Exclusive: Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh, best known internationally for 2016 comedy-romance Barakah Meets Barakah, has unveiled a trailer and first images for his third feature ahead of its wide theatrical launch in Saudi cinemas on May 9.
The movie was shot in Saudi Arabia, in outskirts of the red sea port city of Jeddah and the capital of Riyadh, and like Barakah Meets Barakah, it also promises to push boundaries for its depiction of Saudi Arabia in a time of sweeping change.
Entitled Last Party In R. Desert, the dark comedy revolves around cash-driven local impresario Najm who wanders nightlife venues with his music troupe as they struggle to stay afloat amid professional strife and a scene shift in contemporary Saudi Arabia.
As the heir to Kaka Al-Qamar, one of Jeddah’s most renowned wedding singers, he finds himself entangled in a drama of burnout and obsession that takes place over one long night filled with twists,...
The movie was shot in Saudi Arabia, in outskirts of the red sea port city of Jeddah and the capital of Riyadh, and like Barakah Meets Barakah, it also promises to push boundaries for its depiction of Saudi Arabia in a time of sweeping change.
Entitled Last Party In R. Desert, the dark comedy revolves around cash-driven local impresario Najm who wanders nightlife venues with his music troupe as they struggle to stay afloat amid professional strife and a scene shift in contemporary Saudi Arabia.
As the heir to Kaka Al-Qamar, one of Jeddah’s most renowned wedding singers, he finds himself entangled in a drama of burnout and obsession that takes place over one long night filled with twists,...
- 4/4/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has boarded Saudi Arabian multi-hyphenate Fatima Al-Banawi’s feature film debut “Basma” which tackles the theme of mental illness in her country.
The groundbreaking film is set in Jeddah, the city on the Red Sea’s eastern shore where Saudi’s Red Sea Film Festival is currently underway.
Besides writing and directing “Basma,” Al Banawi – who has a psychology degree and also a masters in theological studies from Harvard – also stars as the 26-year-old daughter of a man who suffers from paranoid delusions. Upon returning from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, Basma tries to save him from his spiraling mental instability before being forced to leave her father again.
Al-Banawi’s first acting role was in Mahmoud Sabbagh’s groundbreaking 2016 comedy “Barakah Meets Barakah” that put her in the international spotlight after the film went to Berlin and was selected as Saudi’s international Oscar candidate.
“Basma,” which...
The groundbreaking film is set in Jeddah, the city on the Red Sea’s eastern shore where Saudi’s Red Sea Film Festival is currently underway.
Besides writing and directing “Basma,” Al Banawi – who has a psychology degree and also a masters in theological studies from Harvard – also stars as the 26-year-old daughter of a man who suffers from paranoid delusions. Upon returning from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, Basma tries to save him from his spiraling mental instability before being forced to leave her father again.
Al-Banawi’s first acting role was in Mahmoud Sabbagh’s groundbreaking 2016 comedy “Barakah Meets Barakah” that put her in the international spotlight after the film went to Berlin and was selected as Saudi’s international Oscar candidate.
“Basma,” which...
- 12/2/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The drama marks the feature directorial debut of Saudi actress and filmmaker Fatima AlBanawi.
Netflix has boarded upcoming Saudi drama Basma, the feature directorial debut of Saudi actress and filmmaker Fatima AlBanawi, and will exclusively premiere the film on the streaming platform in 2024.
AlBanawi also wrote the script and stars as the title character, a young Saudi woman who returns back to her hometown after studying in the US, only to discover that her family have been hiding her father’s mental illness and broken relationships. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Filmed in Jeddah, it...
Netflix has boarded upcoming Saudi drama Basma, the feature directorial debut of Saudi actress and filmmaker Fatima AlBanawi, and will exclusively premiere the film on the streaming platform in 2024.
AlBanawi also wrote the script and stars as the title character, a young Saudi woman who returns back to her hometown after studying in the US, only to discover that her family have been hiding her father’s mental illness and broken relationships. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Filmed in Jeddah, it...
- 12/1/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Mahmoud Sabbagh, the groundbreaking Saudi director, producer and screenwriter whose 2016 debut feature Barakah Meets Barakah became the first Saudi title to debut at the Berlinale, has unveiled his third film project.
The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that Sabbagh — who was instrumental in the creation of the Red Sea Film Festival and was its director until stepping down in 2020 to return to filmmaking — is now in production on Last Party in Rumah Desert.
Set in contemporary Saudi Arabia and based on Sabbagh’s own script, the film is described as a “drama of burnout and passion that takes place over one long night.” It centers around a cash-driven local impresario who wanders the nightlife venues and circuits with his music troupe in their struggle to stay afloat amid professional strife and a scene shift.
Last Party in Rumah Desert, coming six years after Sabbagh’s second feature,...
Mahmoud Sabbagh, the groundbreaking Saudi director, producer and screenwriter whose 2016 debut feature Barakah Meets Barakah became the first Saudi title to debut at the Berlinale, has unveiled his third film project.
The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that Sabbagh — who was instrumental in the creation of the Red Sea Film Festival and was its director until stepping down in 2020 to return to filmmaking — is now in production on Last Party in Rumah Desert.
Set in contemporary Saudi Arabia and based on Sabbagh’s own script, the film is described as a “drama of burnout and passion that takes place over one long night.” It centers around a cash-driven local impresario who wanders the nightlife venues and circuits with his music troupe in their struggle to stay afloat amid professional strife and a scene shift.
Last Party in Rumah Desert, coming six years after Sabbagh’s second feature,...
- 12/4/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has acquired all rights to upcoming high-octane Saudi thriller “Route 10,” starring rising local stars Fatima Al Banawi (“Al Shak”) and Baraa Alem (“The Book of Sun”).
A wide pan-regional release has been planned for July 28 via Front Row Arabia, the company’s joint-venture with leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Directed by Lebanon’s Omar Naim, best known for sci-fi drama “The Final Cut,” which starred Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino, “Route 10” is about two siblings named Maryam and Nasser who set out on a road trip through the desert from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi to attend their father’s wedding. In the desert, they are chased by an angry stranger in what turns out to be a frantic fight for their lives.
Fatima Al Banawi, who plays Maryam, is a Saudi multi-hyphenate whose first acting role in Mahmoud Sabbagh’s groundbreaking 2016 comedy “Barakah Meets...
A wide pan-regional release has been planned for July 28 via Front Row Arabia, the company’s joint-venture with leading Saudi exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Directed by Lebanon’s Omar Naim, best known for sci-fi drama “The Final Cut,” which starred Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino, “Route 10” is about two siblings named Maryam and Nasser who set out on a road trip through the desert from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi to attend their father’s wedding. In the desert, they are chased by an angry stranger in what turns out to be a frantic fight for their lives.
Fatima Al Banawi, who plays Maryam, is a Saudi multi-hyphenate whose first acting role in Mahmoud Sabbagh’s groundbreaking 2016 comedy “Barakah Meets...
- 6/28/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabian filmmaker, actress and activist Fatima Al-Banawi (“Barakah Meets Barakah”) is set to make her feature film directorial debut with “Basma,” a bold drama that will tackle the theme of mental illness in her country.
The pic, which she also wrote, is set to start shooting in Jeddah in October.
Besides writing and directing “Basma,” Al Banawi will be its titular star, playing the 26-year-old daughter of a man who suffers from paranoid delusions. Upon returning from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, Basma tries to save him from his spiraling mental instability before being forced to leave her father again.
“I like to work with family dynamics; human relations are something that really attracts me,” said Al-Banawi, who has a psychology degree and also a masters in theological studies from Harvard.
“My entire family are either theologists or psychologists. So there is a deep observation that comes out of that experience,...
The pic, which she also wrote, is set to start shooting in Jeddah in October.
Besides writing and directing “Basma,” Al Banawi will be its titular star, playing the 26-year-old daughter of a man who suffers from paranoid delusions. Upon returning from the U.S. to Saudi Arabia, Basma tries to save him from his spiraling mental instability before being forced to leave her father again.
“I like to work with family dynamics; human relations are something that really attracts me,” said Al-Banawi, who has a psychology degree and also a masters in theological studies from Harvard.
“My entire family are either theologists or psychologists. So there is a deep observation that comes out of that experience,...
- 5/21/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Moviegoing in Saudi Arabia has come a long way since April 18, 2018, when “Black Panther” premiered to a packed crowd in a converted symphony hall in Riyadh, ending the country’s 35-year ban on public screenings prompted by an ultraconservative Islamic wave that started in the 1980s.
Cut to three-and-a-half years after the “Panther” premiere — at which men and women sat together as they watched the Marvel superhero — and when it comes to watching movies on the big screen “things have evolved on different levels,” says Carlo Vincenti, head of Italia Film, which is Disney’s distributor in the region.
Today there are 57 state-of-the-art cinema sites in 16 Saudi cities for a total of more than 500 screens. Admissions have soared from 149,000 from just two venues in 2018 to more than 13 million tickets sold at 53 different locations in 2021. Box office in 2021 was 238 million for the year, a 95 increase compared with 2020. Expectations are that Saudi...
Cut to three-and-a-half years after the “Panther” premiere — at which men and women sat together as they watched the Marvel superhero — and when it comes to watching movies on the big screen “things have evolved on different levels,” says Carlo Vincenti, head of Italia Film, which is Disney’s distributor in the region.
Today there are 57 state-of-the-art cinema sites in 16 Saudi cities for a total of more than 500 screens. Admissions have soared from 149,000 from just two venues in 2018 to more than 13 million tickets sold at 53 different locations in 2021. Box office in 2021 was 238 million for the year, a 95 increase compared with 2020. Expectations are that Saudi...
- 4/28/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Former Cannes Directors’ Fortnight artistic director oversaw selection of inaugural edition.
Red Sea International Film Festival artistic director Edouard Waintrop has cancelled his attendance of the festival due to health reasons.
Waintrop was to have flown out of Paris to Jeddah on Sunday for the inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s first international film festival (December 6-15) but cancelled his flight.
Contacted by Screen, Waintrop said he had fallen ill over the weekend and had been advised by his doctor to stop working for a week.
“I am very sad to not get back to Jeddah,” said Waintrop.
Waintrop was...
Red Sea International Film Festival artistic director Edouard Waintrop has cancelled his attendance of the festival due to health reasons.
Waintrop was to have flown out of Paris to Jeddah on Sunday for the inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s first international film festival (December 6-15) but cancelled his flight.
Contacted by Screen, Waintrop said he had fallen ill over the weekend and had been advised by his doctor to stop working for a week.
“I am very sad to not get back to Jeddah,” said Waintrop.
Waintrop was...
- 12/7/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
“I feel if you open the door, you need to step inside.”
Edouard Waintrop has taken over from Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh as the artistic director of the first Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff), due to take place November 11 to 20 in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
Sabbagh stepped down in July 2020 after the planned first edition in spring 2020 was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Waintrop oversaw seven editions of Cannes parallel section Directors’ Fortnight from 2011 to 2018, having previously spent five years running Switzerland’s International Film Festival of Fribourg, which is known for the diversity of its selection and focus on Asia,...
Edouard Waintrop has taken over from Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh as the artistic director of the first Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff), due to take place November 11 to 20 in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
Sabbagh stepped down in July 2020 after the planned first edition in spring 2020 was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Waintrop oversaw seven editions of Cannes parallel section Directors’ Fortnight from 2011 to 2018, having previously spent five years running Switzerland’s International Film Festival of Fribourg, which is known for the diversity of its selection and focus on Asia,...
- 6/14/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
After a delay due to coronavirus, Saudi Arabia’s nascent Red Sea International Film Festival is now on track to hold its first edition in November with a partly renewed team in place.
The ambitious event, which is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market with international ambitions, is set to run Nov. 11-20 in the historic district of Jeddah, a Unesco World Heritage site.
The theme of the fest’s first edition will be “Metamorphosis,” intended as a celebration of “cinema as a force for positive change,” organizers said in a statement. The theme “reflects on the festival’s local context: the impact of cinema’s triumphant return to Saudi Arabia since 2019, as well as the blossoming local and regional film scenes, exploring how cinema culture can create an interface connecting a new, outward-looking Saudi and the world.”
Moviegoing is now booming in Saudi after the country in...
The ambitious event, which is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market with international ambitions, is set to run Nov. 11-20 in the historic district of Jeddah, a Unesco World Heritage site.
The theme of the fest’s first edition will be “Metamorphosis,” intended as a celebration of “cinema as a force for positive change,” organizers said in a statement. The theme “reflects on the festival’s local context: the impact of cinema’s triumphant return to Saudi Arabia since 2019, as well as the blossoming local and regional film scenes, exploring how cinema culture can create an interface connecting a new, outward-looking Saudi and the world.”
Moviegoing is now booming in Saudi after the country in...
- 2/25/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Event will be Saudi Arabia’s first major international film festival.
The inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival will take place from November 11- 20 this year, the Jeddah-set event has announced.
The event, which is Saudi Arabia’s first international film festival, was first announced in March 2019 following the lifting of the country’s 30-year cinema ban at the end of 2017.
Its first edition was to have taken place last March but was cancelled just a week before its scheduled start date due to the worsening Covid-19 health situation around the world.
Under this second attempt,...
The inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival will take place from November 11- 20 this year, the Jeddah-set event has announced.
The event, which is Saudi Arabia’s first international film festival, was first announced in March 2019 following the lifting of the country’s 30-year cinema ban at the end of 2017.
Its first edition was to have taken place last March but was cancelled just a week before its scheduled start date due to the worsening Covid-19 health situation around the world.
Under this second attempt,...
- 2/25/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
In its first announcement following cancellation of its inaugural edition due to coronavirus, Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has recruited a high-profile jury that will award two production grants for Arab cinema projects each worth $500,000.
The jurors who will pick winners among 12 projects taking part in the inaugural Red Sea Lodge Residency are: Egyptian auteur Yousry Nasrallah (“After the Battle”); France-based producer Nadia Turincev (“Mimosas”); and German producer Meinholf Zurhorst, who is a commissioner for the German side of European specialty broadcaster Arte.
The Red Sea Lodge program to nurture new voices in Arab cinema – which is organized in tandem with Italy’s TorinoFilmLab – has selected 12 emerging Arab filmmakers, six of whom are from Saudi Arabia, and paired each one with an experienced mentor who will shepherd the development of each project.
The two Red Sea Lodge production grant winners among these will be announced on Sept.
The jurors who will pick winners among 12 projects taking part in the inaugural Red Sea Lodge Residency are: Egyptian auteur Yousry Nasrallah (“After the Battle”); France-based producer Nadia Turincev (“Mimosas”); and German producer Meinholf Zurhorst, who is a commissioner for the German side of European specialty broadcaster Arte.
The Red Sea Lodge program to nurture new voices in Arab cinema – which is organized in tandem with Italy’s TorinoFilmLab – has selected 12 emerging Arab filmmakers, six of whom are from Saudi Arabia, and paired each one with an experienced mentor who will shepherd the development of each project.
The two Red Sea Lodge production grant winners among these will be announced on Sept.
- 9/18/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Mahmoud Sabbagh, the director of Saudi Arabai’s Red Sea Film Festival, is resigning from his role after being unable to take the reins at the event’s inaugural edition after it was cancelled due to the pandemic.
No reason was given for Sabbagh’s decision to step down. The festival posted a statement on its social media channels thanking the exec for his work and noting he will now return to working in the Saudi film industry as a filmmaker. His previous credits include Barakah Meets Barakah, which debuted at the 2016 Berlinale, and 2018 drama Amra And The Second Marriage.
It’s been a rocky start for the event, which many hoped would become a leading Middle East festival after its launch followed the closure of the Dubai International Film Festival, a key event in the region.
The debut edition was due to be held March 12-21 and would have...
No reason was given for Sabbagh’s decision to step down. The festival posted a statement on its social media channels thanking the exec for his work and noting he will now return to working in the Saudi film industry as a filmmaker. His previous credits include Barakah Meets Barakah, which debuted at the 2016 Berlinale, and 2018 drama Amra And The Second Marriage.
It’s been a rocky start for the event, which many hoped would become a leading Middle East festival after its launch followed the closure of the Dubai International Film Festival, a key event in the region.
The debut edition was due to be held March 12-21 and would have...
- 7/15/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Mahmoud Sabbagh had been due to host the inaugural edition in March.
Saudi filmmaker Mahmoud Sabbagh has stepped down from his role as director of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, before the event has hosted its delayed first edition.
A statement on the event’s website and social media channels thanked Sabbagh for his efforts in launching the festival, which included setting up the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. According to the statement, Sabbagh “will return to the Saudi film industry as a pioneering director and producer to work on his third feature film.”
The inaugural edition of...
Saudi filmmaker Mahmoud Sabbagh has stepped down from his role as director of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, before the event has hosted its delayed first edition.
A statement on the event’s website and social media channels thanked Sabbagh for his efforts in launching the festival, which included setting up the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. According to the statement, Sabbagh “will return to the Saudi film industry as a pioneering director and producer to work on his third feature film.”
The inaugural edition of...
- 7/15/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s nascent Red Sea International Film Festival has postponed its inaugural edition due to coronavirus concerns.
Organizers announced the “difficult” decision on Tuesday “given the current global health emergency,” they said in an email to prospective guests which noted that their “primary consideration” is “the safety and wellbeing of our guests, staff and audiences.”
“We are confident that, in due course, the festival will be rescheduled and that we will be able
to achieve all that we have planned and worked towards over the past 12-months,” they added.
The ambitious event, which had recruited Oliver Stone to preside over the jury and Spike Lee to present a special screening of “Malcolm X,” is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market, with international ambitions after the country in late 2017 removed its religion-related ban on cinemas. It was scheduled to run March 12-21 in the historic district of Jeddah,...
Organizers announced the “difficult” decision on Tuesday “given the current global health emergency,” they said in an email to prospective guests which noted that their “primary consideration” is “the safety and wellbeing of our guests, staff and audiences.”
“We are confident that, in due course, the festival will be rescheduled and that we will be able
to achieve all that we have planned and worked towards over the past 12-months,” they added.
The ambitious event, which had recruited Oliver Stone to preside over the jury and Spike Lee to present a special screening of “Malcolm X,” is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market, with international ambitions after the country in late 2017 removed its religion-related ban on cinemas. It was scheduled to run March 12-21 in the historic district of Jeddah,...
- 3/3/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It was just four years ago that Berlin hosted the world premiere of Barakah Meets Barakah, the debut feature from Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh. Not only was the groundbreaking film the first from the kingdom to screen at the Berlinale, but it was also considered the country’s first-ever romantic comedy, deploying humor as a charming yet pointed tool to highlight the challenges young Saudis face in finding love.
Saudi Arabia has experienced several major cinematic firsts since then — the opening of the first movie theaters since a 35-year ban was lifted, its first ever pavilion in Cannes and the ...
Saudi Arabia has experienced several major cinematic firsts since then — the opening of the first movie theaters since a 35-year ban was lifted, its first ever pavilion in Cannes and the ...
- 2/21/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It was just four years ago that Berlin hosted the world premiere of Barakah Meets Barakah, the debut feature from Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh. Not only was the groundbreaking film the first from the kingdom to screen at the Berlinale, but it was also considered the country’s first-ever romantic comedy, deploying humor as a charming yet pointed tool to highlight the challenges young Saudis face in finding love.
Saudi Arabia has experienced several major cinematic firsts since then — the opening of the first movie theaters since a 35-year ban was lifted, its first ever pavilion in Cannes and the ...
Saudi Arabia has experienced several major cinematic firsts since then — the opening of the first movie theaters since a 35-year ban was lifted, its first ever pavilion in Cannes and the ...
- 2/21/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Saudi Arabian film director Mahmoud Sabbagh, who made a splash with groundbreaking romcom “Barakah Meets Barakah” and black comedy “Amra and the Second Marriage,” roughly a year ago became president of Saudi’s Red Sea International Film Festival, the kingdom’s first full-fledged festival and market. The ambitious event, which will run March 12-21 in Jeddah, recently announced a lineup featuring a fresh mix of international films launching in the region as well as a robust representation of Arab titles. Sabbagh spoke exclusively to Variety about the challenges of attracting movies, talents, and industry executives to its inaugural edition. Excerpts from the conversation.
It’s tough launching a film festival with ambitions to put it in on the map. And it’s no secret that there is an aversion to Saudi [due to the Jamal Khashoggi murder.] How tough was it to get movies and people to come?
Each film or director or...
It’s tough launching a film festival with ambitions to put it in on the map. And it’s no secret that there is an aversion to Saudi [due to the Jamal Khashoggi murder.] How tough was it to get movies and people to come?
Each film or director or...
- 2/20/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabia’s nascent Red Sea International Film festival has unveiled its inaugural lineup featuring the Middle East premiere of Harvey Weinstein-inspired workplace abuse drama “The Assistant” amid a fresh mix of feature films and docs from Europe, the U.S., Asia, and Africa launching in the region on top of a robust representation of Arab films.
Significantly, the opener will be “The Book of Sun” by debuting Saudi directorial duo Faris and Suhaib Godus, about a teenager named Husam who, prompted by the growing phenomenon of Saudi YouTube content, embarks with a group of geeks on a mission to make a no-budget horror pic. Production of this film was supported by the fest.
Oliver Stone will preside over the competition jury.
Red Sea festival chief Mahmoud Sabbagh in a statement called “Book of Sun” “a testament to the passionate community of pioneering filmmakers who have inspired and drive Saudi cinema culture.
Significantly, the opener will be “The Book of Sun” by debuting Saudi directorial duo Faris and Suhaib Godus, about a teenager named Husam who, prompted by the growing phenomenon of Saudi YouTube content, embarks with a group of geeks on a mission to make a no-budget horror pic. Production of this film was supported by the fest.
Oliver Stone will preside over the competition jury.
Red Sea festival chief Mahmoud Sabbagh in a statement called “Book of Sun” “a testament to the passionate community of pioneering filmmakers who have inspired and drive Saudi cinema culture.
- 2/17/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Which film will follow on from ‘Roma’ in winning the prize?
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
Scroll down for latest entries
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2020 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
This is the first year the award will be given under the new name of ‘best international feature film’, after a change in April from ‘foreign-language film’.
Scroll down for latest entries
The eligibility rules remain the same: an international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the Us with a predominantly non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
- 10/4/2019
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦¬0¦Emma Kiely, Nancy Epton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
New initiative is organised in collaboration with the TorinoFilmLab.
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which is due to take place for the first time in the Saudi port city of Jeddah from March 12-21, 2020, has unveiled the 12 projects that will participate in its inaugural Red Sea Lodge feature film development lab.
The selection comprises six Saudi projects as well as six productions from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, by both emerging and established filmmakers.
They include new films by Lebanese director Hadi Ghandour, Palestinian producer and filmmaker Amira Diab and Jordanian director Amjad Al-Rasheed
Ghandour will attend with...
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which is due to take place for the first time in the Saudi port city of Jeddah from March 12-21, 2020, has unveiled the 12 projects that will participate in its inaugural Red Sea Lodge feature film development lab.
The selection comprises six Saudi projects as well as six productions from Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon, by both emerging and established filmmakers.
They include new films by Lebanese director Hadi Ghandour, Palestinian producer and filmmaker Amira Diab and Jordanian director Amjad Al-Rasheed
Ghandour will attend with...
- 10/1/2019
- by 1100380¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival, which is Saudi Arabia’s first major film event, has announced a first batch of Arabic projects that will benefit from a total of up to $3 million in support as well as mentoring through its Sundance-like development program, the Red Sea Lodge.
The program has been set up to nurture new voices in Arab cinema at the fest, the inaugural edition of which will run March 12-21, 2020, in the historic district of Jeddah, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
The Red Sea Lodge is operated in tandem with Italy’s TorinoFilmLab and includes three workshops to be held in Jeddah, the first of which will take place next month. The program will support six projects from Saudi Arabia and six from the Arab world at large, excluding Qatar, with which Saudi Arabia is locked in a diplomatic standoff.
The six Saudi projects touch on potentially edgy topics,...
The program has been set up to nurture new voices in Arab cinema at the fest, the inaugural edition of which will run March 12-21, 2020, in the historic district of Jeddah, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
The Red Sea Lodge is operated in tandem with Italy’s TorinoFilmLab and includes three workshops to be held in Jeddah, the first of which will take place next month. The program will support six projects from Saudi Arabia and six from the Arab world at large, excluding Qatar, with which Saudi Arabia is locked in a diplomatic standoff.
The six Saudi projects touch on potentially edgy topics,...
- 10/1/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which is Saudi Arabia’s first international film fest, is ramping up operations with the appointment of French industry veteran Julie Bergeron as head of its nascent market.
Ahead of its first edition, to be held March 12–21, 2020, in Jeddah, they’ve also announced funds providing up to $3 million in support for emerging Arab filmmakers and cash prizes totaling $350,000.
Bergeron has been head of industry programs at the Cannes Marché du Film as well as project manager of its Ventana Sur Latin American offshoot, and she has also worked for the now-defunct Dubai film market, among other roles.
Bergeron joins a high-caliber team that includes former Sundance fest documentary programmer Hussain Currimbhoy, who is the Red Sea fest’s artistic director; Dubai’s former top exec Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who is managing director; Antoine Khalife, also a Dubai fest veteran who is director of the...
Ahead of its first edition, to be held March 12–21, 2020, in Jeddah, they’ve also announced funds providing up to $3 million in support for emerging Arab filmmakers and cash prizes totaling $350,000.
Bergeron has been head of industry programs at the Cannes Marché du Film as well as project manager of its Ventana Sur Latin American offshoot, and she has also worked for the now-defunct Dubai film market, among other roles.
Bergeron joins a high-caliber team that includes former Sundance fest documentary programmer Hussain Currimbhoy, who is the Red Sea fest’s artistic director; Dubai’s former top exec Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who is managing director; Antoine Khalife, also a Dubai fest veteran who is director of the...
- 8/31/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
New ‘Yusr’ awards are named after a type of black coral found in the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival, which will launch its inaugural edition in Jeddah on March 12-21, 2020, will mete out nearly $3m worth of cash prizes and investments, making it one of the most generous film festivals in the world.
The new event has revealed it will ward a total of $350,000 in cash prizes to winners of its international competition running across six categories.
The top prize, the Golden Yusr Trophy for best feature, will carry a $100,000 cash prize while the...
Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival, which will launch its inaugural edition in Jeddah on March 12-21, 2020, will mete out nearly $3m worth of cash prizes and investments, making it one of the most generous film festivals in the world.
The new event has revealed it will ward a total of $350,000 in cash prizes to winners of its international competition running across six categories.
The top prize, the Golden Yusr Trophy for best feature, will carry a $100,000 cash prize while the...
- 8/29/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival, set to be held March 12–21 next year in Jeddah, has announced cash prizes totaling $350K and up to $3M in support for emerging Arab talent. Filmmaker Mahmoud Sabbagh (Barakah Meets Barakah) is Festival Director and CEO with former Sundance documentary programmer Hussain Currimbhoy as Artistic Director, and Shivani Pandya Malhotra, previously of the Dubai International Film Fest, as Managing Director.
At the first Red Sea event, there will be a purse of $250K for films in competition, organizers said. The Golden Yusr Trophy for Best Feature carries a $100K cash prize and the Silver Yusr Trophy for Best Director will be presented with $50K. A Silver Yusr Trophy will also be awarded for Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Cinematic Contribution. An Audience Award will see $50K go to the winner.
An additional Golden Yusr Trophy awarded for Best...
At the first Red Sea event, there will be a purse of $250K for films in competition, organizers said. The Golden Yusr Trophy for Best Feature carries a $100K cash prize and the Silver Yusr Trophy for Best Director will be presented with $50K. A Silver Yusr Trophy will also be awarded for Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Cinematic Contribution. An Audience Award will see $50K go to the winner.
An additional Golden Yusr Trophy awarded for Best...
- 8/29/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The inaugural event will run March 12-21, 2020 in Jeddah.
The inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival in the port city of Jeddah will take place from March 12 to 21, 2020. Former Sundance Film Festival documentary programmer Hussain Currimbhoy has been named artistic director and Shivani Pandya Malhotra is managing director.
Pandya Malhotra managed the now defunct Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) for 15 years.
They will work with filmmaker Mahmoud Sabbagh (Barakah Meets Barakah), who was appointed as festival director and CEO of the event in March.
Former Diff staffer Antoine Khalife has joined the team as director of the Arab programme,...
The inaugural edition of Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival in the port city of Jeddah will take place from March 12 to 21, 2020. Former Sundance Film Festival documentary programmer Hussain Currimbhoy has been named artistic director and Shivani Pandya Malhotra is managing director.
Pandya Malhotra managed the now defunct Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) for 15 years.
They will work with filmmaker Mahmoud Sabbagh (Barakah Meets Barakah), who was appointed as festival director and CEO of the event in March.
Former Diff staffer Antoine Khalife has joined the team as director of the Arab programme,...
- 6/27/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Saudi Arabia’s first film festival, the Red Sea International Film Festival, is set to take place in the city of Jeddah between 12 – 21 March, 2020. With a focus on the ‘global south’, the festival’s program will also showcase Arab and international cinema across several sections. Festival director and CEO is Mahmoud Sabbagh. Hussain Currimbhoy, who previously served as a documentary programmer at Sundance joins the festival as artistic director, and former Dubai fest managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra joins as managing director. Industry veteran Antoine Khalife joins as director of the Arab programme, Samaher Mously as director of marketing and communications and Ibrahim Modir as head of operations. The government-backed event has also launched The Red Sea Lodge: The New Arab Wave, a script and feature lab in collaboration with the TorinoFilmLab which will open for submissions on 1 July, 2019. It will give two $500,000 awards to the best projects from the lab.
- 6/27/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Red Sea International Film Festival, which is Saudi Arabia’s first international film fest, has officially announced its team and set March 12-21, 2020, as the dates of its first edition. The event is to be held in the historic district of Jeddah, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
As anticipated by Variety, former Dubai Film Festival exec Shivani Pandya has been named general manager of the ambitious event. Hussain Currimbhoy, who has previously served as a documentary programmer at the Sundance Film Festival, is joining as artistic director
Somewhat like Sundance, the Red Sea fest is positioning itself as a year-round film lab/incubator, which it is calling the Red Sea Lodge, to be operated in a partnership with Italy’s Torino Film Lab.
The Red Sea Lodge will select 12 Arabic projects, of which at least six will be directed by Saudi filmmakers. It will provide two of...
As anticipated by Variety, former Dubai Film Festival exec Shivani Pandya has been named general manager of the ambitious event. Hussain Currimbhoy, who has previously served as a documentary programmer at the Sundance Film Festival, is joining as artistic director
Somewhat like Sundance, the Red Sea fest is positioning itself as a year-round film lab/incubator, which it is calling the Red Sea Lodge, to be operated in a partnership with Italy’s Torino Film Lab.
The Red Sea Lodge will select 12 Arabic projects, of which at least six will be directed by Saudi filmmakers. It will provide two of...
- 6/27/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabia has welcomed its first art house cinema.
The open-air Elhoush Cinema – which can seat 75 people – opened to a packed house on Tuesday night in the coastal city of Jeddah with the screening of Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking epic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The initiative is the brainchild of Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh, the filmmaker behind the Berlinale-bowing comedy Barakah Meets Barakah and last year's Amra and the Second Marriage. Sabbagh is also the director and CEO of the recently-announced Red Sea Film Festival, which is set to have its inaugural edition in Jeddah in ...
The open-air Elhoush Cinema – which can seat 75 people – opened to a packed house on Tuesday night in the coastal city of Jeddah with the screening of Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking epic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The initiative is the brainchild of Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh, the filmmaker behind the Berlinale-bowing comedy Barakah Meets Barakah and last year's Amra and the Second Marriage. Sabbagh is also the director and CEO of the recently-announced Red Sea Film Festival, which is set to have its inaugural edition in Jeddah in ...
- 6/26/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Saudi Arabia has welcomed its first art house cinema.
The open-air Elhoush Cinema — which can seat 75 people — opened to a packed house Tuesday night in the coastal city of Jeddah with the screening of Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking epic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The initiative is the brainchild of Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh, the filmmaker behind the Berlinale-bowing comedy Barakah Meets Barakah and last year's Amra and the Second Marriage. Sabbagh is also the director and CEO of the recently announced Red Sea Film Festival, which is set to have its inaugural edition in Jeddah in ...
The open-air Elhoush Cinema — which can seat 75 people — opened to a packed house Tuesday night in the coastal city of Jeddah with the screening of Stanley Kubrick's groundbreaking epic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The initiative is the brainchild of Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh, the filmmaker behind the Berlinale-bowing comedy Barakah Meets Barakah and last year's Amra and the Second Marriage. Sabbagh is also the director and CEO of the recently announced Red Sea Film Festival, which is set to have its inaugural edition in Jeddah in ...
- 6/26/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Despite ongoing outcry over the assassination of a journalist and rapidly dissolving ties to Hollywood, at least three theater chains are moving forward with plans to put movie screens in Saudi Arabia.
National Association of Theater Owners President John Fithian said he’s recently spoken with numerous members of his organization about sorting out licensing issues with the Saudi government, and continuing with plans to put cineplexes in the Middle Eastern kingdom.
“I’ve spoken to three members this week about their scheduled openings,”said Fithian, addressing journalists at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
While Fithian called the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi “a tragic, awful human rights violation,” he sees the entry of global cinematic voices into Saudi culture as a positive.
“I don’t think it’s our business to make foreign policy as a trade association. It’s our business to represent a trade industry,...
National Association of Theater Owners President John Fithian said he’s recently spoken with numerous members of his organization about sorting out licensing issues with the Saudi government, and continuing with plans to put cineplexes in the Middle Eastern kingdom.
“I’ve spoken to three members this week about their scheduled openings,”said Fithian, addressing journalists at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
While Fithian called the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi “a tragic, awful human rights violation,” he sees the entry of global cinematic voices into Saudi culture as a positive.
“I don’t think it’s our business to make foreign policy as a trade association. It’s our business to represent a trade industry,...
- 4/2/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabia’s recently established culture ministry has announced a slew of arts initiatives, including plans for the kingdom’s first film festival, a film school and a national film archive. The plans are designed to foster a local film industry.
During a ceremony Wednesday evening in the capital of Riyadh, Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan, who was appointed Saudi Arabia’s first culture minister last year, unveiled a document called “Our Culture, Our Identity” outlining initiatives to kickstart the local arts sector. The effort is part of social and economic reforms championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under the Vision 2030 banner.
Saudi Arabia’s first film fest has been named the Red Sea International Film Festival and will be based in the historic district of Jeddah, which is a Unesco World Heritage site. The festival’s president is young Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh, known for groundbreaking comedies...
During a ceremony Wednesday evening in the capital of Riyadh, Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan, who was appointed Saudi Arabia’s first culture minister last year, unveiled a document called “Our Culture, Our Identity” outlining initiatives to kickstart the local arts sector. The effort is part of social and economic reforms championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman under the Vision 2030 banner.
Saudi Arabia’s first film fest has been named the Red Sea International Film Festival and will be based in the historic district of Jeddah, which is a Unesco World Heritage site. The festival’s president is young Saudi director Mahmoud Sabbagh, known for groundbreaking comedies...
- 3/28/2019
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Berlin Film Festival‘s new leadership duo of Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek have revealed some of their new programming team. As anticipated there is a strong Locarno (Chatrian’s former festival) flavour. Chatrian has appointed a seven-member selection committee. Locarno’s former head of programming, Marc Peranson, will serve as head of programming and chair of the selection committee, which will also include three former Locarno selectors in the shape of Lorenzo Esposito, Sergio Fant, and Aurelie Godet. Also joining the committee will be programmer Verena von Stackelberg and author and curator Barbara Wurm. The new chief for the festival’s Panorama section will be Michael Stutz, a former Panorama curator. He takes over from Paz Lázaro, who will also be joining the selection committee.
Artistic director Chatrian and executive director Rissenbeek officially take office from outgoing boss Dieter Kosslick on June 1, 2019. They said, “We have different tasks,...
Artistic director Chatrian and executive director Rissenbeek officially take office from outgoing boss Dieter Kosslick on June 1, 2019. They said, “We have different tasks,...
- 3/28/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Event to focus on emerging Arab world talent, international storytelling trends.
Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2020 in the historic district of the port city of Jeddah.
The festival was announced on Wednesday evening (27) by Prince Badr Bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s minister of culture, at an event in Riyadh. Prince Al Saud said the event will focus on emerging talents from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world and the “Global South”, as well as new trends in storytelling internationally.
Alongside screening films, the event will also feature an industry component...
Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2020 in the historic district of the port city of Jeddah.
The festival was announced on Wednesday evening (27) by Prince Badr Bin Farhan Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s minister of culture, at an event in Riyadh. Prince Al Saud said the event will focus on emerging talents from Saudi Arabia, the Arab world and the “Global South”, as well as new trends in storytelling internationally.
Alongside screening films, the event will also feature an industry component...
- 3/27/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The Cairo Film Festival, for its 40th edition, is reinventing itself.
With Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy at the helm who, at 43, is its youngest president, the oldest fest in the Arab and African worlds is undergoing a radical revamp in a major effort to get its mojo back after a decade of decline due to the country’s post-revolution turbulence.
Hefzy, who is known internationally for the steady stream of edgy top notch titles birthed by his Film Clinic shingle — most recently Cannes standout “Yomeddine,” which is Egypt’s current candidate for the foreign-language Oscar — is the first Cairo fest chief chosen from within the country’s film industry ranks. Since being appointed in March he has been working incessantly in tandem with respected critic and academic Youssef Sherif Rizkalla, who remains the fest’s artistic director.
Eight months later, the signs of renewal are visible. Starting from a reconfiguration...
With Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy at the helm who, at 43, is its youngest president, the oldest fest in the Arab and African worlds is undergoing a radical revamp in a major effort to get its mojo back after a decade of decline due to the country’s post-revolution turbulence.
Hefzy, who is known internationally for the steady stream of edgy top notch titles birthed by his Film Clinic shingle — most recently Cannes standout “Yomeddine,” which is Egypt’s current candidate for the foreign-language Oscar — is the first Cairo fest chief chosen from within the country’s film industry ranks. Since being appointed in March he has been working incessantly in tandem with respected critic and academic Youssef Sherif Rizkalla, who remains the fest’s artistic director.
Eight months later, the signs of renewal are visible. Starting from a reconfiguration...
- 11/13/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
The Middle East premiere of U.S. director Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” will open the revamped Cairo Film Festival, where Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” is also set to launch in the region and Ralph Fiennes will be feted with a career award.
Cairo’s upcoming 40th edition, which will run Nov. 20-29, bears the stamp of a big push by its new president, Egyptian producer Mohammed Hefzy, to give the oldest film fest in the region new luster following a period of decline partly due to the country’s post-revolution turbulence.
Hefzy and artistic director Youssef Cheriff Rizkallah have unveiled a large lineup mixing recent standout titles plucked from the international circuit with a rich assortment of fresh Arabic fare.
Kazakh writer-director Sergey Dvortsevoy and actress Samal Yeslyamova will be coming to Cairo for a gala screening of drama “Ayka,” which competed in Cannes; Argentine director will be making...
Cairo’s upcoming 40th edition, which will run Nov. 20-29, bears the stamp of a big push by its new president, Egyptian producer Mohammed Hefzy, to give the oldest film fest in the region new luster following a period of decline partly due to the country’s post-revolution turbulence.
Hefzy and artistic director Youssef Cheriff Rizkallah have unveiled a large lineup mixing recent standout titles plucked from the international circuit with a rich assortment of fresh Arabic fare.
Kazakh writer-director Sergey Dvortsevoy and actress Samal Yeslyamova will be coming to Cairo for a gala screening of drama “Ayka,” which competed in Cannes; Argentine director will be making...
- 10/30/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Splashing down at the Cannes Film Festival this week, Saudi Arabia continues its rapid push to expand the local entertainment industry and send the overall message that the Kingdom is open for business. CEO of the General Culture Authority Ahmad Al-Maziad announced this morning a new 35% cash rebate to incentivize international film production in the Kingdom as well as a 50% rebate available for spend on Saudi labor.
The first rebate will apply to productions that will be filmed in the Ksa, offering a baseline of 35% for all spend used and consumed in the country, with the ability for productions to realize higher rebates by meeting certain criteria. A 50% rebate will also be available for spend on Saudi labor employed on productions.
Precise guidelines surrounding the rebates will be announced in the coming weeks. But today, Al-Maziad said he believes they will “make us the most attractive incentive program in the world.
The first rebate will apply to productions that will be filmed in the Ksa, offering a baseline of 35% for all spend used and consumed in the country, with the ability for productions to realize higher rebates by meeting certain criteria. A 50% rebate will also be available for spend on Saudi labor employed on productions.
Precise guidelines surrounding the rebates will be announced in the coming weeks. But today, Al-Maziad said he believes they will “make us the most attractive incentive program in the world.
- 5/11/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
A decade ago, Hollywood received an injection of Middle East oil money when the United Arab Emirates and Qatar decided to build an entertainment industry as part of their economic diversification. But the eager newcomers soon got burned by their knowledge gap and, for the most part, rapidly shrank their investments and redirected their ambitions.
Cut to 2018. The petrodollars are back — but with a more cautious approach — in a new wave of Arab investment led by Saudi Arabia, whose recent entry onto the scene has helped rekindle ties between Hollywood and the Middle East.
The oil-rich kingdom’s decision to lift its 35-year-old ban on movie theaters in December has triggered a flurry of film-related activity at home and in the wider region. AMC Theaters and other multiplex chains are now scrambling to build theaters and screens in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s last untapped movie market. The country’s first national film entity,...
Cut to 2018. The petrodollars are back — but with a more cautious approach — in a new wave of Arab investment led by Saudi Arabia, whose recent entry onto the scene has helped rekindle ties between Hollywood and the Middle East.
The oil-rich kingdom’s decision to lift its 35-year-old ban on movie theaters in December has triggered a flurry of film-related activity at home and in the wider region. AMC Theaters and other multiplex chains are now scrambling to build theaters and screens in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East’s last untapped movie market. The country’s first national film entity,...
- 5/4/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Saudi Arabia will make its Cannes Film Festival debut next month as the Kingdom says it’s participating in the event for the first time. Saudi’s presence will be repped by a selection of nine short films by young local filmmakers which will screen at the Short Film Corner on May 14 and 15. The newly-launched Saudi Film Council will also set up shop in a pavilion where it will hold a range of industry events.
The two most high-profile recent films to emerge from Saudi are Haifaa Al Mansour’s 2013 Wadjda and Mahmoud Sabbagh’s 2016 Barakah Meets Barakah. Both of those were the Kingdom’s rep for the Foreign Language Film Oscar, and both debuted at festivals other than Cannes. While the Official Selection for this year’s Cannes is still to be unveiled on Thursday, it’s thought that experimental Saudi title Joud has been submitted for consideration; its...
The two most high-profile recent films to emerge from Saudi are Haifaa Al Mansour’s 2013 Wadjda and Mahmoud Sabbagh’s 2016 Barakah Meets Barakah. Both of those were the Kingdom’s rep for the Foreign Language Film Oscar, and both debuted at festivals other than Cannes. While the Official Selection for this year’s Cannes is still to be unveiled on Thursday, it’s thought that experimental Saudi title Joud has been submitted for consideration; its...
- 4/9/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Current Mpm Film and Premium Films sales executives Ricardo Monastier and Leslie Saussereau will combine forces on the international sales front.
Paris-based auteur-focused Mpm Film and shorts specialist Premium Films have joined forces to create a single sales entity called Mpm Premium, combining their industry know-how and network.
Under the new structure, current Mpm Film and Premium Films sales executives Ricardo Monastier and Leslie Saussereau will combine forces on the international sales front.
Mpm Film founding chief Marie-Pierre Macia and producer Claire Gadéa and Premium Films founder Jean-Charles Mille will oversee management of the company.
“The market is evolving and we have to adapt. The fusion allows us more flexibility and better reactivity thanks to a bigger team, with complementary abilities and a wide expertise. We plan to optimise our investments and be more present on the international markets,” Macia, Gadéa and Mille said in a joint statement.
“It’s more and more difficult for auteur films to find...
Paris-based auteur-focused Mpm Film and shorts specialist Premium Films have joined forces to create a single sales entity called Mpm Premium, combining their industry know-how and network.
Under the new structure, current Mpm Film and Premium Films sales executives Ricardo Monastier and Leslie Saussereau will combine forces on the international sales front.
Mpm Film founding chief Marie-Pierre Macia and producer Claire Gadéa and Premium Films founder Jean-Charles Mille will oversee management of the company.
“The market is evolving and we have to adapt. The fusion allows us more flexibility and better reactivity thanks to a bigger team, with complementary abilities and a wide expertise. We plan to optimise our investments and be more present on the international markets,” Macia, Gadéa and Mille said in a joint statement.
“It’s more and more difficult for auteur films to find...
- 2/15/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Saudia Arabia has officially lifted a ban on cinema that has been intact for the last 35 years. The move was expected after the country announced in October plans for the Future Investment Initiative, which included the building and opening of movie theaters across the country. Movie theaters have not been open in Saudi Arabia since 1982. The General Entertainment Authority has said it opens to create entertainment that “will be like 99% of what is going on in London and New York.”
Read More:IndieWire’s Favorite Middle Eastern Films of 2016
“Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification; by developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the Kingdom’s entertainment options,” said Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad. “This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the Kingdom.”
The ban...
Read More:IndieWire’s Favorite Middle Eastern Films of 2016
“Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification; by developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the Kingdom’s entertainment options,” said Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad. “This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the Kingdom.”
The ban...
- 12/11/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Arab Cinema Center is launching the Critics Awards to promote and support Arab cinema internationally. The winners will be for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor.
The 26 member jury includes prominent Arab and foreign critics from 15 countries from around the world. Egyptian film critic Ahmed Shawky is serving as manager of the Critics Awards.
Film analyst Alaa Karkouti, CEO of Mad Solutions, the company in charge of organizing the Arab Cinema Center’s events and also the first Pan Arab independent distributor and PR company of Arabic content to and from the Arab world, said: “The Critics Awards marks a first-time initiative that encompasses film critics from all over the world dedicated to Arab films within the strategy of Arab Cinema Center to add initiatives and events to every large-scale international film festival around the world.”
He added: “This is the first new addition...
The 26 member jury includes prominent Arab and foreign critics from 15 countries from around the world. Egyptian film critic Ahmed Shawky is serving as manager of the Critics Awards.
Film analyst Alaa Karkouti, CEO of Mad Solutions, the company in charge of organizing the Arab Cinema Center’s events and also the first Pan Arab independent distributor and PR company of Arabic content to and from the Arab world, said: “The Critics Awards marks a first-time initiative that encompasses film critics from all over the world dedicated to Arab films within the strategy of Arab Cinema Center to add initiatives and events to every large-scale international film festival around the world.”
He added: “This is the first new addition...
- 4/16/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The first trailer for Alankrita Shrivastava’s Lipstick Under My Burkha starring Konkona Sensharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra and Plabita Borthakur debuted online last Friday and went instantly viral, crossing a million views and creating enormous buzz and curiosity among audiences across the country. Now, the film is all set for its European Premiere at the prestigious Stockholm International Film Festival in November.
The film features in the Spotlight section, which has a special contemporary theme every year, this year’s theme being ‘Identity’. The other films in this prestigious section include big and acclaimed international titles such as Bertrand Bonello’s Nocturama, Mahmoud Sabbagh’s Barakah Meets Barakah, and Garth Davis’s Oscar contender Lion starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman.
Producer Prakash Jha, says, “The Stockholm Festival is very prestigious and the fact that Lipstick Under My Burkha will be playing in the Spotlight section with the theme of identity,...
The film features in the Spotlight section, which has a special contemporary theme every year, this year’s theme being ‘Identity’. The other films in this prestigious section include big and acclaimed international titles such as Bertrand Bonello’s Nocturama, Mahmoud Sabbagh’s Barakah Meets Barakah, and Garth Davis’s Oscar contender Lion starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara and Nicole Kidman.
Producer Prakash Jha, says, “The Stockholm Festival is very prestigious and the fact that Lipstick Under My Burkha will be playing in the Spotlight section with the theme of identity,...
- 10/21/2016
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Eighty-five countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards. Yemen is a first-time entrant.
The 2016 submissions are:
Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
Bangladesh, “link=tt5510934 auto]The Unnamed[/link],” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
Croatia, “On the Other Side,...
The 2016 submissions are:
Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
Bangladesh, “link=tt5510934 auto]The Unnamed[/link],” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
Croatia, “On the Other Side,...
- 10/12/2016
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Eighty-five countries have submitted a film for consideration in the 60th anniversary year of the foreign language film category.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science said on Tuesday that this season also marks the first time Yemen has submitted a film, Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced.
The 89th Oscars will take place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. László Nemes’ Hungarian entry Son Of Saul won the award last February.
Foreign-language Academy Award Submissions
(Country, Title, director)
Albania, Chromium, dir Bujar Alimani;
Algeria, The Well, Lotfi Bouchouchi;
Argentina, The Distinguished Citizen, Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat;
Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler;
Austria, Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe, Maria Schrader;
Bangladesh, The Unnamed, Tauquir Ahmed;
Belgium, The Ardennes, Robin Pront;
Bolivia, Sealed Cargo, Julia Vargas Weise;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Death In Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic;
Brazil, Little Secret, David Schurmann.
Bulgaria, Losers, [link...
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science said on Tuesday that this season also marks the first time Yemen has submitted a film, Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced.
The 89th Oscars will take place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. László Nemes’ Hungarian entry Son Of Saul won the award last February.
Foreign-language Academy Award Submissions
(Country, Title, director)
Albania, Chromium, dir Bujar Alimani;
Algeria, The Well, Lotfi Bouchouchi;
Argentina, The Distinguished Citizen, Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat;
Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler;
Austria, Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe, Maria Schrader;
Bangladesh, The Unnamed, Tauquir Ahmed;
Belgium, The Ardennes, Robin Pront;
Bolivia, Sealed Cargo, Julia Vargas Weise;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Death In Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic;
Brazil, Little Secret, David Schurmann.
Bulgaria, Losers, [link...
- 10/11/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Plus: Samuel Goldwyn acquires Nerdland; Academy unveils Nicholl Fellows
Gianfranco Rosi’s Golden Bear winner Fire At Sea will screen under the umbrella of Berlinale Spotlight at the 14th Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico next month.
The initiative is part of a dedicated programme backed by the support of the Goethe-Institut that marks the Year Of Germany In Mexico 2016/2017,
The jointly curated selection includes films from all sections of this year’s Berlinale such as Mia Hansen-Løve’s Things To Come and Mahmoud Sabbagh’s Barakah Meets Barakah.
Programming covers a retrospective of filmmaker and actor Reinhold Schünzel, who directed Viktor Und Viktoria in 1933 before he emigrated to the Us in 1937, and selections by special guest Sebastian Schipper
Morelia runs from October 21-30. Click here for full details.
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights from UTA Independent Film Group to Tribeca selection Nerdland and will screen at this weekend’s Beyond Fest this weekend...
Gianfranco Rosi’s Golden Bear winner Fire At Sea will screen under the umbrella of Berlinale Spotlight at the 14th Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico next month.
The initiative is part of a dedicated programme backed by the support of the Goethe-Institut that marks the Year Of Germany In Mexico 2016/2017,
The jointly curated selection includes films from all sections of this year’s Berlinale such as Mia Hansen-Løve’s Things To Come and Mahmoud Sabbagh’s Barakah Meets Barakah.
Programming covers a retrospective of filmmaker and actor Reinhold Schünzel, who directed Viktor Und Viktoria in 1933 before he emigrated to the Us in 1937, and selections by special guest Sebastian Schipper
Morelia runs from October 21-30. Click here for full details.
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired North American rights from UTA Independent Film Group to Tribeca selection Nerdland and will screen at this weekend’s Beyond Fest this weekend...
- 9/29/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Two young people struggle to meet face-to-face in this Arab movie showing at Toronto film festival that delivers a fascinating glimpse into life in the kingdom
Mahmoud Sabbagh’s first feature film, Barakah Meets Barakah, is being touted as the first Saudi Arabian romcom. It opens with a title card that reads: “The pixelisation you see in this film is totally normal. It is not a commentary on censorship. We repeat, it is not a commentary on censorship.”
At first, naturally, I interpreted this as a little ribbing at the religious police who no doubt had to approve the contents of the film. Later, I came to realise this was no boop on the nose. This was a message to the west, played completely straight, expressing how everyday Saudi citizens get by in an oppressive culture.
Continue reading...
Mahmoud Sabbagh’s first feature film, Barakah Meets Barakah, is being touted as the first Saudi Arabian romcom. It opens with a title card that reads: “The pixelisation you see in this film is totally normal. It is not a commentary on censorship. We repeat, it is not a commentary on censorship.”
At first, naturally, I interpreted this as a little ribbing at the religious police who no doubt had to approve the contents of the film. Later, I came to realise this was no boop on the nose. This was a message to the west, played completely straight, expressing how everyday Saudi citizens get by in an oppressive culture.
Continue reading...
- 9/9/2016
- by Jordan Hoffman
- The Guardian - Film News
Romantic comedy will bow at Toronto next month.
Barakah Meets Barakah, the debut feature of Saudi writer-director Mahmoud Sabbagh, is to become the second ever Foreign Language Academy Award entry for Saudi Arabia.
The film follows Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda, which was Saudi Arabia’s first official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2013.
Barakah Meets Barakah received its world premiere at the Berlinale in February where ScreenDaily’s review praised the film’s “humour of clever restraint” and called lead actress Fatima Al Banawi, “radiant, playful, and contentious…a revelation”.
The candid love story was filmed in Jeddah and stars Hisham Fageeh and Fatima Al Banawi as young would-be couple Barakah and Bibi.
In a society where meeting in public unchaperoned is prohibited and physical contact is verboten, Barakah and Bibi find themselves in a near-impossible situation just trying to have a first date. The film explores...
Barakah Meets Barakah, the debut feature of Saudi writer-director Mahmoud Sabbagh, is to become the second ever Foreign Language Academy Award entry for Saudi Arabia.
The film follows Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda, which was Saudi Arabia’s first official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2013.
Barakah Meets Barakah received its world premiere at the Berlinale in February where ScreenDaily’s review praised the film’s “humour of clever restraint” and called lead actress Fatima Al Banawi, “radiant, playful, and contentious…a revelation”.
The candid love story was filmed in Jeddah and stars Hisham Fageeh and Fatima Al Banawi as young would-be couple Barakah and Bibi.
In a society where meeting in public unchaperoned is prohibited and physical contact is verboten, Barakah and Bibi find themselves in a near-impossible situation just trying to have a first date. The film explores...
- 8/24/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The 2016 Oscar race for the Best Foreign Language Film has begun, with a handful of countries selecting their entries for the hotly contested honor. Among the films that have become their country’s official selection in the early going are “Sieranevada,” the Romanian Cannes drama from director Cristi Puiu; Switzerland’s “My Life as a Courgette,” an animated coming-of-age story from Claude Barras; and “Tanna,” an Australian drama set on a remote island and acted entirely by non-professionals. And on Wednesday morning, Saudi Arabia entered the race for only the second time in history, selecting Mahmoud Sabbagh’s film “Barakah Meets Barakah.
- 8/24/2016
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Barakah Meets Barakah, the debut feature of writer/director Mahmoud Sabbagh, has been selected to represent Saudi Arabia in the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race. The movie, which debuted in Berlin, thus becomes the second-ever entry from the kingdom. It follows Haifaa Al Mansour's 2013 charmer Wadjda, which was Saudi Arabia's first official entry. Though roundly-lauded, that film failed to make the Oscars shortlist. The crowd-pleasing Barakah Meets Barakah debuted to…...
- 8/24/2016
- Deadline
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