Rungano Nyoni’s feature debut premiered in Cannes in 2017.
Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature I Am Not A Witch has been selected as the UK’s entry for best foreign-language film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
The BFI-backed English and Nyanja-language project was produced by France’s Juliette Grandmont with the UK’s Emily Morgan.
Bafta is responsible for selecting the UK’s submission for the category, which was open to any predominantly English-language British feature or documentary that was released theatrically between October 1 2017 and September 30 2018.
I Am Not A Witch is a satire about an eight-year-old girl sent to a witches’ camp in Zambia.
Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature I Am Not A Witch has been selected as the UK’s entry for best foreign-language film at the 2019 Academy Awards.
The BFI-backed English and Nyanja-language project was produced by France’s Juliette Grandmont with the UK’s Emily Morgan.
Bafta is responsible for selecting the UK’s submission for the category, which was open to any predominantly English-language British feature or documentary that was released theatrically between October 1 2017 and September 30 2018.
I Am Not A Witch is a satire about an eight-year-old girl sent to a witches’ camp in Zambia.
- 8/22/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Programme includes I Am Not A Witch, My Pure Land.
The Festival of Commonwealth Film has announced the programme for its first edition, which will take place at the British Museum in London on April 14-15.
With a focus on human rights across the Commonwealth, the event includes seven feature films and a shorts programme.
Films screening across the two days include Rungano Nyoni’s darkly satirical debut I Am Not A Witch. The film won outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer at this year’s BAFTAs as well as best director and best debut director for...
The Festival of Commonwealth Film has announced the programme for its first edition, which will take place at the British Museum in London on April 14-15.
With a focus on human rights across the Commonwealth, the event includes seven feature films and a shorts programme.
Films screening across the two days include Rungano Nyoni’s darkly satirical debut I Am Not A Witch. The film won outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer at this year’s BAFTAs as well as best director and best debut director for...
- 3/26/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
One of Britain's irregular submissions in the Foreign Language Oscar category, My Pure Land is a tense siege thriller shot in Pakistan with dialogue in Urdu. British-Pakistani writer-director Sarmad Masud's feature debut dramatizes the true story of a Nazo Dharejo, a teenage girl who took up arms to defend her rural family homestead against an army of gunmen. Combining spaghetti western elements with a strong female lead and an inspirational feminist message, Masud's low-budget drama ticks plenty of Academy-friendly boxes on paper, although it suffers from some first-film flaws in tone and structure.
Produced by the veteran British theater impresario...
Produced by the veteran British theater impresario...
- 11/4/2017
- by Stephen Dalton
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
They can be set anywhere from Australia to Pakistan – and increasingly it’s women who are shooting from the hip. With new westerns such as My Pure Land and Brimstone, the gunslinger genre continues to reinvent itself
Always changing, the western never changes. Whatever era it is, the essence remains. If I told you about a pivotal scene in which a gunslinger turns to the camera and stares, hard-eyed, at the audience, I might be describing The Great Train Robbery, made in 1903, a silent cinema milestone whose star, Justus D Barnes, was a middle-aged stage actor. Or I could mean My Pure Land, a new film about three women in rural Pakistan defending their home from bandits. Its star is Suhaee Abro, a classically trained dancer in her first major role. Thousands of miles and more than a century apart, she and Barnes share a western moment.
Westerns in 2017 are politically open-minded,...
Always changing, the western never changes. Whatever era it is, the essence remains. If I told you about a pivotal scene in which a gunslinger turns to the camera and stares, hard-eyed, at the audience, I might be describing The Great Train Robbery, made in 1903, a silent cinema milestone whose star, Justus D Barnes, was a middle-aged stage actor. Or I could mean My Pure Land, a new film about three women in rural Pakistan defending their home from bandits. Its star is Suhaee Abro, a classically trained dancer in her first major role. Thousands of miles and more than a century apart, she and Barnes share a western moment.
Westerns in 2017 are politically open-minded,...
- 10/13/2017
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The final deadline for submitting each country’s film for consideration for the foreign-language Oscar was October 2. Last year 85 were finally deemed eligible by the Academy; this year the number is a record 92. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants. These films are vying for the initial shortlist of 9, and final five nominations to be announced on January 23. See the final list below.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
Read More:Oscar Announces Changes for Foreign-Film Voting: Now Simpler! (Sort Of.)
The frontrunners include Sweden selected Ruben Östlund’s hilarious Palme d’Or-winner “The Square” (October 27, Magnolia Pictures), an art-world satire shot in majority Swedish with some English from stars Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, and Dominic West, thus giving Östlund another shot after “Force Majeure” was a surprise 2015 Oscar omission.
Germany’s choice, Fatih Akin’s “In the Fade” (December 27, Magnolia Pictures), won Best Actress for Diane Kruger at Cannes.
- 10/5/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
A gun-trained female trio resist robbers bent on stealing their home in this Pakistan drama that pays homage to Hollywood and south-Asian film-making
Related: 'Anything is possible in Pakistan – but everything is impossible': Sarmad Masud on filming My Pure Land
Directed by British-based Sarmad Masud and shot on location in Pakistan, this modern-day masala western finds a two feisty young teenage girls and their mother fighting off a bandit army, led by the girls’ uncle, determined to take the women’s home by force. Via a clean blend of arthouse mannerisms and action-movie suspense, this based-on-a-true-story lesson in practical feminism reveals how the sisters learned shooting and self-defence in preparation for a day like this from their ill-fated father (Syed Tanveer Hussain). (Opening titles explain that land disputes such as this are relatively common in Pakistan and often victimise single women who have inherited property.) Lithe but steely-gazed Suhaee Abro...
Related: 'Anything is possible in Pakistan – but everything is impossible': Sarmad Masud on filming My Pure Land
Directed by British-based Sarmad Masud and shot on location in Pakistan, this modern-day masala western finds a two feisty young teenage girls and their mother fighting off a bandit army, led by the girls’ uncle, determined to take the women’s home by force. Via a clean blend of arthouse mannerisms and action-movie suspense, this based-on-a-true-story lesson in practical feminism reveals how the sisters learned shooting and self-defence in preparation for a day like this from their ill-fated father (Syed Tanveer Hussain). (Opening titles explain that land disputes such as this are relatively common in Pakistan and often victimise single women who have inherited property.) Lithe but steely-gazed Suhaee Abro...
- 9/15/2017
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
MaryAnn’s quick take… Behold a modern-day feminist western set in deeply patriarchal Pakistan. Stark and spare, with a heroine full of mean grace, it’s even a true story. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for stories about women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Just today announced as Britain’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film for the upcoming Oscars, My Pure Land — it’s in Urdu, the official language of Pakistan — is a marvel all around. Shot guerilla-style in a rural region outside Lahore (and set in the province of Sindh), where heavily armed civilians make up their own private militias and outsiders are not generally welcomed except as potential kidnap victims to be ransomed — so, you know, potentially problematic for visiting filmmakers — this is a retelling of a true story about a woman who...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Just today announced as Britain’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film for the upcoming Oscars, My Pure Land — it’s in Urdu, the official language of Pakistan — is a marvel all around. Shot guerilla-style in a rural region outside Lahore (and set in the province of Sindh), where heavily armed civilians make up their own private militias and outsiders are not generally welcomed except as potential kidnap victims to be ransomed — so, you know, potentially problematic for visiting filmmakers — this is a retelling of a true story about a woman who...
- 9/14/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
The United Kingdom has picked My Pure Land, an Urdu-language feature from first-time director Sarmad Masud, to be its contender for the 2018 Oscars in the foreign language category.
This marks the first time Britain has submitted an Urdu-language title to be its Oscar hopeful. The U.K. has only twice been nominated in the foreign language category: in 1993 for Paul Turner's Hedd Wyn and in 1999 with Paul Morrison's Solomon and Gaenor, both films shot in the Welsh language. The United Kingdom has yet to win a foreign language Oscar.
Masud's drama, described as a “feminist Western” is based...
This marks the first time Britain has submitted an Urdu-language title to be its Oscar hopeful. The U.K. has only twice been nominated in the foreign language category: in 1993 for Paul Turner's Hedd Wyn and in 1999 with Paul Morrison's Solomon and Gaenor, both films shot in the Welsh language. The United Kingdom has yet to win a foreign language Oscar.
Masud's drama, described as a “feminist Western” is based...
- 9/14/2017
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
My Pure Land
The UK today revealed its submission for Best Foreign Language Film consideration at the 2018 Oscars. Sarmad Masud's My Pure Land is the first Urdu language film ever to be put forward by the UK in this category.
The film, which is based on a true story, sees a mother and her two daughters defending their remote rural home from bandits and ultimately taking on a gang of 200 armed men. The production itself was a risky one, with the UK citizens involved facing a high risk of kidnap and ransom in the areas where they were filming, and with an extra actually opening fire on set, though fortunately no-one was hurt.
Masud, for whom this is a first feature, has previously attracted notice for shorts Two Dosas and Adha Cup....
The UK today revealed its submission for Best Foreign Language Film consideration at the 2018 Oscars. Sarmad Masud's My Pure Land is the first Urdu language film ever to be put forward by the UK in this category.
The film, which is based on a true story, sees a mother and her two daughters defending their remote rural home from bandits and ultimately taking on a gang of 200 armed men. The production itself was a risky one, with the UK citizens involved facing a high risk of kidnap and ransom in the areas where they were filming, and with an extra actually opening fire on set, though fortunately no-one was hurt.
Masud, for whom this is a first feature, has previously attracted notice for shorts Two Dosas and Adha Cup....
- 9/14/2017
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The British Pakistani film-maker on how he brought a local legend to the big screen, despite a tiny budget and a difficult shoot
Nazo Dharejo had barely mastered the alphabet when her father, Haji Khuda Buksh, first showed her how to load a gun. The kalashnikov would be kept on the wall, hung above the living quarters of the family’s two-storey home, where she grew up with her two sisters, and their older brother Sikander in rural Sindh, Pakistan. They were comfortable, but not extravagantly well off; Khuda Buksh worked as a farmer and had inherited a few dozen acres of land from his own father. His wife, Waderi Jamzadi, raised their children and, once the girls left school, aged seven, taught them what she could at home.
The girls were moulded to be tough and resilient. Their father would dress them in trousers and shirts – “boy’s clothes” – instead of more feminine,...
Nazo Dharejo had barely mastered the alphabet when her father, Haji Khuda Buksh, first showed her how to load a gun. The kalashnikov would be kept on the wall, hung above the living quarters of the family’s two-storey home, where she grew up with her two sisters, and their older brother Sikander in rural Sindh, Pakistan. They were comfortable, but not extravagantly well off; Khuda Buksh worked as a farmer and had inherited a few dozen acres of land from his own father. His wife, Waderi Jamzadi, raised their children and, once the girls left school, aged seven, taught them what she could at home.
The girls were moulded to be tough and resilient. Their father would dress them in trousers and shirts – “boy’s clothes” – instead of more feminine,...
- 9/7/2017
- by Nosheen Iqbal
- The Guardian - Film News
Highlights include the UK premiere of Cars 3 and 17 world premieres.Scroll Down For Competition Titles
The line-up for the 71st Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been unveiled this morning by artistic director Mark Adams.
This year’s Eiff (June 21-2 July) will comprise a total 151 features from 46 countries including 17 world premieres, 12 international premieres, 9 European premieres and 69 UK premieres.
Highlights include the UK Premiere of Disney-Pixar’s animation Cars 3, appearances from Stanley Tucci, Oliver Stone and Kevin Bacon and the Opening and Closing Gala premieres of the previously announced God’s Own Country and England Is Mine.
There will also be a special screening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark accompanied by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performing the score live.
Best of British
The Best of British strand includes Bryn Higgins’ Access All Areas featuring Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens; Simon Hunter’s Edie starring Sheila Hancock; the Donmar Warehouse’s all-female adaptation of [link...
The line-up for the 71st Edinburgh International Film Festival (Eiff) has been unveiled this morning by artistic director Mark Adams.
This year’s Eiff (June 21-2 July) will comprise a total 151 features from 46 countries including 17 world premieres, 12 international premieres, 9 European premieres and 69 UK premieres.
Highlights include the UK Premiere of Disney-Pixar’s animation Cars 3, appearances from Stanley Tucci, Oliver Stone and Kevin Bacon and the Opening and Closing Gala premieres of the previously announced God’s Own Country and England Is Mine.
There will also be a special screening of Raiders Of The Lost Ark accompanied by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra performing the score live.
Best of British
The Best of British strand includes Bryn Higgins’ Access All Areas featuring Rizzle Kicks’ Jordan Stephens; Simon Hunter’s Edie starring Sheila Hancock; the Donmar Warehouse’s all-female adaptation of [link...
- 5/31/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Independent boards doc about the life and career of acting legend Ian McKellen.
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
London-based sales and production outfit Independent has boarded feature documentary McKellen: Playing The Part and will introduce the title to buyers at Cannes.
Watch an exclusive first clip below, or click here to watch on mobile.
Joe Stephenson (Chicken) is directing the feature about the life of revered English actor Ian McKellen, whose career has spanned nearly 50 years and has seen him Oscar nominated for roles in Gods And Monsters and The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.
The film, which is based around an exclusive 14-hour interview with McKellen, will also feature archive material of the actor’s early work, and never-before-seen photography from McKellen’s private collection.
English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel has written music for the film, which also features the likes of Luke Evans, Frances Barber, Adam Brown, Scott Chambers, Milo Parker and [link...
- 4/28/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
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