Following what happened in the US during the last decade or so, the quality of Asian dramas has skyrocketed during the last few years, with a significant surge of talent from cinema towards streaming platforms, with Korea definitely paving the way in the regard, and Japan following. The result is quite impressive to watch, since, frequently, the level of these titles is equal to the one of movies.
Without further ado, here are 20 Asian dramas in random order proving the fact in the most eloquent fashion.
1. Cigarette Girl by Kamila Andini
“Cigarette Girl” is not a typical story of two broken hearts crushed by unfortunate circumstances, a trope over-used in the soap opera format. It also has a bit of history to offer alongside a basic insight into the women's hardships in Indonesia not such long time ago. “Your duty is to clean the house and find yourself a husband...
Without further ado, here are 20 Asian dramas in random order proving the fact in the most eloquent fashion.
1. Cigarette Girl by Kamila Andini
“Cigarette Girl” is not a typical story of two broken hearts crushed by unfortunate circumstances, a trope over-used in the soap opera format. It also has a bit of history to offer alongside a basic insight into the women's hardships in Indonesia not such long time ago. “Your duty is to clean the house and find yourself a husband...
- 1/18/2024
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
It is a fact during the last few years, that TV series have become part of film festivals, with a number of them screening a sample (usually a couple of episodes), probably since their quality nowadays γετσ closer and closer and frequently even surpasses that of movies. Iranian “The Actor” a 20-episode series is definitely one of those, as it became evident when we watched the first two episodes in Thessaloniki.
“The Actor“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
In what is probably one of the greatest intros ever to appear in any kind of screen, a group of people are traveling through a remote area in Iran, when the first of two cars has to change a tire. One of the people in that car is changing it, another is dancing to “Losing My Religion” while two girls are staying inside. In the other car, a man and his fiance are waiting,...
“The Actor“ is screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
In what is probably one of the greatest intros ever to appear in any kind of screen, a group of people are traveling through a remote area in Iran, when the first of two cars has to change a tire. One of the people in that car is changing it, another is dancing to “Losing My Religion” while two girls are staying inside. In the other car, a man and his fiance are waiting,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Imagine if there is another version of us in a parallel world somewhere. That very thought is frightening itself, but imagine if that other version lives in our same world. That sounds fine considering the world is big and people can live in different parts of the world. But, what if, that version lives nearby and it is just a matter of time before we bump into them? This is exactly the premise of this film. Subtraction is a brilliantly made, intense, fast-paced sci-fi thriller that keeps you engaged the whole time. Director Mani Haghighi has made a film that is technically magnificent in every regard while telling a story of identity, anxiety and trust in a male dominant hierarchical society.
We meet Farzaneh (Taraneh Alidoosti) who is a pregnant driving instructor in the middle of her driving lesson with a student. They are stuck in traffic and it’s pouring outside.
We meet Farzaneh (Taraneh Alidoosti) who is a pregnant driving instructor in the middle of her driving lesson with a student. They are stuck in traffic and it’s pouring outside.
- 8/20/2023
- by Prem
- Talking Films
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So, we’re going to do the hard work for you.
This week we head to Iran, where filmmaker Nima Javidi’s debut TV series has been winning awards and generating plenty of attention. Taking inspiration from the Bard himself, the show follows two friends who use their acting skills to help solve cold cases. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, it turns out. Having won the Series Mania Grand Prize, attracting the attention of thousands of important attendees at the annual Lille confab, The Actor’s creator and seller now have their sights set globally.
This week we head to Iran, where filmmaker Nima Javidi’s debut TV series has been winning awards and generating plenty of attention. Taking inspiration from the Bard himself, the show follows two friends who use their acting skills to help solve cold cases. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty, it turns out. Having won the Series Mania Grand Prize, attracting the attention of thousands of important attendees at the annual Lille confab, The Actor’s creator and seller now have their sights set globally.
- 7/11/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
A barnstorming – and ultimately gruesome – opening sequence sets the grisly action-packed tone, as a morally ambiguous cop takes on a powerful drug lord
If Michael Mann made a movie in Iran it might look like this: a ferocious drama-thriller in which a haunted, morally ambiguous cop faces off with a despairing drug lord. We begin with a barnstorming chase sequence in which an officer runs after a drug dealer holding a bag of heroin; the scene climaxes with a shockingly nasty end for the dealer, setting a gruesome tone for the rest of the film.
The director is Saeed Roustayi, whose Leila’s Brothers was in competition at Cannes last year; this is in fact his previous film. Payman Maadi (from Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation) is police officer Samad, who is losing the “war on drugs”; gangsters have murdered the son of his subordinate, so his team’s dedication to...
If Michael Mann made a movie in Iran it might look like this: a ferocious drama-thriller in which a haunted, morally ambiguous cop faces off with a despairing drug lord. We begin with a barnstorming chase sequence in which an officer runs after a drug dealer holding a bag of heroin; the scene climaxes with a shockingly nasty end for the dealer, setting a gruesome tone for the rest of the film.
The director is Saeed Roustayi, whose Leila’s Brothers was in competition at Cannes last year; this is in fact his previous film. Payman Maadi (from Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation) is police officer Samad, who is losing the “war on drugs”; gangsters have murdered the son of his subordinate, so his team’s dedication to...
- 3/29/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The Iranian series The Actor from director Nima Javidi picked up the top Grand Prize jury award at Series Mania, the international TV festival that wrapped in Lille, France on Friday night.
The drama from Iran is led by the Venice best actor winner Navid Mohammadzadeh and follows two down and out actors struggling to make ends meet as they run a derelict theater in Tehran with wealthy Iranians as patrons.
The international jury, led by screenwriter and producer Lisa Joy, also gave its best actor trophy to Michael Sheen for his performance the U.K. series Best Interests, while the best actress prize went to Margot Mancilhon for her star turn in the French series Haven of Grace.
The Series Mania international jury also gave the best writing trophy to John Kâre Raake for The Fortress series from Norway.
In other prize giving, the International Panorama jury, led by French writer Herve Le Tellier,...
The drama from Iran is led by the Venice best actor winner Navid Mohammadzadeh and follows two down and out actors struggling to make ends meet as they run a derelict theater in Tehran with wealthy Iranians as patrons.
The international jury, led by screenwriter and producer Lisa Joy, also gave its best actor trophy to Michael Sheen for his performance the U.K. series Best Interests, while the best actress prize went to Margot Mancilhon for her star turn in the French series Haven of Grace.
The Series Mania international jury also gave the best writing trophy to John Kâre Raake for The Fortress series from Norway.
In other prize giving, the International Panorama jury, led by French writer Herve Le Tellier,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Lille, France — Headed by a commanding performance from Navid Mohammadzadeh, superbly shot and packing arguably the best opening scene of any series in Series Mania main competition, Navid Javidi’s “The Actor” won the Grand Prize at Series Mania on Friday night.
The top Series Mania award for the “The Actor” also proves vindication for the Festival which this year has broadened its geographical reach in an effort to discover new narrative modes and styles. Consistently subordinating narrative to mood, “The Actor” certainly wins on that score.
Main scribe John Kåre Raake (“The Quake”) and co-scribe Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Bø”) scooped best writing for “The Fortress,” a banner upcoming Viaplay title produced by Norway’s Maipo Film and sold by TrustNordisk, which delivers a telling political cautionary tale for our times, a chic isolationist parable thriller set in an alternative Norway which has built a wall to keep foreigners out. When a virus strikes,...
The top Series Mania award for the “The Actor” also proves vindication for the Festival which this year has broadened its geographical reach in an effort to discover new narrative modes and styles. Consistently subordinating narrative to mood, “The Actor” certainly wins on that score.
Main scribe John Kåre Raake (“The Quake”) and co-scribe Linn-Jeanethe Kyed (“Bø”) scooped best writing for “The Fortress,” a banner upcoming Viaplay title produced by Norway’s Maipo Film and sold by TrustNordisk, which delivers a telling political cautionary tale for our times, a chic isolationist parable thriller set in an alternative Norway which has built a wall to keep foreigners out. When a virus strikes,...
- 3/24/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Event wrapped in Lille against backdrop of nationwide unrest in France.
Navid Javidi’s The Actor starring Navid Mohammadzadeh was awarded the International Competition grand prize at 2023 Series Mania in the first year in which content from Iran participated in the event in Lille, France.
Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg summed up the event as it came to a close, noting that this year’s edition drew more than 85,000 festival participants – representing a significant increase on last year’s 70,000 – and around 3,800 from 64 countries for the industry forum.
Besides Iran, debutant participating countries included Japan, Argentina, UAE, Turkey,...
Navid Javidi’s The Actor starring Navid Mohammadzadeh was awarded the International Competition grand prize at 2023 Series Mania in the first year in which content from Iran participated in the event in Lille, France.
Series Mania founder and general director Laurence Herszberg summed up the event as it came to a close, noting that this year’s edition drew more than 85,000 festival participants – representing a significant increase on last year’s 70,000 – and around 3,800 from 64 countries for the industry forum.
Besides Iran, debutant participating countries included Japan, Argentina, UAE, Turkey,...
- 3/24/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
For writers of hardboiled fiction, the private eye could act as a conduit, an unmoored guide moving freely across social ranks and situations. For director Nima Javidi – whose new series “The Actor” is the first Iranian production to premiere in competition at Series Mania – the thespian might play a similar role.
“Shakespeare said that all the world’s a stage,” Javidi tells Variety. “And that all the men and women are merely players, assuming different roles depending on their situations and what they want to achieve. I thought it was fascinating [to put performers in those private detective roles and have them], overcome obstacles, solve problems, and save themselves and others from difficulties by using their acting abilities.”
Led by Venice best actor winner Navid Mohammadzadeh (who recently anchored Saeed Roustayi’s Cannes-acclaimed “Leila’s Brothers”), “The Actor” follows Ali (Mohammadzadeh) and Morteza (Ahmad Mehranfar), two down-and-out performers with little to their names but a derelict theater for which they can barely make rent.
“Shakespeare said that all the world’s a stage,” Javidi tells Variety. “And that all the men and women are merely players, assuming different roles depending on their situations and what they want to achieve. I thought it was fascinating [to put performers in those private detective roles and have them], overcome obstacles, solve problems, and save themselves and others from difficulties by using their acting abilities.”
Led by Venice best actor winner Navid Mohammadzadeh (who recently anchored Saeed Roustayi’s Cannes-acclaimed “Leila’s Brothers”), “The Actor” follows Ali (Mohammadzadeh) and Morteza (Ahmad Mehranfar), two down-and-out performers with little to their names but a derelict theater for which they can barely make rent.
- 3/24/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
With an International Panorama spangled by gems – think Spain’s “Apagón,” Sweden’s “Blackwater,” and Canada’s “Disobey” and “Little Bird” – Series Mania also weighs in this year with one, if not the, strongest and most mouthwatering of international competitions in its history.
Including the opening and closing series, Amazon’s “Greek Salad” and Netflix’s “Transatlantic,” nearly all the global streamers have titles in the lineup, from Apple TV+’s “Drops of God” and Paramount+’s “Fleeting Lies.” The lineup also features some A-List international writing talents, such as the U.K.’s Jack Thorne and Israel’s Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen, whose “The Virtues” and “No Man’s Land” rank among the most memorable of recent Series Mania competition titles, and closing the festival, out of competition, “Unorthodox’s” Anna Wenger.”Fleeting Lies” also represents one of the first series from Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar’s El Deseo label in Madrid,...
Including the opening and closing series, Amazon’s “Greek Salad” and Netflix’s “Transatlantic,” nearly all the global streamers have titles in the lineup, from Apple TV+’s “Drops of God” and Paramount+’s “Fleeting Lies.” The lineup also features some A-List international writing talents, such as the U.K.’s Jack Thorne and Israel’s Ron Leshem and Amit Cohen, whose “The Virtues” and “No Man’s Land” rank among the most memorable of recent Series Mania competition titles, and closing the festival, out of competition, “Unorthodox’s” Anna Wenger.”Fleeting Lies” also represents one of the first series from Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar’s El Deseo label in Madrid,...
- 3/17/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
If they do not want to be persecuted by the state, while keeping their chances at the international film festival circuit, the Iranian filmmakers must not be too open in their criticism towards the state policies. Carefully inserted metaphors are usually the way to go for covering tracks and Vahid Jalilvand has so far managed to do so with his previous films, “Wednesday, May 9” (2015) and “No Date, No Signature” (2017) which both premiered at Venice Horizons section. He tries to do the same with his newest effort “Beyond the Wall”, which premiered at the main competition of last year’s Venice. After a tour of festivals like Toronto, Busan, Hamburg and Göteborg, it was shown at the competition of Belgrade International Film Festival, where we caught it.
When we meet our protagonist, Ali, he is in such a desperate state that he tries to commit suicide in his spartan apartment in...
When we meet our protagonist, Ali, he is in such a desperate state that he tries to commit suicide in his spartan apartment in...
- 3/1/2023
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Films Boutique has closed a flurry of deals on “Subtraction,” Mani Haghighi’s Iranian noir thriller which world premiered at Toronto in the competition Platform section.
The Berlin-based company has closed deals in France (Diaphana in association with Kinovista), Russia and Cis (A One), Canada (Films We Like), Ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Middle East (Fron Row), Poland (Mayfly), Taiwan (Proview Ent.), Australia and New Zealand (Vendetta), Switzerland (Trigon) and Benelux (September Films).
The movie is headlined by Taraneh Alidoosti, the Iranian star of “The Salesman” and “Leila’s Brothers” and Navid Mohammadzadeh (“Leila’s Brothers”). Both Haghighi and Alidoosti have recently been targeted by Iranian authorities. Alidoosti was temporarily arrested, while Haghighi had his passport confiscated as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival.
Set in downtown Tehran, the movie stars Farzaneh as a young driving instructor who spots her husband, Jalal, walking into a woman’s apartment.
The Berlin-based company has closed deals in France (Diaphana in association with Kinovista), Russia and Cis (A One), Canada (Films We Like), Ex-Yugoslavia (McF Megacom), Middle East (Fron Row), Poland (Mayfly), Taiwan (Proview Ent.), Australia and New Zealand (Vendetta), Switzerland (Trigon) and Benelux (September Films).
The movie is headlined by Taraneh Alidoosti, the Iranian star of “The Salesman” and “Leila’s Brothers” and Navid Mohammadzadeh (“Leila’s Brothers”). Both Haghighi and Alidoosti have recently been targeted by Iranian authorities. Alidoosti was temporarily arrested, while Haghighi had his passport confiscated as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival.
Set in downtown Tehran, the movie stars Farzaneh as a young driving instructor who spots her husband, Jalal, walking into a woman’s apartment.
- 2/15/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand’s psychological thriller “Beyond the Wall,” which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival, was described in the Variety review as a “morbidly violent allegory for the effects of state-sponsored trauma on the individual that places contemporary Iranian society somewhere on the map between the sixth and seventh circles of hell.”
Since the film’s premiere, protests in Iran have raged following the killing of Mahsa Amini, and have been met with savage violence from the state. Jalilvand tells Variety via a videolink from Tehran it is difficult to say what the outcome of the tumult will be, but, he adds: “The thing I am sure of is Iran will not return to how it was three months ago, before these protests started. It won’t go back. People have gained a spirit of fighting for their inalienable rights, and this won’t go back – it is irreversible now.
Since the film’s premiere, protests in Iran have raged following the killing of Mahsa Amini, and have been met with savage violence from the state. Jalilvand tells Variety via a videolink from Tehran it is difficult to say what the outcome of the tumult will be, but, he adds: “The thing I am sure of is Iran will not return to how it was three months ago, before these protests started. It won’t go back. People have gained a spirit of fighting for their inalienable rights, and this won’t go back – it is irreversible now.
- 12/11/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian, producer of Dariush Mehrjui’s A Minor, which is set to have its world premiere in competition at the on-going International Film Festival of India (Iffi) in Goa, has not been granted a permit to leave Iran, so is unable to attend the event.
Dormishian’s passport was confiscated at the airport and he was referred to an Iranian court of law for prosecution. Throughout the current nationwide protests in Iran, Dormishian has been sharing posts on his Instagram account to show support for the protestors.
Born in 1981 in Tehran, Dormishian is a screenwriter, director, documentary filmmaker and producer, with credits including Hatred, I’m Not Angry!, A Minor and No Choice, which have screened at major film festivals and won several awards. His movies have often criticized aspects of Iranian society and have been subject to heavy censorship and lengthy bans in his home country.
Dormishian’s passport was confiscated at the airport and he was referred to an Iranian court of law for prosecution. Throughout the current nationwide protests in Iran, Dormishian has been sharing posts on his Instagram account to show support for the protestors.
Born in 1981 in Tehran, Dormishian is a screenwriter, director, documentary filmmaker and producer, with credits including Hatred, I’m Not Angry!, A Minor and No Choice, which have screened at major film festivals and won several awards. His movies have often criticized aspects of Iranian society and have been subject to heavy censorship and lengthy bans in his home country.
- 11/27/2022
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi was due to present his new film Subtraction at London Film Festival this year, after screening it earlier at Toronto (TIFF), but was stopped from leaving Iran and had his passport confiscated. His great loss was still the London festival audience’s gain, as this important narrative from this region continued to be admired for its insightful factual elements and important voices.
Unlike Haghighi’s dark comedy Pig in 2018, his latest offering is a somber, Hitchcockian-styled thriller, complete with intrigue, mystery, malice and near continual pouring rain. Fascinating still is the backstory for Subtraction‘s plot: According to Variety, Haghighi was stunned to find a doppelgänger of his adult self in an old photograph on display at a mosque in southwest Iran, where the Iran-Iraq war took place. At the time the photo was taken though, Haghighi was just a boy of 10 years old. Hence, Subtraction...
Unlike Haghighi’s dark comedy Pig in 2018, his latest offering is a somber, Hitchcockian-styled thriller, complete with intrigue, mystery, malice and near continual pouring rain. Fascinating still is the backstory for Subtraction‘s plot: According to Variety, Haghighi was stunned to find a doppelgänger of his adult self in an old photograph on display at a mosque in southwest Iran, where the Iran-Iraq war took place. At the time the photo was taken though, Haghighi was just a boy of 10 years old. Hence, Subtraction...
- 10/24/2022
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
After talking about the compelling array of short films available to watch at London Film Festival last week, I now find myself in the same position talking about the impressive selection of feature films that were on display this year. The features on show at Lff ran across a huge variety of strands and programmes from the genre-specific fare of the ‘Cult’ strand to the Headline Galas which attracted some of the world’s biggest stars to the red carpet in London. Here at Dn, however, we’re interested in those hidden gems, the films that won’t be arriving on Netflix in a month’s time that push the artistic boundaries of the form and deserve to be championed. So, with that in mind, we offer below a recommended selection of ten features to add to your watch list from a collection of international auteurs and innovative debut filmmakers.
- 10/17/2022
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
“Subtraction,” from idiosyncratic Iranian helmer-writer Mani Haghighi is a tense Hitchcockian thriller set in Tehran, where a heavy, non-stop rainfall signals a lingering malaise. There, a young couple come across their doppelgängers. The film premiered at the Toronto festival.
The idea for the plot grew out of the helmer’s long-ago trip to Southwest Iran to look at places where the Iran-Iraq war took place.
“It was a hot summer day and I wandered into a local mosque to cool down and get some rest,” Haghighi says. “The people who ran the mosque had put on an exhibition of photographs from the war years. I was casually looking at these pictures and I was suddenly transfixed by one of them. It was a picture of me, in military uniform, badly wounded in the neck, being carried by two other soldiers. As one of the characters says in ‘Subtraction,’ ‘It’s...
The idea for the plot grew out of the helmer’s long-ago trip to Southwest Iran to look at places where the Iran-Iraq war took place.
“It was a hot summer day and I wandered into a local mosque to cool down and get some rest,” Haghighi says. “The people who ran the mosque had put on an exhibition of photographs from the war years. I was casually looking at these pictures and I was suddenly transfixed by one of them. It was a picture of me, in military uniform, badly wounded in the neck, being carried by two other soldiers. As one of the characters says in ‘Subtraction,’ ‘It’s...
- 9/21/2022
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
"They don't just look like us. It's like we're clones." Films Boutique has debuted a festival promo trailer for an Iranian film titled Subtraction, from filmmaker / actor Mani Haghighi. This is premiering at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival underway right now, and it's still looking for distribution. Hopefully with some good festival buzz it will be picked up. In downtown Tehran, Farzaneh, a driving instructor, spots her husband, Jalal, walking into a woman's apartment. When she confronts him, Jalal claims he was out of town for work. He decides to check out the building for himself. There, he meets a woman who is the spitting image of Farzaneh. Her name is Bita. Stunned, the two compare family photos: Bita's husband also looks identical to Jalal. A story of identity and doppelgängers and much more. The film stars Taraneh Alidoosti, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Esmail PoorReza, and Farham Azizi. It looks like it gets...
- 9/13/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Film Circuit begins with Telluride, a small but perfect film festival in the mountains of Colorado as simultaneously Venice unfurls the films that will soon be released in the wonderful arthouse cinemas of Europe, followed closely by Toronto whose films foretell the coming year’s Oscars nominees. It is a very exciting time to be on the festival circuit.
And simultaneously with these great screenings are sidebars, panel discussions, workshops, master classes and all around great networking for filmmakers around the world.
Venezia 79 Competition
Il Signore Delle Formiche
Director Gianni Amelio
Main Cast Luigi Lo Cascio, Elio Germano, Leonardo Maltese, Sara Serraiocco / Italy / 134’
The Whale
Director Darren Aronofsky
Main Cast Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Ty Simpkins / USA / 117’
White Noise
Director Noah Baumbach
Main Cast Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Don Cheadle, Raffey Cassidy, Sam Nivola, May Nivola, Jodie Turner-Smith, André L. Benjamin and Lars Eidinger / USA / 136’
L’IMMENSITÀ
Director Emanuele Crialese
Main Cast Penélope Cruz, Luana Giuliani, Vincenzo Amato, Patrizio Francioni / Italy, France / 97’
Saint Omer
Director Alice Diop
Main Cast Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville, Aurélia Petit / France / 123’
Blonde
Director Andrew Dominik
Main Cast Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, Julianne Nicholson, Lily Fisher / USA / 166’
TÁR
Director Todd Field
Main Cast Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Julian Glover, Allan Corduner, Mark Strong / USA / 158’
Love Life
Director Kôji Fukada
Main Cast Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Atom Sunada / Japan, France / 123’
Bardo, Falsa CRÓNICA De Unas Cuantas Verdades
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Main Cast Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid, Iker Sanchez Solano, Andrés Almeida, Francisco Rubio / Mexico / 174’
Athena
Director Romain Gavras
Main Cast Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek, Alexis Manenti / France / 97’
Bones And All
Director Luca Guadagnino
Main Cast Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, Jessica Harper, David Gordon Green, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jake Horowitz / USA / 130’
The Eternal Daughter
Director Joanna Hogg
Main Cast Tilda Swinton, Joseph Mydell, Carly-Sophia Davies / UK, USA / 96’
Shab, Dakheli, Divar (Beyond The Wall)
Director Vahid Jalilvand
Main Cast Navid Mohammadzadeh, Diana Habibi, Amir Aghaee / Iran / 126’
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Director Martin McDonagh
Main Cast Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan / Ireland, UK, USA / 109’
Argentina, 1985
Director Santiago Mitre
Main Cast Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner, Norman Briski / Argentina, USA / 140’
Chiara
Director Susanna Nicchiarelli
Main Cast Margherita Mazzucco, Andrea Carpenzano, Carlotta Natoli, Paola Tiziana Cruciani, Luigi Lo Cascio / Italy, Belgium / 106’
Monica
Director Andrea Pallaoro
Main Cast Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Adriana Barraza, Emily Browning, Joshua Close / USA, Italy / 113’
Khers Nist (No Bears)
Director Jafar Panahi
Main Cast Jafar Panahi, Naser Hashemi, Vahid Mobaseri, Bakhtiar Panjeei, Mina Kavani, Reza Heydari / Iran / 107’
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed
Director Laura Poitras
USA / 117’
Un Couple
Director Frederick Wiseman
Main Cast Nathalie Boutefeu / France, USA / 64’
The Son
Director Florian Zeller
Main Cast Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby, Zen McGrath, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Quarshie / UK / 124’
Les Miens
Director Roschdy Zem
Main Cast Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem, Meriem Serbah, Maïwenn, Rachid Bouchareb, Abel Jafrei, Nina Zem / France / 85’
Les Enfants Des Autres
Director Rebecca Zlotowski
Main Cast Virginie Efira, Roschdy Zem, Chiara Mastroianni, Callie Ferreira / France / 104’
Toronto is in spite of itself in a civilized sort of way in competition for the premieres with Venice, though the sequential festivals are serving different constituencies. Still, The Whale, for example is premiering in Venice and then traveling to TIFF.
TIFF Gala Presentations:
The Whale directed by Darren Aronofsky, produced and to be distributed in U.S. and actng as international sales agent A24.
TIFF says: “Brendan Fraser gives a career-defining performance in Darren Aronofsky’s arrestingly intimate drama about a reclusive English professor struggling with personal relationships and self-acceptance, adapted from the stage play by Samuel D. Hunter.”
Alice, Darling by Mary Nighy
Also playing are Alice, Darling (Mary Nighy) in which Anna Kendrick captures the anxious psychology of a woman in an abusive relationship as her friends try to reconnect with her while on a cottage getaway.
Black Ice(Hubert Davis) about Black hockey players facing systemic racism in the sport.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Peter Farrelly) about man’s story of leaving New York in 1967 to bring beer to his childhood buddies in the Army while they are fighting in Vietnam. An Apple TV+ production.
Butcher’s Crossing (Gabe Polsky) is a frontier epic about an Ivy League drop-out as he travels to the Colorado wilderness, where he joins a team of buffalo hunters on a journey that puts his life and sanity at risk. Based on the highly acclaimed novel by John Williams. Isa Altitude
The Hummingbird (Francesca Archibugi)Hunt (Jung-jae Lee)A Jazzman’s Blues (Tyler Perry)Kacchey Limbu (Shubham Yogi)Moving On (Paul Weitz)Paris Memories (Alice Winocour)Prisoner’s Daughter (Catherine Hardwicke)Raymond & Ray (Rodrigo García)Roost (Amy Redford)Sidney (Reginald Hudlin)The Son (Florian Zeller)The Swimmers (Sally El Hosaini)What’s Love Got to Do With It? (Shekhar Kapur)The Woman King(Gina Prince-Bythewood)
Special PRESENTATIONSAllelujah (Sir Richard Eyre)All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger)The Banshees Of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)Blueback (Robert Connolly)The Blue Caftan (Maryam Touzani)Broker (Hirokazu Kore-eda)Brother (Clement Virgo)Bros (Nicholas Stoller)Catherine Called Birdy (Lena Dunham)Causeway (Lila Neugebauer)Chevalier (Stephen Williams)Corsage (Marie Kreutzer)Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)Devotion (Jd Dillard)Driving (Madeleine Christian Carion)El Suplente (Diego Lerman)Empire of Light...
And simultaneously with these great screenings are sidebars, panel discussions, workshops, master classes and all around great networking for filmmakers around the world.
Venezia 79 Competition
Il Signore Delle Formiche
Director Gianni Amelio
Main Cast Luigi Lo Cascio, Elio Germano, Leonardo Maltese, Sara Serraiocco / Italy / 134’
The Whale
Director Darren Aronofsky
Main Cast Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Samantha Morton, Ty Simpkins / USA / 117’
White Noise
Director Noah Baumbach
Main Cast Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, Don Cheadle, Raffey Cassidy, Sam Nivola, May Nivola, Jodie Turner-Smith, André L. Benjamin and Lars Eidinger / USA / 136’
L’IMMENSITÀ
Director Emanuele Crialese
Main Cast Penélope Cruz, Luana Giuliani, Vincenzo Amato, Patrizio Francioni / Italy, France / 97’
Saint Omer
Director Alice Diop
Main Cast Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville, Aurélia Petit / France / 123’
Blonde
Director Andrew Dominik
Main Cast Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Xavier Samuel, Julianne Nicholson, Lily Fisher / USA / 166’
TÁR
Director Todd Field
Main Cast Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Julian Glover, Allan Corduner, Mark Strong / USA / 158’
Love Life
Director Kôji Fukada
Main Cast Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Atom Sunada / Japan, France / 123’
Bardo, Falsa CRÓNICA De Unas Cuantas Verdades
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Main Cast Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid, Iker Sanchez Solano, Andrés Almeida, Francisco Rubio / Mexico / 174’
Athena
Director Romain Gavras
Main Cast Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek, Alexis Manenti / France / 97’
Bones And All
Director Luca Guadagnino
Main Cast Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny, Jessica Harper, David Gordon Green, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jake Horowitz / USA / 130’
The Eternal Daughter
Director Joanna Hogg
Main Cast Tilda Swinton, Joseph Mydell, Carly-Sophia Davies / UK, USA / 96’
Shab, Dakheli, Divar (Beyond The Wall)
Director Vahid Jalilvand
Main Cast Navid Mohammadzadeh, Diana Habibi, Amir Aghaee / Iran / 126’
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Director Martin McDonagh
Main Cast Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan / Ireland, UK, USA / 109’
Argentina, 1985
Director Santiago Mitre
Main Cast Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner, Norman Briski / Argentina, USA / 140’
Chiara
Director Susanna Nicchiarelli
Main Cast Margherita Mazzucco, Andrea Carpenzano, Carlotta Natoli, Paola Tiziana Cruciani, Luigi Lo Cascio / Italy, Belgium / 106’
Monica
Director Andrea Pallaoro
Main Cast Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Adriana Barraza, Emily Browning, Joshua Close / USA, Italy / 113’
Khers Nist (No Bears)
Director Jafar Panahi
Main Cast Jafar Panahi, Naser Hashemi, Vahid Mobaseri, Bakhtiar Panjeei, Mina Kavani, Reza Heydari / Iran / 107’
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed
Director Laura Poitras
USA / 117’
Un Couple
Director Frederick Wiseman
Main Cast Nathalie Boutefeu / France, USA / 64’
The Son
Director Florian Zeller
Main Cast Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby, Zen McGrath, Anthony Hopkins, Hugh Quarshie / UK / 124’
Les Miens
Director Roschdy Zem
Main Cast Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem, Meriem Serbah, Maïwenn, Rachid Bouchareb, Abel Jafrei, Nina Zem / France / 85’
Les Enfants Des Autres
Director Rebecca Zlotowski
Main Cast Virginie Efira, Roschdy Zem, Chiara Mastroianni, Callie Ferreira / France / 104’
Toronto is in spite of itself in a civilized sort of way in competition for the premieres with Venice, though the sequential festivals are serving different constituencies. Still, The Whale, for example is premiering in Venice and then traveling to TIFF.
TIFF Gala Presentations:
The Whale directed by Darren Aronofsky, produced and to be distributed in U.S. and actng as international sales agent A24.
TIFF says: “Brendan Fraser gives a career-defining performance in Darren Aronofsky’s arrestingly intimate drama about a reclusive English professor struggling with personal relationships and self-acceptance, adapted from the stage play by Samuel D. Hunter.”
Alice, Darling by Mary Nighy
Also playing are Alice, Darling (Mary Nighy) in which Anna Kendrick captures the anxious psychology of a woman in an abusive relationship as her friends try to reconnect with her while on a cottage getaway.
Black Ice(Hubert Davis) about Black hockey players facing systemic racism in the sport.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Peter Farrelly) about man’s story of leaving New York in 1967 to bring beer to his childhood buddies in the Army while they are fighting in Vietnam. An Apple TV+ production.
Butcher’s Crossing (Gabe Polsky) is a frontier epic about an Ivy League drop-out as he travels to the Colorado wilderness, where he joins a team of buffalo hunters on a journey that puts his life and sanity at risk. Based on the highly acclaimed novel by John Williams. Isa Altitude
The Hummingbird (Francesca Archibugi)Hunt (Jung-jae Lee)A Jazzman’s Blues (Tyler Perry)Kacchey Limbu (Shubham Yogi)Moving On (Paul Weitz)Paris Memories (Alice Winocour)Prisoner’s Daughter (Catherine Hardwicke)Raymond & Ray (Rodrigo García)Roost (Amy Redford)Sidney (Reginald Hudlin)The Son (Florian Zeller)The Swimmers (Sally El Hosaini)What’s Love Got to Do With It? (Shekhar Kapur)The Woman King(Gina Prince-Bythewood)
Special PRESENTATIONSAllelujah (Sir Richard Eyre)All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger)The Banshees Of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)Blueback (Robert Connolly)The Blue Caftan (Maryam Touzani)Broker (Hirokazu Kore-eda)Brother (Clement Virgo)Bros (Nicholas Stoller)Catherine Called Birdy (Lena Dunham)Causeway (Lila Neugebauer)Chevalier (Stephen Williams)Corsage (Marie Kreutzer)Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)Devotion (Jd Dillard)Driving (Madeleine Christian Carion)El Suplente (Diego Lerman)Empire of Light...
- 9/10/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
Click here to read the full article.
Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand’s second film No Date, No Signature became Iran’s submission in 2019 for the Oscars’ Best Film Not in the English Language category. It would be a miracle if his latest, Venice competition entrant Beyond the Wall, gleaned the same honor, not because it wouldn’t be a worthy choice — it’s a ravaging, powerful work. It’s just that it’s impossible to imagine the Iranian authorities would approve submitting it.
Overtly critical of the repressive state apparatus, especially its capriciously cruel and violent police forces and merciless justice system, this feature played in Venice without Iranian government support and no doubt places Jalilvand in the ranks of audacious cinema dissidents, along with currently imprisoned filmmakers Jafar Panahi (whose latest No Bears also plays Venice this year), Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Aleahmad.
For this twisty study of guilt and self-sacrifice,...
Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand’s second film No Date, No Signature became Iran’s submission in 2019 for the Oscars’ Best Film Not in the English Language category. It would be a miracle if his latest, Venice competition entrant Beyond the Wall, gleaned the same honor, not because it wouldn’t be a worthy choice — it’s a ravaging, powerful work. It’s just that it’s impossible to imagine the Iranian authorities would approve submitting it.
Overtly critical of the repressive state apparatus, especially its capriciously cruel and violent police forces and merciless justice system, this feature played in Venice without Iranian government support and no doubt places Jalilvand in the ranks of audacious cinema dissidents, along with currently imprisoned filmmakers Jafar Panahi (whose latest No Bears also plays Venice this year), Mohammad Rasoulof and Mostafa Aleahmad.
For this twisty study of guilt and self-sacrifice,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nobody emerges unscathed — least of all the audience — from Vahid Jalilvand’s highly effective, deeply unpleasant “Beyond the Wall,” a morbidly violent allegory for the effects of state-sponsored trauma on the individual that places contemporary Iranian society somewhere on the map between the sixth and seventh circles of hell. A strange combination of intricate, almost sci-fi-inflected psychological thriller, splenetic social-breakdown broadside and two-hander (torture) chamber drama, it is an exercise in bravura filmmaking applied to a story so relentlessly grim you might wish it were a little less well-made, giving you an excuse to look away. In his 2017 film “No Date No Signature” (which won Best Director and Best Actor in Venice’s Horizons sidebar), Jalilvand pictured a stratified society teetering on the edge of legality and morality; here, however, it has toppled entirely into the abyss. The only way is down, and the filmmaker is bringing you with it.
- 9/8/2022
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
While the history of cinema is filled with flawed portrayals of disabilities this new era seems to have invited some ingenuity. “Sound of Metal” used brilliant sound design to show the deterioration and distortion of deafness. Similarly
The film, at first seems like it may be building to an art-house Iranian version of shlocky horror-pic “Don’t Breathe.” Leila (Diana Habibi), a desperate woman on the run, finds shelter in a Spartan apartment. While the sirens call outside and the police flood the building, she huddles under a table, hand over her own mouth trying to stifle her own sobs. The apartment belongs to Ali (Navid Mohammadzadeh), a man who has lost most of his vision and despite what his doctor says, has little interest in taking the required medications to preserve what little he has left. The film shows us scenes from Ali’s point of view, how the light...
The film, at first seems like it may be building to an art-house Iranian version of shlocky horror-pic “Don’t Breathe.” Leila (Diana Habibi), a desperate woman on the run, finds shelter in a Spartan apartment. While the sirens call outside and the police flood the building, she huddles under a table, hand over her own mouth trying to stifle her own sobs. The apartment belongs to Ali (Navid Mohammadzadeh), a man who has lost most of his vision and despite what his doctor says, has little interest in taking the required medications to preserve what little he has left. The film shows us scenes from Ali’s point of view, how the light...
- 9/8/2022
- by Leila Latif
- Indiewire
Filmmaker Vahid Jalilvand returns to the Lido for the third time.
The Match Factory has acquired worldwide rights to Vahid Jalilvand’s Iranian feature Beyond The Wall, which will have its world premiere in the Venice Competition in September.
It is a sixth Venice pickup for The Match Factory, and third Competition title; it announced the acquisitions of Gianni Amelio’s Lord Of The Ants and Susanna Nicchiarelli’s Chiara earlier this week.
Beyond The Wall follows a blind man whose suicide attempt is interrupted by his building’s concierge. The concierge informs him that an escaped woman is hidden...
The Match Factory has acquired worldwide rights to Vahid Jalilvand’s Iranian feature Beyond The Wall, which will have its world premiere in the Venice Competition in September.
It is a sixth Venice pickup for The Match Factory, and third Competition title; it announced the acquisitions of Gianni Amelio’s Lord Of The Ants and Susanna Nicchiarelli’s Chiara earlier this week.
Beyond The Wall follows a blind man whose suicide attempt is interrupted by his building’s concierge. The concierge informs him that an escaped woman is hidden...
- 7/29/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The 79th Venice International Film Festival has just announced the line-up for the next edition. The 79th Venice International Film Festival is organised by La Biennale di Venezia and directed by Alberto Barbera. It will take place at Venice Lido from 31 August to 10 September 2022. The Festival is officially recognised by the Fiapf (International Federation of Film Producers Association).
The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. The Festival also organises retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.
Here are all the Asian Titles on the Programme:
Competition:
Love Life
Director Koji Fukada
Main Cast Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Atom Sunada / Japan, France / 123’
Shab, Dakheli, Divar (Beyond The Wall)
Director Vahid Jalilvand
Main Cast Navid Mohammadzadeh, Diana Habibi,...
The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. The Festival also organises retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.
Here are all the Asian Titles on the Programme:
Competition:
Love Life
Director Koji Fukada
Main Cast Fumino Kimura, Kento Nagayama, Atom Sunada / Japan, France / 123’
Shab, Dakheli, Divar (Beyond The Wall)
Director Vahid Jalilvand
Main Cast Navid Mohammadzadeh, Diana Habibi,...
- 7/26/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Click here to read the full article.
The Venice Film Festival has picked four Iranian films for its official 2022 lineup, sending a clear political message to Tehran, which has received international condemnation for a recent crackdown on local filmmakers.
Just days after critically-acclaimed Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi was arrested and ordered to serve a six-year prison sentence, Venice unveiled on Tuesday that it would screen his latest feature, No Bears, in competition this year. The film, like all of Panahi’s recent work, was shot in secret as the director is banned from working in his home country.
Also premiering in the Venice competition this year is Beyond the Wall from Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand. A Lido favorite, Jalilvand’s feature No Date, No Signature won best director and best actor honors, the latter for star Navid Mohammadzadeh, in Venice’s Horizons section in 2017. His latest movie is a...
The Venice Film Festival has picked four Iranian films for its official 2022 lineup, sending a clear political message to Tehran, which has received international condemnation for a recent crackdown on local filmmakers.
Just days after critically-acclaimed Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi was arrested and ordered to serve a six-year prison sentence, Venice unveiled on Tuesday that it would screen his latest feature, No Bears, in competition this year. The film, like all of Panahi’s recent work, was shot in secret as the director is banned from working in his home country.
Also premiering in the Venice competition this year is Beyond the Wall from Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand. A Lido favorite, Jalilvand’s feature No Date, No Signature won best director and best actor honors, the latter for star Navid Mohammadzadeh, in Venice’s Horizons section in 2017. His latest movie is a...
- 7/26/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the two Iranian entries at this year’s Cannes competition, this is Saeed Roustayi‘s first time. Starring Taraneh Alidoosti, Saeed Poursamimi, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Payman Maadi — Leila’s Brothers is the filmmaker first trip to Cannes. Previously he directed Life and a Day (2016) and Just 6.5 (2019).
With a 2h45 runtime, this centers around Leila — the young matriarch having to juggle many agendas – excluding her own. Caring for her parents and four brothers — this is at once a parable about debt, being indebted and a patriarchal overreach.
Currently with fifteen of our twenty critics having graded the film, despite some support Leila’s Brothers enters the grid at a paltry 2.7 — which places this almost at the bottom.…...
With a 2h45 runtime, this centers around Leila — the young matriarch having to juggle many agendas – excluding her own. Caring for her parents and four brothers — this is at once a parable about debt, being indebted and a patriarchal overreach.
Currently with fifteen of our twenty critics having graded the film, despite some support Leila’s Brothers enters the grid at a paltry 2.7 — which places this almost at the bottom.…...
- 5/26/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Iran’s Saeed Roustayi puts the spotlight on a woman driven to distraction by the indolent, incompetent patriarchy
Iranian film-maker Saeed Roustayi delivers a big, absorbing, character-driven family drama in the Italian-American style with fierce performances, a huge set-piece wedding scene and touches of Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers and Coppola’s The Godfather. There’s even some Arthur Miller amid the angry, painful recrimination.
We get a blistering turn from Taraneh Alidoosti – known for her work on movies by Asghar Farhadi – playing the Leila of the title: a woman driven to distraction by the indolent, incompetent patriarchy. Leila lives with her elderly parents; she is plagued with periodic back pain brought on by stress and overwork and is basically the only regular wage-earner, single-handedly supporting four adult brothers.
Overweight Parviz (Farhad Aslani) works as a toilet cleaner in the mall, but does not make enough to feed his family,...
Iranian film-maker Saeed Roustayi delivers a big, absorbing, character-driven family drama in the Italian-American style with fierce performances, a huge set-piece wedding scene and touches of Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers and Coppola’s The Godfather. There’s even some Arthur Miller amid the angry, painful recrimination.
We get a blistering turn from Taraneh Alidoosti – known for her work on movies by Asghar Farhadi – playing the Leila of the title: a woman driven to distraction by the indolent, incompetent patriarchy. Leila lives with her elderly parents; she is plagued with periodic back pain brought on by stress and overwork and is basically the only regular wage-earner, single-handedly supporting four adult brothers.
Overweight Parviz (Farhad Aslani) works as a toilet cleaner in the mall, but does not make enough to feed his family,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
In “Leila’s Brothers,” a once proud, now pathetic Persian family teeters on the brink of ruin, held together by the assertive sister who’s tired of relying on men to decide her fortune. Taking matters into her own hands may be empowering to watch — there’s no question that “The Salesman” alum Taraneh Alidoosti, who plays Leila, towers over this male-dominated ensemble — but it’s also a recipe for potential tragedy in Iranian writer-director Saeed Roustaee’s novelistic, nearly-three-hour saga, his first to be selected for Cannes.
Some audiences may recognize Roustaee from another turbulent family portrait, “Life and a Day” (2016), whereas it was his terrific cop thriller “Just 6.5” (2019) — the closest thing Iran has produced to “The French Connection,” still unreleased in the U.S. — that put the helmer on my radar. Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to...
Some audiences may recognize Roustaee from another turbulent family portrait, “Life and a Day” (2016), whereas it was his terrific cop thriller “Just 6.5” (2019) — the closest thing Iran has produced to “The French Connection,” still unreleased in the U.S. — that put the helmer on my radar. Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to...
- 5/25/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Mickey Rourke is joining the cast of action movie “Section Eight.” Sales agent The Exchange is introducing the movie to international buyers during the virtual American Film Market, which wraps Friday.
The cast also includes actors Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins, Ryan Kwanten, Dermot Mulroney, and Blue October’s lead singer Justin Furstenfeld, as previously announced.
The movie is the story of a former soldier who, after avenging the murder of his family, is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy government agency.
It will be directed by Christian Sesma, working from an original screenplay by Chad Law and Josh Ridgway. It is produced by Brandon Burrows of Firebrand.
Rourke’s many credits include “The Wrestler,” for which he was Oscar nominated, “Sin City,” “Angel Heart” and “Iron Man 2.” “Mickey’s raw energy and unique style are such a great addition to ‘Section Eight,’ ” Burrows said.
Rourke is represented by Framework Entertainment and Edelstein,...
The cast also includes actors Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins, Ryan Kwanten, Dermot Mulroney, and Blue October’s lead singer Justin Furstenfeld, as previously announced.
The movie is the story of a former soldier who, after avenging the murder of his family, is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy government agency.
It will be directed by Christian Sesma, working from an original screenplay by Chad Law and Josh Ridgway. It is produced by Brandon Burrows of Firebrand.
Rourke’s many credits include “The Wrestler,” for which he was Oscar nominated, “Sin City,” “Angel Heart” and “Iron Man 2.” “Mickey’s raw energy and unique style are such a great addition to ‘Section Eight,’ ” Burrows said.
Rourke is represented by Framework Entertainment and Edelstein,...
- 11/5/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: In an unusual move, but one that speaks to fluidity in the distribution landscape and increasing demand for foreign-language series, LA-based film firm The Exchange is launching world sales (excluding Iran) at the upcoming Cannes virtual market on hit Iranian TV series The Frog.
The series follows Ramin, a man dissatisfied with a life of low-paying petty crime in Tehran, who determines with friends to rob an enormously wealthy former classmate. However, the theft goes fatally awry and Ramin finds himself entangled in a dangerous web of deceit involving the police, local gangsters, and greedy family members.
It’s rare for TV series to be launched at film markets. But the very concept of a market has been fraying in recent years, especially in the Covid era. Sales increasingly take place across the year and traditional film companies are increasingly working in TV.
The Exchange has also boarded remake...
The series follows Ramin, a man dissatisfied with a life of low-paying petty crime in Tehran, who determines with friends to rob an enormously wealthy former classmate. However, the theft goes fatally awry and Ramin finds himself entangled in a dangerous web of deceit involving the police, local gangsters, and greedy family members.
It’s rare for TV series to be launched at film markets. But the very concept of a market has been fraying in recent years, especially in the Covid era. Sales increasingly take place across the year and traditional film companies are increasingly working in TV.
The Exchange has also boarded remake...
- 6/11/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
In Tehran, getting caught with 30 grams of illegal drugs carries the same sentence as being busted with 50 kilos. Either way, perps face the death penalty — which means the dealers might as well get ambitious. And so they have, driving up the rates of Iranian drug abuse from roughly one million addicts to somewhere in the ballpark of 6.5 million. Still, if it weren’t for such draconian punishments — and the dedication of the Anti-Narcotics Police Task Force who enforce them — the number would be much higher, which explains the title of director Saeed Roustaee’s “Just 6.5,” a riveting, ripped-from-reality thriller that delivers a searing look at a serious problem.
A tense blow-by-blow account of a major bust — from a spectacular back-alley raid through to its grim conclusion at the gallows, where a big-fish supplier uses every ploy to escape execution — “Just 6.5” is part adrenaline-shot action movie and part detail-obsessed bureaucratic procedural.
A tense blow-by-blow account of a major bust — from a spectacular back-alley raid through to its grim conclusion at the gallows, where a big-fish supplier uses every ploy to escape execution — “Just 6.5” is part adrenaline-shot action movie and part detail-obsessed bureaucratic procedural.
- 11/7/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
“Uncle,” Danish director Frelle Petersen’s drama about a young woman’s life on a small farm with her disabled uncle, was awarded the Tokyo Grand Prix at the closing ceremony Tuesday of the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival. Shot in rural Denmark with real-life farmer Peter Hansen Tygesen playing the title role, the film had its world premiere in the Japanese capital.
Winner of the second-place Special Jury Prize was “Atlantis,” Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych’s near-future drama.
Iran’s Saeed Roustaee was named Best Director for his thriller “6.5.” Navid Mohammadzadeh’s performance in the film earned him the Best Actor trophy.
The Best Actress award went to Nadia Tereszhiewicz for her performance in Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals.” The film also scooped the Audience Award.
The Best Screenplay prize went to Shin Adachi’s “A Beloved Wife,” one of two Japanese films in the competition, while Chinese...
Winner of the second-place Special Jury Prize was “Atlantis,” Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych’s near-future drama.
Iran’s Saeed Roustaee was named Best Director for his thriller “6.5.” Navid Mohammadzadeh’s performance in the film earned him the Best Actor trophy.
The Best Actress award went to Nadia Tereszhiewicz for her performance in Dominik Moll’s “Only the Animals.” The film also scooped the Audience Award.
The Best Screenplay prize went to Shin Adachi’s “A Beloved Wife,” one of two Japanese films in the competition, while Chinese...
- 11/5/2019
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Winners in the International Competition also included Atlantis, Just 6.5, Only The Animals and Chaogtu With Sarula.
Danish filmmaker Frelle Petersen’s Uncle won the Tokyo Grand Prix Award at the close of the Tokyo International Film Festival (November 5), while Summer Knight, directed by China’s You Xing, took best film in the Asian Future section.
Set in rural Denmark, Uncle follows a girl caring for her disabled uncle who dreams of becoming a veterinarian and faces a heart-breaking choice. Summer Knight is also a coming-of-age story, set in China in the summer of 1997, about two boys attempting to recover a stolen bicycle.
Danish filmmaker Frelle Petersen’s Uncle won the Tokyo Grand Prix Award at the close of the Tokyo International Film Festival (November 5), while Summer Knight, directed by China’s You Xing, took best film in the Asian Future section.
Set in rural Denmark, Uncle follows a girl caring for her disabled uncle who dreams of becoming a veterinarian and faces a heart-breaking choice. Summer Knight is also a coming-of-age story, set in China in the summer of 1997, about two boys attempting to recover a stolen bicycle.
- 11/5/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Uncle by Denmark's Frelle Petersen won the grand prix, the top award, and $30,000 at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival on Tuesday.
The film, a tale of a young woman who dreams of becoming a veterinarian but has to care for her elderly disabled uncle, was also written, shot and edited by Petersen.
Iran's Saeed Roustayi won best director with Just 6.5, his film about a battle between a drug gang and the police, which also won the best actor award for Navid Mohammadzadeh.
The $10,000 audience award went to Only the Animals from France'...
The film, a tale of a young woman who dreams of becoming a veterinarian but has to care for her elderly disabled uncle, was also written, shot and edited by Petersen.
Iran's Saeed Roustayi won best director with Just 6.5, his film about a battle between a drug gang and the police, which also won the best actor award for Navid Mohammadzadeh.
The $10,000 audience award went to Only the Animals from France'...
- 11/5/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Uncle by Denmark's Frelle Petersen won the grand prix, the top award, and $30,000 at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival on Tuesday.
The film, a tale of a young woman who dreams of becoming a veterinarian but has to care for her elderly disabled uncle, was also written, shot and edited by Petersen.
Iran's Saeed Roustayi won best director with Just 6.5, his film about a battle between a drug gang and the police, which also won the best actor award for Navid Mohammadzadeh.
The $10,000 audience award went to Only the Animals from France'...
The film, a tale of a young woman who dreams of becoming a veterinarian but has to care for her elderly disabled uncle, was also written, shot and edited by Petersen.
Iran's Saeed Roustayi won best director with Just 6.5, his film about a battle between a drug gang and the police, which also won the best actor award for Navid Mohammadzadeh.
The $10,000 audience award went to Only the Animals from France'...
- 11/5/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A gust of progressive and very feminine wind sweeps through the empty corridors of soon-to-crumble male institution in “The Warden”, second feature from Iranian director Nima Javidi, whose 2014 debut “Melbourne” collected a good deal of awards and consensus. Equally location-centered and set in a closed environment, The Warden is less claustrophobic than “Melbourne” and more evocative and darkly atmospheric.
“The Warden” is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2019
A gallows with its black outline under the pouring rain is the first, strongly allusive scene of the movie. A group of prison wardens is trying to take it apart but the old artifact is too strongly built and refuses to came down. The whole prison building is about to be evacuated and the inmates relocated in new facilities due to the construction of a new airstrip just where the old building sits. Major Jahed (Navid Mohammadzadeh) is the head of...
“The Warden” is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2019
A gallows with its black outline under the pouring rain is the first, strongly allusive scene of the movie. A group of prison wardens is trying to take it apart but the old artifact is too strongly built and refuses to came down. The whole prison building is about to be evacuated and the inmates relocated in new facilities due to the construction of a new airstrip just where the old building sits. Major Jahed (Navid Mohammadzadeh) is the head of...
- 10/4/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The film, recently released in Iran, has broken records for a drama in the territory.
Midway through the market, Wild Bunch has taken French-speaking rights to Saeed Roustaie’s hard- hitting thriller Just 6.5, a runaway box office success at the Iranian box office. It is being sold by Mohammad Atebbai’s Iranian Independents.
The film, recently released in Iran, has broken records for a drama in Iran and Atebbai hopes to complete further international sales in Cannes. It was well received by international critics when it screened at the Fajr Film Festival in Xx
Just 6.5 is a thriller about a policeman,...
Midway through the market, Wild Bunch has taken French-speaking rights to Saeed Roustaie’s hard- hitting thriller Just 6.5, a runaway box office success at the Iranian box office. It is being sold by Mohammad Atebbai’s Iranian Independents.
The film, recently released in Iran, has broken records for a drama in Iran and Atebbai hopes to complete further international sales in Cannes. It was well received by international critics when it screened at the Fajr Film Festival in Xx
Just 6.5 is a thriller about a policeman,...
- 5/18/2019
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Having collected a star's following in a string of wild-man roles (I'm Not Angry!, Lantouri, Sheeple), young Iranian actor Navid Mohammadzadeh is sure to surprise his fans as a middle-aged, straitlaced martinet in The Warden. The character sees his plans for promotion threatened when, in the course of moving his inmates from one prison to another, one of them goes missing. Though there's little to do but order his guards to keep searching, Mohammadzadeh gives the one-note storyline a commanding presence and a pinch of dandyish irony. Festivals interested in Iranian subjects should be the first port of call.
Director ...
Director ...
- 5/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having collected a star's following in a string of wild-man roles (I'm Not Angry!, Lantouri, Sheeple), young Iranian actor Navid Mohammadzadeh is sure to surprise his fans as a middle-aged, straitlaced martinet in The Warden. The character sees his plans for promotion threatened when, in the course of moving his inmates from one prison to another, one of them goes missing. Though there's little to do but order his guards to keep searching, Mohammadzadeh gives the one-note storyline a commanding presence and a pinch of dandyish irony. Festivals interested in Iranian subjects should be the first port of call.
Director ...
Director ...
- 5/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
One of the top titles presented at the Fajr Film Festival's Iranian Film Market, Just 6.5 (Metri Shesh-o Nim) walks the razor’s edge of spiraling tension as ambiguous good-bad cop Samad (Payman Maadi) slyly maneuvers the kingly young drug lord Nasser (Navid Mohammadzadeh) into his trap. While showcasing the mature talent of writer/director Saeed Rustaee in his second feature film, this differs from its genre companions in angrily underlining the human damage caused by the abuse of heroin, cocaine and crack. Billed as the highest-grossing domestic film “outside of comedies” in Iranian history, it also won ...
- 4/29/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the top titles presented at the Fajr Film Festival's Iranian Film Market, Just 6.5 (Metri Shesh-o Nim) walks the razor’s edge of spiraling tension as ambiguous good-bad cop Samad (Payman Maadi) slyly maneuvers the kingly young drug lord Nasser (Navid Mohammadzadeh) into his trap. While showcasing the mature talent of writer/director Saeed Rustaee in his second feature film, this differs from its genre companions in angrily underlining the human damage caused by the abuse of heroin, cocaine and crack. Billed as the highest-grossing domestic film “outside of comedies” in Iranian history, it also won ...
- 4/29/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The cinema of Iran has often been marked by stylistic qualities of delicacy and restraint. It has found ways to speak loudly with a whisper. But “Sheeple,” the traumatically explosive closing-night selection of 1st Iranian Film Festival New York, amounts to a rather spectacular counterexample. It’s a drama set in the lower depths of society — it follows a bedraggled family of drug dealers in the south of Tehran — and it’s a violent, charged-up, attack-the-block movie that comes at you with a feverish spirit of underworld degradation that’s startling to behold.
The characters are scurrilous desperadoes and derelicts (you might have to reach back to “Pixote” to find a street drama this purged of romance), and they have a way of stepping on each other’s words that has you racing to read the subtitles. Yet there’s a larger vision at work here — an image of appetite...
The characters are scurrilous desperadoes and derelicts (you might have to reach back to “Pixote” to find a street drama this purged of romance), and they have a way of stepping on each other’s words that has you racing to read the subtitles. Yet there’s a larger vision at work here — an image of appetite...
- 1/15/2019
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
22nd edition of festival had its closing ceremony on Saturday (Dec 2).
Rubén Mendoza’s Colombia-France drama Wandering Girl scooped the top prize as the curtain came down last night on the 22nd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.
The film, which had its world premiere in Tallinn, follows 12-year-old Angela and her three step-sisters who are approaching their thirties. The four meet for the first time when summoned for the death of their charismatic father. Daniel García produced.
The jury, which was headed by Italian director Andrea Pallaoro, cited the film for “powerfully exploring themes of grief and abandonment through a very moving,...
Rubén Mendoza’s Colombia-France drama Wandering Girl scooped the top prize as the curtain came down last night on the 22nd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia.
The film, which had its world premiere in Tallinn, follows 12-year-old Angela and her three step-sisters who are approaching their thirties. The four meet for the first time when summoned for the death of their charismatic father. Daniel García produced.
The jury, which was headed by Italian director Andrea Pallaoro, cited the film for “powerfully exploring themes of grief and abandonment through a very moving,...
- 12/3/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/17/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
In CompetitionGolden Lion – The Shape of Water, directed by Guillermo del ToroSilver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) – Foxtrot, directed by Samuel MaozSilver Lion (Best Director) – Xavier Legrand, CustodyCoppa Volpi for Best Actress – Charlotte Rampling, HannahCoppa Volpi for Best Actor – Kamel El Basha, The InsultBest Screenplay – Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriSpecial Jury Prize – Sweet Country, directed by Warwick ThorntonMarcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress – Charlie Plummer, Lean on PeteOrizzontiOrizzonti Award for Best Film – Nico, 1988, directed by Susanna NicchiarelliOrizzonti Award for Best Director – Vahid Jalilvand, No Date, No SignatureSpecial Orizzonti Jury Prize – Caniba, directed by Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-TaylorOrizzonti Award for Best Actress – Lyna Khoudri, Les bienheureuxOrizzonti Award for Best Actor – Navid Mohammadzadeh, No Date, No SignatureOrizzonti Award for Best Screenplay – Alireza Khatami, Los Versos Del OlvidoOrizzonti Award for Best Short Film – Gros Chagrin, directed by Céline DevauxLion of the Future AwardCustody, directed by Xavier Legrand...
- 9/12/2017
- MUBI
Ahead of the 2014 ceremony, Apsa also announce Reza Dormishian as recipient of Apsa Academy Netpac Development Prize.
Emile Sherman will be the 2014 recipient of the Fiapf Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region.
The King’s Speech producer will receive the award at the upcoming Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) on Dec 11 and will be inducted into the Apsa Academy.
Luis Alberto Scalella, president, International Federation of Film Producers Associations (Fiapf), commented: “Having been strongly involved in several international productions met by great critical acclaim and global audiences (The King’s Speech, Shame), Sherman is also deeply committed to producing films and television series with a strong connection with Pacific culture, including the recently acclaimed Top of the Lake.”
Previous winners of the Apsa Fiapf Award include Lee Choon-yun and Zhang Yimou.
Apsa have also announced that Reza Dormishian is the recipient of this year’s Apsa Academy Netpac Development Prize for his...
Emile Sherman will be the 2014 recipient of the Fiapf Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film in the Asia Pacific region.
The King’s Speech producer will receive the award at the upcoming Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) on Dec 11 and will be inducted into the Apsa Academy.
Luis Alberto Scalella, president, International Federation of Film Producers Associations (Fiapf), commented: “Having been strongly involved in several international productions met by great critical acclaim and global audiences (The King’s Speech, Shame), Sherman is also deeply committed to producing films and television series with a strong connection with Pacific culture, including the recently acclaimed Top of the Lake.”
Previous winners of the Apsa Fiapf Award include Lee Choon-yun and Zhang Yimou.
Apsa have also announced that Reza Dormishian is the recipient of this year’s Apsa Academy Netpac Development Prize for his...
- 12/2/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Leviathan leads contenders; 36 films from 21 countries in the running.
Films in the running for the 2014 Apsa for Best Feature Film include Winter Sleep (Turkey, France, Germany), Leviathan (Russia), I’m Not Angry (Iran), The Owners (Kazakhstan), and Memories on Stone (Iraqi Kurdistan, Germany).
Leviathan, also nominated for Achievement in Cinematography for Mikhail Krichman, has received three nominations in total, the most for any film.
In total, 36 films from 21 countries are in the running for awards.
Nominees vying for the award in the Achievement in Directing category are: Rolf de Heer (Charlie’s Country, Australia), Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Russia), Im Kwon-taek (Revivre, South Korea), Rakhshan Banietemad (Tales, Iran) and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, Turkey, France, Germany).
For the first time, a film from Syria has received a nomination, with Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait (Syria, France) nominated for the Apsa for Best Feature Documentary.
Films from the China and Russia lead the nominations with six each, closely followed...
Films in the running for the 2014 Apsa for Best Feature Film include Winter Sleep (Turkey, France, Germany), Leviathan (Russia), I’m Not Angry (Iran), The Owners (Kazakhstan), and Memories on Stone (Iraqi Kurdistan, Germany).
Leviathan, also nominated for Achievement in Cinematography for Mikhail Krichman, has received three nominations in total, the most for any film.
In total, 36 films from 21 countries are in the running for awards.
Nominees vying for the award in the Achievement in Directing category are: Rolf de Heer (Charlie’s Country, Australia), Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan, Russia), Im Kwon-taek (Revivre, South Korea), Rakhshan Banietemad (Tales, Iran) and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep, Turkey, France, Germany).
For the first time, a film from Syria has received a nomination, with Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait (Syria, France) nominated for the Apsa for Best Feature Documentary.
Films from the China and Russia lead the nominations with six each, closely followed...
- 10/28/2014
- ScreenDaily
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