been nearly two decades since Cristi Puiu’s “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” (2005) won the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival, kickstarting what would come to be known as the Romanian New Wave. Two years later, Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d’Or for his abortion drama “4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days,” cementing the movement’s status and effectively punching the tickets of Mungiu, Puiu...
It’s the first time such a formidable number of debuts have featured in the competition, offering a snapshot of what the fest’s artistic director Mihai Chirilov describes as a “balanced landscape” of new and established voices in Romania’s celebrated film industry.
It’s been nearly two decades since Cristi Puiu’s “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” (2005) won the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival, kickstarting what would come to be known as the Romanian New Wave. Two years later, Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d’Or for his abortion drama “4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days,” cementing the movement’s status and effectively punching the tickets of Mungiu, Puiu...
- 6/26/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s “Utama,” which won the grand jury prize in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance this year, took home top honors at the closing ceremony of the Transilvania Film Festival on Saturday night.
Grisi’s feature debut tells the story of an elderly couple in the Bolivian highlands who refuse to relocate to the city despite the constant threat of drought. In a glowing review, Variety’s Peter Debruge described the film as a “sublime, quietly elegiac” character study that “looks quite unlike anything else.”
“By relying on the simplicity, purity and poetry of his cinematic approach, the director takes the audience on a universal journey, talking about the essence of life, death and everything in between,” said the Transilvania jury, praising a film that “gives the audience a deep, multilayered feeling of how fragile our future is.” “Utama” was also feted with the festival’s Audience Award.
Grisi’s feature debut tells the story of an elderly couple in the Bolivian highlands who refuse to relocate to the city despite the constant threat of drought. In a glowing review, Variety’s Peter Debruge described the film as a “sublime, quietly elegiac” character study that “looks quite unlike anything else.”
“By relying on the simplicity, purity and poetry of his cinematic approach, the director takes the audience on a universal journey, talking about the essence of life, death and everything in between,” said the Transilvania jury, praising a film that “gives the audience a deep, multilayered feeling of how fragile our future is.” “Utama” was also feted with the festival’s Audience Award.
- 6/26/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The programme for the 2021 Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, and includes new films from Pedro Almodóvar, Jane Campion, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michelangelo Frammartino, Pablo Larraín, Paul Schrader, Ridley Scott, and more.Parallel MothersCOMPETITIONParallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar)Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon (Ana Lily Amirpour)Un Autre Monde (Stephane Brize)The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)America LatinaL’Evenement (Audrey Diwan)Official CompetitionThe Hole (Michelangelo Frammartino)Sundown (Michel Franco)Lost Illusions (Xavier Giannoli)The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)Spencer (Pablo Larrain)Freaks Out (Gabriele Mainetti)Qui Rido Io (Mario Martone)On The Job: The Missing 8 (Erik Matti)Leave No Traces (Jan P. Matuszyński)Captain Volkonogov EscapedThe Card Counter (Paul Schrader)The Hand of God (Paolo Sorrentino)Reflection (Valentyn Vasyanovych)The Box (Lorenzo Vigas)Out Of COMPETITIONFeaturesDune (Denis Villeneuve)Il Bambino Nascosto (Roberto Andò)Les Choses Humaines (Yvan Attal)Ariaferma (Leonardo Di Costanzo)Halloween Kills (David Gordon Green...
- 8/3/2021
- MUBI
Industry showcase to run virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) has unveiled the projects that will be showcased during its Eastern Promises industry strand, which is taking place online for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some 41 film projects will be presented across industry strands: Works in Progress; First Cut+ Works in Progress; Docs in Progress; Works in Development - Feature Launch; and Eurimages Lab Project Award.
Projects will be presented to industry across three days, from July 8, with the most promising titles receiving awards worth a total of €165,000.
Kviff announced in...
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) has unveiled the projects that will be showcased during its Eastern Promises industry strand, which is taking place online for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some 41 film projects will be presented across industry strands: Works in Progress; First Cut+ Works in Progress; Docs in Progress; Works in Development - Feature Launch; and Eurimages Lab Project Award.
Projects will be presented to industry across three days, from July 8, with the most promising titles receiving awards worth a total of €165,000.
Kviff announced in...
- 6/17/2020
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Touch Me Not director Adina Pintilie: "Einstürzende Neubauten and Blixa Bargeld it's very important. It has always been. In particular the piece that you hear in the film. Melancholia speaks about the subconscious of the city." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
At the 68th Berlin Film Festival, the jury, led by Tom Tykwer, with Cécile de France, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stephanie Zacharek, Chema Prado, and Oscar-winning producer Adele Romanski of Barry Jenkins' Moonlight and Independent Spirit winner If Beale Street Could Talk, gave the Golden Bear to Adina Pintilie's Touch Me Not, produced by Philippe Avril, and Bianca Oana.
Adina Pintilie: "I think you can find an emotional mirror of what happens within the characters." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Pintilie's début feature, shot by George Chiper, bested such films as Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner's Damsel, Christian Petzold's Transit, Benoît Jacquot's Eva, Cédric Kahn...
At the 68th Berlin Film Festival, the jury, led by Tom Tykwer, with Cécile de France, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Stephanie Zacharek, Chema Prado, and Oscar-winning producer Adele Romanski of Barry Jenkins' Moonlight and Independent Spirit winner If Beale Street Could Talk, gave the Golden Bear to Adina Pintilie's Touch Me Not, produced by Philippe Avril, and Bianca Oana.
Adina Pintilie: "I think you can find an emotional mirror of what happens within the characters." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Pintilie's début feature, shot by George Chiper, bested such films as Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner's Damsel, Christian Petzold's Transit, Benoît Jacquot's Eva, Cédric Kahn...
- 2/28/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
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