If the best revenge is living well, it is a truism that has not yet taken root for Hamid (a riveting Adam Bessa), the dark, scarred heart of Jonathan Millet’s brooding, gripping “Ghost Trail.” Outside his soon-to-be-revealed mission, Hamid barely has a life at all, placing him firmly in the genre tradition of the taciturn, traumatized hero whose obsessive pursuit of his quarry leaves little room for anything beyond the constant, careful stoking of his rage, grief and survivor’s guilt. Millet’s expertly tooled movie is far from the first to derive its moral stakes from the desire to find some measure of redress for the victims and survivors of political violence, but it is among the best to also crossbreed this familiar archetype with the urgency and topicality of the Syrian refugee crisis.
Even while the screen is still black as the opening credits unfurl, the narrative...
Even while the screen is still black as the opening credits unfurl, the narrative...
- 5/17/2024
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
The wars in Gaza and Ukraine have dominated headlines for the past several years, yet receiving relatively little coverage today is the Syrian civil war, sparked in the wake of 2011’s Arab Spring. It is yet ongoing and stands now at an uneasy stalemate. Over a decade of fighting, horrifying humanitarian and war-time crimes were committed; all the while 13 million Syrians were displaced from their homes. These refugees, lost in foreign countries offering asylum, are still looking for answers and perhaps a reckoning and retribution. Director Jonathan Millet’s debut narrative feature Ghost Trail dives deep into one survivor’s psyche and lays bare the cost of a conflict from which the world seems to have moved on.
In Strasbourg, France, mild-mannered asylum-seeker Hamid (Adam Bessa) is doing odd jobs, moving in Syrian exile circles, looking for a man who he says is his cousin lost during the war. Occasionally...
In Strasbourg, France, mild-mannered asylum-seeker Hamid (Adam Bessa) is doing odd jobs, moving in Syrian exile circles, looking for a man who he says is his cousin lost during the war. Occasionally...
- 5/15/2024
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Film Stage
When he won the Un Certain Regard jury’s joint Best Actor prize for Harka in 2022, Adam Bessa wasn’t onstage to accept it. He’d figured he didn’t stand a chance, so he’d gone fishing in Marseille instead and was struggling with a seabass when the call came. He laughs. “‘You have to come back,’ they said. I was like, ‘Nah. I’m in the middle of nowhere right now, I can’t.’ So, I made a little video instead.”
Adam Bessa
This year, Bessa is back in Cannes with Critics’ Week opener Ghost Trail by Jonathan Millet. “It’s the story of a Syrian intellectual who was jailed during the civil war in Syria and now he’s chasing the man who tortured him. It’s based on a true story, about these guys who escaped from prison and tried to create a secret militia, a secret spy group.
Adam Bessa
This year, Bessa is back in Cannes with Critics’ Week opener Ghost Trail by Jonathan Millet. “It’s the story of a Syrian intellectual who was jailed during the civil war in Syria and now he’s chasing the man who tortured him. It’s based on a true story, about these guys who escaped from prison and tried to create a secret militia, a secret spy group.
- 5/14/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
French director Jonathan Millet riffs on manhunt tropes in “Ghost Trail,” the psychological thriller that will be the Cannes Critics’ Week opener.
Variety has been given an exclusive first-look clip from the film, which is inspired by real-life events.
“Ghost Trail” is the story of a Syrian man named Hamid who is part of a secret group pursuing fugitive leaders that perpetrated horrors in the name of the Syrian regime during the country’s civil war.
His mission takes him to France, on the trail of his former torturer. And he manages to tracks him down, as it appears from the clip.
“But with his judgment clouded by pressure, doubt and revenge, can he be certain of the righteousness of his own actions?” the synopsis reads.
Millet, who previously co-directed doc “Ceuta, Douce Prison” – about five migrants who leave their lands to try their luck in Europe and end up...
Variety has been given an exclusive first-look clip from the film, which is inspired by real-life events.
“Ghost Trail” is the story of a Syrian man named Hamid who is part of a secret group pursuing fugitive leaders that perpetrated horrors in the name of the Syrian regime during the country’s civil war.
His mission takes him to France, on the trail of his former torturer. And he manages to tracks him down, as it appears from the clip.
“But with his judgment clouded by pressure, doubt and revenge, can he be certain of the righteousness of his own actions?” the synopsis reads.
Millet, who previously co-directed doc “Ceuta, Douce Prison” – about five migrants who leave their lands to try their luck in Europe and end up...
- 5/8/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Nicolas Cage, FKA twigs, Noah Jupe and Souheila Yacoub are set to star in Egyptian-American director Lotfy Nathan’s The Carpenter’s Son exploring the rarely told story of the childhood of Jesus with a horror take.
Paris-based Cinenovo and L.A.-based Spacemaker are producing. Goodfellas is overseeing international sales apart from in North America, which it will co-rep with Anonymous Content and WME.
Nathan has taken inspiration from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas for the screenplay. Dating back to the 2nd Century Ad, the text recounts the childhood of Jesus.
Per the official synopsis, “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power,...
Paris-based Cinenovo and L.A.-based Spacemaker are producing. Goodfellas is overseeing international sales apart from in North America, which it will co-rep with Anonymous Content and WME.
Nathan has taken inspiration from the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas for the screenplay. Dating back to the 2nd Century Ad, the text recounts the childhood of Jesus.
Per the official synopsis, “The Carpenter’s Son tells the dark story of a family hiding out in Roman Egypt. The son, known only as ‘the Boy’, is driven to doubt by another mysterious child and rebels against his guardian, the Carpenter, revealing inherent powers and a fate beyond his comprehension. As he exercises his own power,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Arab distributor Mad Solutions has taken distribution rights for Arab world territories on French director Jonathan Millet’s “Ghost Trail,” ahead of the psychological thriller’s upcoming world premiere as the opening film of Cannes Critics’ Week.
“Ghost Trail” is being sold by French arthouse production and distribution giant MK2.
Inspired by real-life events, “Ghost Trail” is the story of a Syrian man named Hamid who is part of a secret group pursuing fugitive leaders who perpetrated horrors in the name of the Syrian regime during the country’s civil war.
“His mission takes him to France, on the trail of his former torturer whom he must confront. But with his judgment clouded by pressure, doubt and revenge, can he be certain of the righteousness of his own actions?” the provided synopsis reads.
Cannes Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen has described “Ghost Trail” as a “thrilling sensory film in...
“Ghost Trail” is being sold by French arthouse production and distribution giant MK2.
Inspired by real-life events, “Ghost Trail” is the story of a Syrian man named Hamid who is part of a secret group pursuing fugitive leaders who perpetrated horrors in the name of the Syrian regime during the country’s civil war.
“His mission takes him to France, on the trail of his former torturer whom he must confront. But with his judgment clouded by pressure, doubt and revenge, can he be certain of the righteousness of his own actions?” the provided synopsis reads.
Cannes Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen has described “Ghost Trail” as a “thrilling sensory film in...
- 4/19/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes Critics’ Week, spotlighting first and second features, has unveiled the competition and special screenings selection for its 63rd edition running May 15-23.
Scroll down for full list of titles
Artistic director Ava Cahen, now in her third year in the position, announced the selection of 11 features chosen from 1,050 films screened. Seven films will vie for four top prizes in competition, chosen by a jury led by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Nine are first films that will vie for the Camera d’Or and three are directed or co-directed by women.
The sidebar will open with French director Jonathan Millet...
Scroll down for full list of titles
Artistic director Ava Cahen, now in her third year in the position, announced the selection of 11 features chosen from 1,050 films screened. Seven films will vie for four top prizes in competition, chosen by a jury led by Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Nine are first films that will vie for the Camera d’Or and three are directed or co-directed by women.
The sidebar will open with French director Jonathan Millet...
- 4/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Cannes Critics’ Week championing work by emerging filmmakers has unveiled the line-up for its 63rd edition running from May 15 to 23.
The traditionally compact parallel selection will showcase 11 features, seven in competition, as well as 13 short films, selected from 1,050 features and 2,150 short films. (scroll down for full list)
The 2024 edition marks Artistic Director Ava Cahen’s third at the helm, with buzzy discoveries under her directorship to date including Tiger Stripes, The Rapture, Aftersun and Love According To Dalva.
Opening and closing films
French director Jonathan Millet’s psychological manhunt thriller Ghost Trail (Les Fantômes) will open the section. It marks his first feature after half a dozen shorts including Tell Me About The Stars.
Adam Bessa, who won the Un Certain Regard prize for his performance in Harka in 2022, stars as a man in pursuit of his former torturer. He never saw his oppressor’s face, but knows his smell,...
The traditionally compact parallel selection will showcase 11 features, seven in competition, as well as 13 short films, selected from 1,050 features and 2,150 short films. (scroll down for full list)
The 2024 edition marks Artistic Director Ava Cahen’s third at the helm, with buzzy discoveries under her directorship to date including Tiger Stripes, The Rapture, Aftersun and Love According To Dalva.
Opening and closing films
French director Jonathan Millet’s psychological manhunt thriller Ghost Trail (Les Fantômes) will open the section. It marks his first feature after half a dozen shorts including Tell Me About The Stars.
Adam Bessa, who won the Un Certain Regard prize for his performance in Harka in 2022, stars as a man in pursuit of his former torturer. He never saw his oppressor’s face, but knows his smell,...
- 4/15/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Kaouther Ben Hania will make history for her native Tunisia on Sunday with its first Academy Award if her hotly tipped nominated work Four Daughters triumphs in the Best Documentary category on Sunday.
The director belongs to a generation of Tunisian filmmakers who emerged in the wake of their country’s so-called Jasmine Revolution, which ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in early 2011.
Habib Attia, who is one of the original producers on Four Daughters, has been an integral part of this movement too.
The Tunis-based producer has cinema in his blood as the son of late producer Ahmed Bahaeddine Attia, whose credits included Moufida Tlatli’s 1994 breakout The Silences of the Palace, starring Tunisian-Egyptian star Hend Sabry in her first major big screen role.
On finishing his high school studies, Attia headed to his mother’s native Italy to study engineering in Milan, rather than immediately following in his father’s footsteps.
The director belongs to a generation of Tunisian filmmakers who emerged in the wake of their country’s so-called Jasmine Revolution, which ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in early 2011.
Habib Attia, who is one of the original producers on Four Daughters, has been an integral part of this movement too.
The Tunis-based producer has cinema in his blood as the son of late producer Ahmed Bahaeddine Attia, whose credits included Moufida Tlatli’s 1994 breakout The Silences of the Palace, starring Tunisian-Egyptian star Hend Sabry in her first major big screen role.
On finishing his high school studies, Attia headed to his mother’s native Italy to study engineering in Milan, rather than immediately following in his father’s footsteps.
- 3/10/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Both features will form part of Paris-based mk2 films’ line-up at Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous in Paris event this week.
mk2 films, the sales outfit behind Anatomy Of A Fall and How To Have Sex, has acquired Jonathan Millet’s thriller Ghost Trail and Laetitia Dosch’s high-concept comedy Who Let the Dog Bite? ahead of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema that opens tomorrow in Paris.
Inspired by real-life events, Ghost Trail is about a Syrian man pursuing some of the people who perpetrated horrors in the name of the regime during the civil war. His mission takes him to France...
mk2 films, the sales outfit behind Anatomy Of A Fall and How To Have Sex, has acquired Jonathan Millet’s thriller Ghost Trail and Laetitia Dosch’s high-concept comedy Who Let the Dog Bite? ahead of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema that opens tomorrow in Paris.
Inspired by real-life events, Ghost Trail is about a Syrian man pursuing some of the people who perpetrated horrors in the name of the regime during the civil war. His mission takes him to France...
- 1/15/2024
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
The initiative celebrates Arab talent and highlights the hottest up-and-coming actors, writers and directors from the region.
Screen International has unveiled the five emerging Middle East and North Africa talents in the fields of acting and directing selected for the seventh edition of Arab Stars Of Tomorrow.
This year’s line-up comprises Adwa Bader, the actress and poet from Saudi Arabia; Jordan’s Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha, director; Egyptian writer and director Morad Mostafa; Palestinian actor Muhammad Abed El Rahman; and fellow Jordanian actress Noor Taher.
The initiative celebrates Arab talent and highlights the hottest up-and-coming actors, writers and directors who...
Screen International has unveiled the five emerging Middle East and North Africa talents in the fields of acting and directing selected for the seventh edition of Arab Stars Of Tomorrow.
This year’s line-up comprises Adwa Bader, the actress and poet from Saudi Arabia; Jordan’s Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha, director; Egyptian writer and director Morad Mostafa; Palestinian actor Muhammad Abed El Rahman; and fellow Jordanian actress Noor Taher.
The initiative celebrates Arab talent and highlights the hottest up-and-coming actors, writers and directors who...
- 12/1/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
This year’s selection of five rising talents will be unveiled on Friday, December 1
The seventh edition of Screen International’s talent-spotting initiative Arab Stars of Tomorrow will once again launch at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival (November 30-December 9).
This year’s selection of five rising talents will be unveiled on Friday, December 1 in Screen’s second Red Sea print daily and on Screendaily.com.
On Saturday, December 2 the stars will take part in a panel discussion at 2pm Ast at the festival hosted by Screen, following a breakfast reception
Arab Stars of Tomorrow celebrates Arab talent...
The seventh edition of Screen International’s talent-spotting initiative Arab Stars of Tomorrow will once again launch at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival (November 30-December 9).
This year’s selection of five rising talents will be unveiled on Friday, December 1 in Screen’s second Red Sea print daily and on Screendaily.com.
On Saturday, December 2 the stars will take part in a panel discussion at 2pm Ast at the festival hosted by Screen, following a breakfast reception
Arab Stars of Tomorrow celebrates Arab talent...
- 11/28/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
After a three-year hiatus, the Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival is returning with a larger lineup and an expanded focus on South Asian cinema.
The festival will feature 250 films including 40 world premieres, 45 Asia premieres and 70 South Asia Premieres. The opening and closing films have not been finalized yet.
The festival’s new vision is to become a hub for South Asian and South Asian diaspora cinema and talent and, in keeping with this, the main competition is for 14 films from the region. These include the world premieres of Leesa Gazi’s “A House Named Shahana” (Bangladesh-u.K.), Dibakar Das Roy’s “Dilli Dark” (India), Sumanth Bhat’s “Mithya” (India) and Fazil Razak’s “The Sentence” (India). The new focus will also include 46 non-competition films from South Asia.
The Icons South Asia strand features Anand Patwardhan’s Toronto title “The World is Family”; “Indi(r)a’s Emergency” by Vikramaditya Motwane...
The festival will feature 250 films including 40 world premieres, 45 Asia premieres and 70 South Asia Premieres. The opening and closing films have not been finalized yet.
The festival’s new vision is to become a hub for South Asian and South Asian diaspora cinema and talent and, in keeping with this, the main competition is for 14 films from the region. These include the world premieres of Leesa Gazi’s “A House Named Shahana” (Bangladesh-u.K.), Dibakar Das Roy’s “Dilli Dark” (India), Sumanth Bhat’s “Mithya” (India) and Fazil Razak’s “The Sentence” (India). The new focus will also include 46 non-competition films from South Asia.
The Icons South Asia strand features Anand Patwardhan’s Toronto title “The World is Family”; “Indi(r)a’s Emergency” by Vikramaditya Motwane...
- 10/9/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Hanging Gardens Hanging Gardens has been named best film at the 7th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which were presented at Cannes Film Festival.
The Iraq-set film directed by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji tells the story of a young boy who finds a sex doll on a rubbish dump on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The awards are run by the Arab Cinema Centre and were voted on by 193 film critics from 72 countries.
Lubna Azabal won the best actress award for her role in Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan, which led the nominations and which also picked up the awards for best screenplay for Touzani and cinematography for Virginie Surdej.
The best directing and editing awards went to Youssef Chebbi and Valentin Féron respectively for Tunisian thriller Ashkal.
Adam Bessa, was named best actor for Harka. The best documentary went to Jumana Manna for Foragers, which considers the conflict over foraged food.
The Iraq-set film directed by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji tells the story of a young boy who finds a sex doll on a rubbish dump on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The awards are run by the Arab Cinema Centre and were voted on by 193 film critics from 72 countries.
Lubna Azabal won the best actress award for her role in Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan, which led the nominations and which also picked up the awards for best screenplay for Touzani and cinematography for Virginie Surdej.
The best directing and editing awards went to Youssef Chebbi and Valentin Féron respectively for Tunisian thriller Ashkal.
Adam Bessa, was named best actor for Harka. The best documentary went to Jumana Manna for Foragers, which considers the conflict over foraged food.
- 5/26/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Morocco’s ‘The Blue Caftan’ wins a hat-trick of awards.
Iraq director Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji’s Hanging Gardens has been named best film at the 7th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which will celebrate its winners in Cannes today.
Al Daradji’s directorial feature debut premiered at Venice and went on to win best film at the Red Sea International Film Festival in December. The film follows a 12-year-old boy living as a rubbish picker in the dumps of Baghdad, nicknamed the ‘hanging gardens’, who finds a discarded US sex doll. True Colours handles sales.
This year’s edition of the awards,...
Iraq director Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji’s Hanging Gardens has been named best film at the 7th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which will celebrate its winners in Cannes today.
Al Daradji’s directorial feature debut premiered at Venice and went on to win best film at the Red Sea International Film Festival in December. The film follows a 12-year-old boy living as a rubbish picker in the dumps of Baghdad, nicknamed the ‘hanging gardens’, who finds a discarded US sex doll. True Colours handles sales.
This year’s edition of the awards,...
- 5/20/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Oscar nominee Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don’t Cry), European Film Awards best actor winner Claes Bang (The Square), Sundance 2022 breakout Lily McInerny (Palm Trees and Power Lines) and French actress Nailia Harzoune (Gone For Good) are leading an English-language contemporary adaptation of French writer Françoise Sagan’s classic novel Bonjour Tristesse.
London and Paris-based outfit Film Constellation is launching sales in Cannes on the project written and to be directed by newcomer Durga Chew-Bose. UTA Independent Film Group is repping domestic sales alongside Film Constellation and Elevation Pictures.
The story follows Cécile (McInerny), a young woman spending the summer in a villa in the south of France with her widowed father Raymond (Bang) and his latest love interest, Elsa (Harzoune). Theirs is a lived-in compatibility—a world of ease and languor. But all that soon changes with the arrival of Anne (Sevigny), an old friend of Raymond and Cécile’s mother.
London and Paris-based outfit Film Constellation is launching sales in Cannes on the project written and to be directed by newcomer Durga Chew-Bose. UTA Independent Film Group is repping domestic sales alongside Film Constellation and Elevation Pictures.
The story follows Cécile (McInerny), a young woman spending the summer in a villa in the south of France with her widowed father Raymond (Bang) and his latest love interest, Elsa (Harzoune). Theirs is a lived-in compatibility—a world of ease and languor. But all that soon changes with the arrival of Anne (Sevigny), an old friend of Raymond and Cécile’s mother.
- 5/16/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Blue Caftan by Moroccan director and Cannes 2023 Jury member Maryam Touzani has topped the nominations in the seventh edition of the Critics Awards for Arab Films.
The portrait of marriage and stifled sexuality, starring Saleh Bakri and Lubna Azabal has been nominated in seven categories including best film, actor, actress, director, screenplay, cinematography and music.
The film world premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2022 and went on to be Morocco’s best international film submission for the 2023 Academy Awards making it as far as the first long list.
The Critics Awards for Arab Films are overseen by the Arab Cinema Centre and judged by 193 critics from 72 countries. The winners will be announced at a ceremony during Cannes.
To qualify for consideration, films need to have premiered at international film festivals outside of the Arab world in 2022; involve at least one Arab world production company, and be feature-length.
Other...
The portrait of marriage and stifled sexuality, starring Saleh Bakri and Lubna Azabal has been nominated in seven categories including best film, actor, actress, director, screenplay, cinematography and music.
The film world premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2022 and went on to be Morocco’s best international film submission for the 2023 Academy Awards making it as far as the first long list.
The Critics Awards for Arab Films are overseen by the Arab Cinema Centre and judged by 193 critics from 72 countries. The winners will be announced at a ceremony during Cannes.
To qualify for consideration, films need to have premiered at international film festivals outside of the Arab world in 2022; involve at least one Arab world production company, and be feature-length.
Other...
- 5/12/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Return To Seoul’, ‘Pamfir’ also in cinemas.
Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) title Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in 705 cinemas this weekend, and will look to continue the increase in takings from the first to the second film.
The third standalone Guardians film sees Peter Quill rally his team to defend the universe, in a mission that could mean the end of the group.
Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff all return with Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Maria Bakalova in voice roles, with Screen Star of Tomorrow 2013 Will Poulter new to the cast as Adam Warlock,...
Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) title Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 opens in 705 cinemas this weekend, and will look to continue the increase in takings from the first to the second film.
The third standalone Guardians film sees Peter Quill rally his team to defend the universe, in a mission that could mean the end of the group.
Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista and Pom Klementieff all return with Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and Maria Bakalova in voice roles, with Screen Star of Tomorrow 2013 Will Poulter new to the cast as Adam Warlock,...
- 5/5/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Adam Bessa's career continues to impress with his latest film Harka - which is released in the UK tomorrow (May 5). The French-Tunisian star received critical plaudits for Sofia Djama's Algeria-set drama The Blessed and his multilingual skills saw him go on to reach wider audiences with Matthew Michael Carnahan's Mosul and Netflix's Extraction - the sequel to which will air later this year. In the past year, he's been garnering awards heat for his intense central performance in Lotfy Nathan's Harka, winning the Best Actor award in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes and at the Red Sea Film Festival.
He plays Ali, a Tunisian scraping by as part of the illegal gasoline trade whose dreams of escaping the country for a better life are scuppered after he finds himself trying to look after his...
He plays Ali, a Tunisian scraping by as part of the illegal gasoline trade whose dreams of escaping the country for a better life are scuppered after he finds himself trying to look after his...
- 5/4/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ruled the U.K. and Ireland box office collecting £3.06 million ($3.8 million) in its fourth weekend for a total of £45.7 million, per numbers from Comscore.
In its second weekend, Studiocanal’s “Evil Dead Rise” earned £1.05 million in second place for a total of £3.3 million.
There were a couple of strong debuts in the top five. eOne’s “The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry” bowed in third place with £784,698, while Dg Tech’s Tamil-language magnum opus “Ponniyin Selvan: 2,” also released in the Telugu and Hindi languages, debuted in fourth position with £618,244. Rounding off the top five, in its fifth weekend, was eOne’s “Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” with £575,796.
The other debut in the top 10 was Universal’s “Polite Society,” which bowed in ninth place with £220,278.
Mubi’s “One Fine Morning” added £21,671 and now has a total of £239,856.
Among the upcoming releases, the biggest...
In its second weekend, Studiocanal’s “Evil Dead Rise” earned £1.05 million in second place for a total of £3.3 million.
There were a couple of strong debuts in the top five. eOne’s “The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry” bowed in third place with £784,698, while Dg Tech’s Tamil-language magnum opus “Ponniyin Selvan: 2,” also released in the Telugu and Hindi languages, debuted in fourth position with £618,244. Rounding off the top five, in its fifth weekend, was eOne’s “Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” with £575,796.
The other debut in the top 10 was Universal’s “Polite Society,” which bowed in ninth place with £220,278.
Mubi’s “One Fine Morning” added £21,671 and now has a total of £239,856.
Among the upcoming releases, the biggest...
- 5/2/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Lotfy Nathan's Tunisian-set drama Harka arrives in cinemas this week after a strong festival run since last year's Cannes and with a raft of awards under its belt. Its star Adam Bessa was named best actor in the French festival's Un Certain Regard section for an intense central performance, that has gone on to win additional accolades elsewhere. He plays Ali - a character inspired by the real life tragedy of Mohamed Bouazizi - who sells illegal gasoline to make ends meet. Nathan's tale follows Ali as he finds himself trying to take care of his younger sisters Alyssa (Salima Maatoug) and Sarra (Ikbal Harbi) following the death of his father while facing an increasing amount of social injustice. We caught up with Nathan to talk about the inspiration for the film and the...
- 5/2/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Studio Soho has debuted a new trailer for Lotfy Nathan’s feature directorial debut ‘Harka.’
A modern-day parable about resistance, the film centres on the story of Ali, a young Tunisian who dreams of a better life, making a precarious living selling contraband gas at the local black market. When his father suddenly dies, he’s forced to take charge of his two younger sisters and their impending eviction. What ensues is a fight for dignity. The voice of a generation still trying to be heard 10 years after the Arab Spring.
Directed by Lotfy Nathan, the film received critical acclaim following a wide festival run including Cannes. Adam Bessa stars.
Also in trailers – Teaser flies in for season 2 of AppleTV+ docu-series ‘Prehistoric Planet’
The film hits cinemas on May 5th.
The post Trailer lands for ‘Harka’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
A modern-day parable about resistance, the film centres on the story of Ali, a young Tunisian who dreams of a better life, making a precarious living selling contraband gas at the local black market. When his father suddenly dies, he’s forced to take charge of his two younger sisters and their impending eviction. What ensues is a fight for dignity. The voice of a generation still trying to be heard 10 years after the Arab Spring.
Directed by Lotfy Nathan, the film received critical acclaim following a wide festival run including Cannes. Adam Bessa stars.
Also in trailers – Teaser flies in for season 2 of AppleTV+ docu-series ‘Prehistoric Planet’
The film hits cinemas on May 5th.
The post Trailer lands for ‘Harka’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 4/20/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exclusive: Anonymous Content is elevating longtime literary managers and producers Ryan Cunningham, David Kanter and Nicole Romano to partner.
Cunningham joined Anonymous Content in 2019 from Madhouse Entertainment where he had been a manager and producer for a decade. On the management side, his clients include filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (65), Derek Tsang (The Three Body Problem), Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei (How to Blow Up a Pipeline); showrunners and writers Steven DeKnight (Spartacus), Jewel Coronel (The Chi), Seamus Fahey (Walker: Independence) and Sonya Winton & Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Neil Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), and Ben Queen (The Addams Family 2). Cunningham most recently produced the Sky/Relativity feature The Independent, and executive-produced Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman, which will be released in June by 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Kanter is a producer and manager at Anonymous...
Cunningham joined Anonymous Content in 2019 from Madhouse Entertainment where he had been a manager and producer for a decade. On the management side, his clients include filmmakers Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (65), Derek Tsang (The Three Body Problem), Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei (How to Blow Up a Pipeline); showrunners and writers Steven DeKnight (Spartacus), Jewel Coronel (The Chi), Seamus Fahey (Walker: Independence) and Sonya Winton & Jonathan Kidd (Lovecraft Country), Darnell Metayer and Josh Peters (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Neil Uliano and Bryan Schulz (The Peanuts Movie), and Ben Queen (The Addams Family 2). Cunningham most recently produced the Sky/Relativity feature The Independent, and executive-produced Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman, which will be released in June by 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Kanter is a producer and manager at Anonymous...
- 4/12/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Film Constellation secures further deals on Georgia Oakley’s feature debut.
Georgia Oakley’s UK feature Blue Jean has secured major sales deals for Film Constellation, after its award-winning debut at Venice Film Festival this month.
The film has been acquired for France (UFO), Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Salzgeber), Spain (Filmin), Australia & New Zealand (Madman), Benelux (Cineart), Latin America (Synapse) and Taiwan (Filmware).
Further territories including Italy and Scandinavia are currently in negotiation; Film Constellation has previously secured deals with Magnolia Pictures for North America, and Altitude for UK-Ireland.
Blue Jean premiered in the Giornate deglie Autori sidebar at Venice,...
Georgia Oakley’s UK feature Blue Jean has secured major sales deals for Film Constellation, after its award-winning debut at Venice Film Festival this month.
The film has been acquired for France (UFO), Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Salzgeber), Spain (Filmin), Australia & New Zealand (Madman), Benelux (Cineart), Latin America (Synapse) and Taiwan (Filmware).
Further territories including Italy and Scandinavia are currently in negotiation; Film Constellation has previously secured deals with Magnolia Pictures for North America, and Altitude for UK-Ireland.
Blue Jean premiered in the Giornate deglie Autori sidebar at Venice,...
- 9/21/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Production, finance and sales company Film Constellation has boarded sales on the upcoming romantic thriller “Haunted Heart” by Academy Award winning director Fernando Trueba.
The film stars Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon (“The House That Jack Built”), Goya-nominated Aida Folch (“The Artist and the Model”), and Juan Pablo Urrego (“Memoria”). The English-language film is set to start shooting in Greece in September.
The film is set on a beautiful remote island in Greece, where young and spirited Alex joins the team of a boutique seaside restaurant as their new waitress. Despite her femme-fatale charm quickly winning the heart of the charismatic Enrico, she instead falls for the enigmatic restaurant manager Max, a reclusive American, who settled on the island decades ago.
As the seasons pass, sexual tensions rise, and tourists come and go, Enrico begins to unearth disturbing clues about Max’s dark and mysterious past. Blinded by her feelings,...
The film stars Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon (“The House That Jack Built”), Goya-nominated Aida Folch (“The Artist and the Model”), and Juan Pablo Urrego (“Memoria”). The English-language film is set to start shooting in Greece in September.
The film is set on a beautiful remote island in Greece, where young and spirited Alex joins the team of a boutique seaside restaurant as their new waitress. Despite her femme-fatale charm quickly winning the heart of the charismatic Enrico, she instead falls for the enigmatic restaurant manager Max, a reclusive American, who settled on the island decades ago.
As the seasons pass, sexual tensions rise, and tourists come and go, Enrico begins to unearth disturbing clues about Max’s dark and mysterious past. Blinded by her feelings,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Film Constellation is handling world sales on the Sky Original title.
Principal photography has wrapped on James Marsh’s UK film Dance First which stars Irish actor Gabriel Byrne as Samuel Beckett.
The Sky Original film charts the Irish writer’s life, from his time as a fighter for the French Resistance during the Second World War to his literary rise to winning the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969.
The film will premiere in cinemas and on Sky Cinema in 2023.
Byrne, whose credits include The Usual Suspects and Miller’s Crossing, is joined in the cast by Aidan Gillen, Sandrine Bonnaire,...
Principal photography has wrapped on James Marsh’s UK film Dance First which stars Irish actor Gabriel Byrne as Samuel Beckett.
The Sky Original film charts the Irish writer’s life, from his time as a fighter for the French Resistance during the Second World War to his literary rise to winning the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969.
The film will premiere in cinemas and on Sky Cinema in 2023.
Byrne, whose credits include The Usual Suspects and Miller’s Crossing, is joined in the cast by Aidan Gillen, Sandrine Bonnaire,...
- 9/8/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Fresh off multiple rave reviews last night, we can reveal that Altitude has secured UK and Ireland distribution rights to writer-director Georgia Oakley’s buzzy Venice, Toronto and London Film Festival-bound drama Blue Jean from London and Paris-based Film Constellation.
Starring rising Brit actress Rosy McEwen (Vesper), the debut film will premiere tomorrow [Saturday September 3] in the Venice Days competition, before playing at Toronto and then getting its UK premiere at the London Film Festival where it will compete for the Sutherland Award for Directorial Debut.
The feature is set against the backdrop of late 1980s England with Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians. The climate forces Jean, a Pe teacher, to live a double life. As pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new girl at school catalyses a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core. Earlier this week we debuted first footage.
Starring rising Brit actress Rosy McEwen (Vesper), the debut film will premiere tomorrow [Saturday September 3] in the Venice Days competition, before playing at Toronto and then getting its UK premiere at the London Film Festival where it will compete for the Sutherland Award for Directorial Debut.
The feature is set against the backdrop of late 1980s England with Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians. The climate forces Jean, a Pe teacher, to live a double life. As pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new girl at school catalyses a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core. Earlier this week we debuted first footage.
- 9/2/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The 10 “audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals
Neil Maskell’s comedy Klokkenluider and Bill Pohlad’s musical biopic Dreamin’ Wild are among the line-up for the Toronto International Film Festival Industry Selects programme.
The 10 ”audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals during the festival and are available for worldwide acquisition.
Klokkenluider is the feature directing debut of UK filmmaker and actor Neil Maskell, best known for roles in Kill List and TV series Utopia. Tom Burke and Jenna Coleman star as a whistleblower and his wife who...
Neil Maskell’s comedy Klokkenluider and Bill Pohlad’s musical biopic Dreamin’ Wild are among the line-up for the Toronto International Film Festival Industry Selects programme.
The 10 ”audience friendly” films will be screened in-person to accredited buyers and industry professionals during the festival and are available for worldwide acquisition.
Klokkenluider is the feature directing debut of UK filmmaker and actor Neil Maskell, best known for roles in Kill List and TV series Utopia. Tom Burke and Jenna Coleman star as a whistleblower and his wife who...
- 8/23/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
The Toronto International Film Festival is set to test whether the indie cinema business has rebounded amid the pandemic by screening 10 movies, including Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild, for buyers outside of its official selection.
International buyers will get an exclusive look via the new TIFF Industry Selects program at Buscemi’s latest film that stars Tessa Thompson as a young helpline volunteer amid the Covid-19 crisis, supporting people during their darkest hours.
Toronto is also teeing up Focus Features’ Dreamin’ Wild, which stars Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in a musical biopic about the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild.
Other acquisition titles for industry eyes only at TIFF include Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, which stars Rosy McEwen...
The Toronto International Film Festival is set to test whether the indie cinema business has rebounded amid the pandemic by screening 10 movies, including Steve Buscemi’s The Listener and Bill Pohlad’s Dreamin’ Wild, for buyers outside of its official selection.
International buyers will get an exclusive look via the new TIFF Industry Selects program at Buscemi’s latest film that stars Tessa Thompson as a young helpline volunteer amid the Covid-19 crisis, supporting people during their darkest hours.
Toronto is also teeing up Focus Features’ Dreamin’ Wild, which stars Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in a musical biopic about the real-life story of musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson, whose family leveraged their farm in the 1970s to produce the brothers’ record Dreamin’ Wild.
Other acquisition titles for industry eyes only at TIFF include Georgia Oakley’s Blue Jean, which stars Rosy McEwen...
- 8/23/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One Un Certain Regard selected film (Lotfy Nathan‘s Harka), four films headed to Venice, one San Sebastián comp title in Laura Mora‘s highly anticipated Kings of the World, and four market premieres in Hilmar Oddsson‘s Driving Mum, Avan Jogia‘s Door Mouse, Neil Maskell‘s Klokkenluider and Kasia Rosłaniec‘s Salt Lake are the ten films selected for TIFF 2022 Industry Selects – a pandemic solution that will indeed carry over into “normal” times.…...
- 8/23/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Round of applause for the winners and the jury at the closing ceremony of Un Certain Regard in Cannes Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival With speculation reaching fever pitch in Cannes today ahead of tonight’s big awards ceremony including the revelation of the Palme d’Or winner, several of the festival’s sidebar selections have announced the winners.
In Un Certain Regard the top accolade has been awarded to The Worst Ones, a debut feature from female directing duo Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret. It follows a film crew seeking non-professional actors for a shoot in a working class French town. In a different register Vicky Krieps shared the best performance prize for her acting in Marie Kreutzer’s costume drama Corsage about the legend of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The co-winner was Adama Bessa for his impressive role in a Tunisia-set social drama Harka.
The jury prize...
In Un Certain Regard the top accolade has been awarded to The Worst Ones, a debut feature from female directing duo Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret. It follows a film crew seeking non-professional actors for a shoot in a working class French town. In a different register Vicky Krieps shared the best performance prize for her acting in Marie Kreutzer’s costume drama Corsage about the legend of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. The co-winner was Adama Bessa for his impressive role in a Tunisia-set social drama Harka.
The jury prize...
- 5/28/2022
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Other prize winners in the section include Joyland, Metronom and Mediterranean Fever.
The Worst Ones, from French directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Also awarded honours by the section’s jury were Joyland, Metronom and Mediterranean Fever.
The Worst Ones (Les Pires) is the debut feature from Akoka and Gueret, who also wrote the script with Elénore Gurrey. The story of a group of young people recruited for a film shoot, the film was produced by Frédéric Jouve and Marine Alaric for Les Films Velvet.
The Worst Ones, from French directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Also awarded honours by the section’s jury were Joyland, Metronom and Mediterranean Fever.
The Worst Ones (Les Pires) is the debut feature from Akoka and Gueret, who also wrote the script with Elénore Gurrey. The story of a group of young people recruited for a film shoot, the film was produced by Frédéric Jouve and Marine Alaric for Les Films Velvet.
- 5/27/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
“The Worst Ones” (“Les Pires”), a drama about four unruly French teenagers who are chosen to act in a film, has won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.
The film was chosen by a jury chaired by actress Valeria Golino and also including director Debra Granik, actors Joanna Kulig and Edgar Ramirez and actor-singer Benjamin Biolay. Acting prizes went to Vicky Krieps for “Corsage” and Adam Bessa for “Harka,” while the directing award went to Alexandru Belc for “Metronomes.”
Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland” won the Jury Prize, which made it runner-up to “The Worst Ones.”
The Un Certain Regard section, which is typically devoted to smaller, more daring films than those in the main competition, consisted of 20 movies this year. Other entries in the section included Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s “War Pony,” Davy Chou’s “Return to Seoul,” Maryam Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan,...
The film was chosen by a jury chaired by actress Valeria Golino and also including director Debra Granik, actors Joanna Kulig and Edgar Ramirez and actor-singer Benjamin Biolay. Acting prizes went to Vicky Krieps for “Corsage” and Adam Bessa for “Harka,” while the directing award went to Alexandru Belc for “Metronomes.”
Saim Sadiq’s “Joyland” won the Jury Prize, which made it runner-up to “The Worst Ones.”
The Un Certain Regard section, which is typically devoted to smaller, more daring films than those in the main competition, consisted of 20 movies this year. Other entries in the section included Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s “War Pony,” Davy Chou’s “Return to Seoul,” Maryam Touzani’s “The Blue Caftan,...
- 5/27/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
With the Cannes Film Festival wrapping up, the awards portion of the world’s most prestigious film festival is officially underway. While fans will have to wait until tomorrow to see the festival’s main jury award its top prizes, including the Palme d’Or, the winners in the Un Certain Regard category have been announced. Italian actress and director Valeria Golino oversaw the jury for Un Certain Regard, which runs parallel to the Main Competition and awards films with particularly unique styles or points of view. And even by the category’s bold standards, some of this year’s winners were likely surprising to the festival’s attendees.
“The Worst Ones,” Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s French movie about a film crew shooting in a working-class town, took the top prize, while “Joyland,” Saim Sadiq’s Pakistani transgender love story, won the Jury Prize. Alexandru Belc won Best Director for “Metronom,...
“The Worst Ones,” Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret’s French movie about a film crew shooting in a working-class town, took the top prize, while “Joyland,” Saim Sadiq’s Pakistani transgender love story, won the Jury Prize. Alexandru Belc won Best Director for “Metronom,...
- 5/27/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Predicting winners is always a fool’s errand in the Un Certain Regard section (the second-most prestigious competition of the Cannes Film Festival) and so it proved tonight, as the little-heralded French entry “The Worst Ones” (“Les Pires”), a debut feature from female directing duo Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, was handed the top prize by jury president Valeria Golino — one of four first films to be recognized at the ceremony.
A playful film-within-a-film about the challenges and perils of street casting — following a film crew seeking out local non-professional actors for a shoot in a working-class French town — “The Worst Ones” surged past a number of buzzier critical favorites and hot distribution prospects to claim the award.
It’s the second consecutive female-directed feature to be named best in show: last year’s Prix Un Certain Regard went to Russian director Kira Kovalenko’s gritty coming-of-age drama “Unclenching the Fists.
A playful film-within-a-film about the challenges and perils of street casting — following a film crew seeking out local non-professional actors for a shoot in a working-class French town — “The Worst Ones” surged past a number of buzzier critical favorites and hot distribution prospects to claim the award.
It’s the second consecutive female-directed feature to be named best in show: last year’s Prix Un Certain Regard went to Russian director Kira Kovalenko’s gritty coming-of-age drama “Unclenching the Fists.
- 5/27/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Film Constellation, the London-based company behind Cannes’ Un Certain Regard highlights “Joyland” and “Harka,” is set to ramp up its production pipeline with the launch of a dedicated banner in Paris and a raft of ambitious new projects.
Named Constellation Productions, the new outfit is on board to co-produce Oscar-nominated Quebecois director Jeremy Comte’s debut “Paradise” and Carmen Chaplin’s documentary feature “Charlie Chaplin: A Man of the World.”
Created by Fabien Westerhoff in 2016, Film Constellation kicked off its production activities two years ago and is now taking it to the next level to invest on more promising talents, as well as develop original projects. Edward Parodi, head of acquisitions at Film Constellation, will be working across acquisition and development for the sales and production outfits.
“The new production house is another step in that direction to develop original projects with historical talent relationships, and take an active part in international co-productions,...
Named Constellation Productions, the new outfit is on board to co-produce Oscar-nominated Quebecois director Jeremy Comte’s debut “Paradise” and Carmen Chaplin’s documentary feature “Charlie Chaplin: A Man of the World.”
Created by Fabien Westerhoff in 2016, Film Constellation kicked off its production activities two years ago and is now taking it to the next level to invest on more promising talents, as well as develop original projects. Edward Parodi, head of acquisitions at Film Constellation, will be working across acquisition and development for the sales and production outfits.
“The new production house is another step in that direction to develop original projects with historical talent relationships, and take an active part in international co-productions,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Qatar-based funder is adapting to needs of filmmakers, says CEO
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) is open to funding a wider range of filmmakers beyond its initial focus on first and second-time directors, according to CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi.
The Dfi pioneered financial support for emerging filmmakers in North Africa and the Middle East when it first launched in 2010. To date, more than 650 film projects from 74 countries have benefited from its funding.
The Dfi supports filmmakers through a bi-annual grants system as well as its Qumra incubator program.
It is the Middle East’s longest-serving film funding programme and aims...
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) is open to funding a wider range of filmmakers beyond its initial focus on first and second-time directors, according to CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi.
The Dfi pioneered financial support for emerging filmmakers in North Africa and the Middle East when it first launched in 2010. To date, more than 650 film projects from 74 countries have benefited from its funding.
The Dfi supports filmmakers through a bi-annual grants system as well as its Qumra incubator program.
It is the Middle East’s longest-serving film funding programme and aims...
- 5/24/2022
- by Alina Trabattoni
- ScreenDaily
Un Certain Regard films in latest round of grant recipients.
The latest round of Doha Film Institute (Dfi) grant recipients includes four films being showcased at Cannes this year.
They are Un Certain Regard titles Harka (Lofty Nathan), Plan 75, (Chie Hayakawa) and Return To Seoul (Davy Chou), and Cotton Queen (Suzannah Mirghani), selected for Cinefondation Atelier.
It has been revealed that 44 projects from 33 territories have been awarded Dfi grants in the spring 2022 cycle.
“We are always looking for originality, new angles and points of view,” said Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of Dfi. “Of particular importance are fresh perspectives and...
The latest round of Doha Film Institute (Dfi) grant recipients includes four films being showcased at Cannes this year.
They are Un Certain Regard titles Harka (Lofty Nathan), Plan 75, (Chie Hayakawa) and Return To Seoul (Davy Chou), and Cotton Queen (Suzannah Mirghani), selected for Cinefondation Atelier.
It has been revealed that 44 projects from 33 territories have been awarded Dfi grants in the spring 2022 cycle.
“We are always looking for originality, new angles and points of view,” said Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of Dfi. “Of particular importance are fresh perspectives and...
- 5/21/2022
- by Alina Trabattoni
- ScreenDaily
Qatari organisation backs projects from 33 countries
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has announced the beneficiaries of its Spring 2022 Grants Programme, backing 44 projects from 33 countries as part of its latest funding cycle.
Three of the beneficiaries – Lotfy Nathan’s Harka, Chie Hayakawa’s Plan 75 and Davy Chou’s All The People I’ll Never Be – are playing in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
Another grant recipient – Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen – is participating in Cannes’ L’Atelier programme.
The Dfi grants programme is awarded in two annual cycles – spring and the autumn. It is the Middle East’s longest-running film funding...
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has announced the beneficiaries of its Spring 2022 Grants Programme, backing 44 projects from 33 countries as part of its latest funding cycle.
Three of the beneficiaries – Lotfy Nathan’s Harka, Chie Hayakawa’s Plan 75 and Davy Chou’s All The People I’ll Never Be – are playing in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
Another grant recipient – Suzannah Mirghani’s Cotton Queen – is participating in Cannes’ L’Atelier programme.
The Dfi grants programme is awarded in two annual cycles – spring and the autumn. It is the Middle East’s longest-running film funding...
- 5/20/2022
- by Alina Trabattoni
- ScreenDaily
Lotfy Nathan, the director of Un Certain Regard title “Harka,” is set to make an elevated horror feature with the producers of “Armageddon Time.”
Following the Cannes premiere of “Harka,” Nathan is moving forward with his sophomore film, which is tentatively titled “Son,” based on the apocryphal infancy gospel of Thomas, about the childhood of Jesus.
The film continues the relationship between the U.S. director, Spacemaker Prods. and Cinenovo. Set to shoot in English with an American cast, the production is scheduled for early 2023 and will be shot in the Mena region.
“Son” will be produced by Julie Viez at Cinenovo, and Alex Hughes and Riccardo Maddalosso at Spacemaker.
Spacemaker’s credits include James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” which premiered in competition on Thursday in Cannes; Eugene Kotlyarenko’s Sundance hit “Spree”; and Dasha Nekrasova’s arthouse horror “The Scary of Sixty-First,” the winner of the best first feature...
Following the Cannes premiere of “Harka,” Nathan is moving forward with his sophomore film, which is tentatively titled “Son,” based on the apocryphal infancy gospel of Thomas, about the childhood of Jesus.
The film continues the relationship between the U.S. director, Spacemaker Prods. and Cinenovo. Set to shoot in English with an American cast, the production is scheduled for early 2023 and will be shot in the Mena region.
“Son” will be produced by Julie Viez at Cinenovo, and Alex Hughes and Riccardo Maddalosso at Spacemaker.
Spacemaker’s credits include James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” which premiered in competition on Thursday in Cannes; Eugene Kotlyarenko’s Sundance hit “Spree”; and Dasha Nekrasova’s arthouse horror “The Scary of Sixty-First,” the winner of the best first feature...
- 5/20/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
A young man struggles to provide for his family in Harka, Lotfy Nathan’s debut feature screening in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. Set in Tunisia, it’s a quietly absorbing portrait of one man’s life in the wake of his father’s death.
Ali (Adam Bessa) hasn’t seen his family for a while but is suddenly left in charge of his two younger sisters. Ali sells gas on the streets without a license, and either hides the money he makes or boozes it away. Now, he’s expected to step up and lead a family, even though noone seems to think he’s suited for the job. This is a world where decisions are made out of desperation — and this will be the first of many.
Ali is visibly out of place in the family home, where his sisters lead a quiet and studious...
Ali (Adam Bessa) hasn’t seen his family for a while but is suddenly left in charge of his two younger sisters. Ali sells gas on the streets without a license, and either hides the money he makes or boozes it away. Now, he’s expected to step up and lead a family, even though noone seems to think he’s suited for the job. This is a world where decisions are made out of desperation — and this will be the first of many.
Ali is visibly out of place in the family home, where his sisters lead a quiet and studious...
- 5/19/2022
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
The feature is premiering in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
Neon has acquired North American rights to Mark Jenkin’s horror Enys Men, ahead of its premiere in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
UK-based Protagonist Pictures represents worldwide rights.
The title is Jenkin’s follow-up to Bafta winner Bait, and reunites him with Bait stars Mary Woodvine and Edward Rowe. It unravels around a wildlife volunteer living a solitary life on a remote Cornish island, who starts to lose her grip on reality.
It’s produced by Denzil Monk for Bosena. Film4 co-financed the film.
Jenkin won the Bafta for outstanding debut by a British writer,...
Neon has acquired North American rights to Mark Jenkin’s horror Enys Men, ahead of its premiere in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
UK-based Protagonist Pictures represents worldwide rights.
The title is Jenkin’s follow-up to Bafta winner Bait, and reunites him with Bait stars Mary Woodvine and Edward Rowe. It unravels around a wildlife volunteer living a solitary life on a remote Cornish island, who starts to lose her grip on reality.
It’s produced by Denzil Monk for Bosena. Film4 co-financed the film.
Jenkin won the Bafta for outstanding debut by a British writer,...
- 5/19/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Aidan Gillen, who played Littlefinger in “Game of Thrones,” and Sandrine Bonnaire, a best actress winner at Venice for “La cérémonie,” have joined Gabriel Byrne in Samuel Beckett biopic “Dance First,” directed by Oscar-winner James Marsh.
Film Constellation has closed pre-sales on the film in Australia/New Zealand (Icon), Italy (Bim Distribuzione), Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Nos Audiovisuais), Greece (Filmtrade), Hungary (Vertigo Media), former Yugoslavia (Discovery) and Taiwan (Cai Chang). Pay TV outlet Sky developed the film as a Sky Original in the U.K.
Marsh, best-known for “The Theory of Everything,” for which Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar, and Oscar-winner “Man on Wire,” will start shooting the film on May 30 in Budapest.
“Dance First’s” cast also includes Fionn O’Shea, who will play the young Beckett. He appeared in “Handsome Devil,” “Dating Amber” and “Normal People,” and will be seen next in “Masters of the Air.” The film is written by Neil Forsyth.
Film Constellation has closed pre-sales on the film in Australia/New Zealand (Icon), Italy (Bim Distribuzione), Spain (Filmin), Portugal (Nos Audiovisuais), Greece (Filmtrade), Hungary (Vertigo Media), former Yugoslavia (Discovery) and Taiwan (Cai Chang). Pay TV outlet Sky developed the film as a Sky Original in the U.K.
Marsh, best-known for “The Theory of Everything,” for which Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar, and Oscar-winner “Man on Wire,” will start shooting the film on May 30 in Budapest.
“Dance First’s” cast also includes Fionn O’Shea, who will play the young Beckett. He appeared in “Handsome Devil,” “Dating Amber” and “Normal People,” and will be seen next in “Masters of the Air.” The film is written by Neil Forsyth.
- 5/19/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
U.S. director Lotfy Nathan, best known for his acclaimed debut documentary “12 O’Clock Boys,” is making his feature directorial debut with “Harka.”
Screening as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, the film is set in Tunisia, in North Africa, and follows Ali (Adam Bessa), a young man in his twenties who makes a precarious living selling contraband gas on the streets.
Ali dreams of a better life for himself, but his domestic responsibilities step up when his father’s sudden death leaves him in charge of his two young sisters. With the family facing impending eviction, Ali seeks steadier work and a stable life. In a society fraught with corruption, however, only illicit opportunities present themselves, and Ali is confronted with a decision from which there may be no turning back.
In describing the project, Nathan said: “We all know of the migrant crisis...
Screening as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section, the film is set in Tunisia, in North Africa, and follows Ali (Adam Bessa), a young man in his twenties who makes a precarious living selling contraband gas on the streets.
Ali dreams of a better life for himself, but his domestic responsibilities step up when his father’s sudden death leaves him in charge of his two young sisters. With the family facing impending eviction, Ali seeks steadier work and a stable life. In a society fraught with corruption, however, only illicit opportunities present themselves, and Ali is confronted with a decision from which there may be no turning back.
In describing the project, Nathan said: “We all know of the migrant crisis...
- 5/13/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Condor has picked up French rights to Saim Sadiq’s drama “Joyland” ahead of its world premiere in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. The title, the first Pakistani film to be selected in Cannes, will vie for the Caméra d’Or.
Film Constellation is representing international sales rights. WME Independent is representing North American rights.
Sadiq’s debut feature centers on the extended patriarchal Ranas family, who yearn for the birth of another boy. Meanwhile, their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theater and falls for an ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family’s desire for a sexual rebellion.
Condor’s slate also includes Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part I & II,” Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow,” Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter,” Kogonada’s “After Yang,” and Sundance 2022 Grand Jury Prize winner “Utama” by Alejandro Loayza Grisi.
Condor’s Alexis Mas said:...
Film Constellation is representing international sales rights. WME Independent is representing North American rights.
Sadiq’s debut feature centers on the extended patriarchal Ranas family, who yearn for the birth of another boy. Meanwhile, their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theater and falls for an ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family’s desire for a sexual rebellion.
Condor’s slate also includes Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part I & II,” Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow,” Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter,” Kogonada’s “After Yang,” and Sundance 2022 Grand Jury Prize winner “Utama” by Alejandro Loayza Grisi.
Condor’s Alexis Mas said:...
- 5/11/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
J.K. Simmons, Forest Whitaker, Sarah Silverman among narrators.
Luminosity Entertainment will kick off world sales in Cannes on Assaf Ben Shetrit’s documentary Prophets Of Change examining the lives of musicians and activists from both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and featuring all all-star roster of narrators.
President Daniel Diamond announced the acquisition on Tuesday (May 10) and said, “Assaf has crafted an enormously inspiring film about extraordinary human beings who find a way to break a cycle of decades of distrust and fear to create unlikely friendships and extraordinary music. This is exactly the movie the world needs right now.
Luminosity Entertainment will kick off world sales in Cannes on Assaf Ben Shetrit’s documentary Prophets Of Change examining the lives of musicians and activists from both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and featuring all all-star roster of narrators.
President Daniel Diamond announced the acquisition on Tuesday (May 10) and said, “Assaf has crafted an enormously inspiring film about extraordinary human beings who find a way to break a cycle of decades of distrust and fear to create unlikely friendships and extraordinary music. This is exactly the movie the world needs right now.
- 5/10/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Film Constellation represents worldwide sales, co-repping North America with CAA.
Dulac Distribution has secured French distribution rights for Lotfy Nathan’s feature debut Harka, ahead of its Cannes Un Certain Regard world premiere.
The drama was acquired from London and Paris based sales agent Film Constellation, who represents worldwide sales rights, while co-repping North America with CAA.
Screen can exclusively reveal the film’s first image above.
Ali is a young Tunisian who dreams of a better life, and makes a living selling contraband gas at the local black market. When his father suddenly dies, he’s forced to take...
Dulac Distribution has secured French distribution rights for Lotfy Nathan’s feature debut Harka, ahead of its Cannes Un Certain Regard world premiere.
The drama was acquired from London and Paris based sales agent Film Constellation, who represents worldwide sales rights, while co-repping North America with CAA.
Screen can exclusively reveal the film’s first image above.
Ali is a young Tunisian who dreams of a better life, and makes a living selling contraband gas at the local black market. When his father suddenly dies, he’s forced to take...
- 5/10/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Arab cinema is going from strength to strength with a run of really good, successful, films from across the region telling authentic and compelling stories that have captured the hearts and minds of global audiences. During Cannes, filmmakers from the region will come together on May 21 at 10 am at the Marina Stage in the Riviera to discuss the future of Arab cinema and discuss the opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed in order to build a robust industry that will elevate Arab cinema and command the attention it deserves.
This year there are nine films in the Festival Competition, Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week plus four projects in L’Atelier. They are listed below.
Saudi Film Commission will host a Conference and a panel on the State of Arabia with Lotfy Nathan, producer, director, writer whose work in progress Harka won the US 30,000 award at the 2021 Red Sea Film Festival and is now premiering in Un Certain Regard. Also on the panel is Mohammed Hefzy, producer, writer and Aymebn Khoja, producer, director, writer and to be moderated by Liz Shackelton, Screen International Asia Editor
My Choices for Feature Film: ‘Europa’, Selected Documentary Film: ‘Republic Of Silence’, Selected Actor: Adam Ali, Selected Actress: Maisa Abd Elhadi, Selected Director: Ayten Amin, Selected Screenplay: Ayten Amin — Mahmoud Ezzat
Panelist #1 Lotfy Nathan is the recipient of The Red Sea Fund cash prize awarded in 2021 by the Red Sea Souk Jury. The Red Sea Souk Award grant of US 30,000 was presented for his film Harka aka Contra aka Before the Spring, a “simple, tragic parable” as described by Nathan, about Ali, a young Tunisian making a precarious living selling contraband gas as he faces an impending eviction and is forced to take care of his two younger sisters, who, in real life, precipitated the Arab Spring with his act of defiance demanding dignity. His choice became the symbol of a silenced generation trying to be heard. His film Harka is in Un Certain Regard in the Cannes Film Festival 2022! The international sales agent is Constellation.
Harka
Nathan is an American filmmaker of Egyptian descent. His first feature film, the documentary 12 O’Clock Boys, for which he received the HBO Emerging Artist Award, was selected in over 50 international festivals, including SXSW, Sundance LA, Lincoln Center, Viennale, Hot Docs, London and Copenhagen. It is distributed in the United States by Oscilloscope and has been purchased by Showtime and Amazon as well as being optioned by Will Smith’s company, Overbrook Entrertainement to adapt into a drama. In 2015, Lotfy was a recipient of the Creative Capital and participated in a Cinereach Foundation director’s residency. He had previously been a recipient of the Garrett Scott Fund, the Peter Reed Foundation, the Grainger Marburg Fund, and the IFP Fellowship. This, his first feature film, was developed in the Sundance Film Institute’s Screenwriting Lab in 2016 and is now in post-production.
The film’s producer Julie Viez started her career in the film industry at Warner Bros Emea (Europe Middle East Asia). She then focused on independent film production, working for companies such as Pan-Européenne, The Film, and CG Cinema. She works on an international scale and produces a wide range of budgets. In 2019 Julie shot La Salamandre , the debut feature of director Alex Carvalho which premiered at Venice’s Settimana in 2021. She is developing several ambitious features and series, among which the next features by Cannes-nominated directors Abu Bakr Shawky, Jonathan Littell, Morgan Simon, and Marie Monge.
The third partner are the producers of The Man Who Sold His Skin, Academy Award Nomination 2020 — see my previous blog on that film — whose director, Kaouther Ben Hania, is now President of the Jury for Critics Week.).
Panelist #2 is the prolific Egyptian screenwriter and producer Mohamed Hefzy, with a constantly growing filmography of 30 feature films including worldwide acclaimed titles such as Huda’s Salon (2021) Feathers (2021), Souad (2021) You Will Die at Twenty (2019), Youmeddine (2018), and Clash (2016). He has served as a jury member in various international festivals including the 75th Venice International Film Festival. As of its 40th edition and for four consecutive years; Mohamed Hefzy was the appointed President of the Cairo International Film Festival.
In 2005, He founded Film Clinic; the now pioneer production house in the Mena region with a variety of commercial blockbusters and arthouse films that have participated in major film festivals worldwide including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca with more than 80 international awards under its belt. Later Hefzy founded Film Clinic Indie Distribution, with a mission to create opportunities for Arab independent films within and beyond festival circuits & Co- founded Meem Creative Circle which produced Netflix’s first Egyptian original series Paranormal.
Hefzy was cited among 30 future leaders in film production by Screen International, headed Variety’s list of Ten Names You Need to Know in the Arab Film Industry and was among Variety’s 500 list of the most influential people in the media industry worldwide. He was granted the Arab Cinema Personality of the Year award by the Hollywood Reporter & Arab Cinema Center. Hefzy is an official member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences in the producers’ branch. In recognition of his significant contribution to the Arab film scene, He was honored as a “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” from France.
Panelist #3 is Aymen Khoja, a film producer-director committed to bold voices and innovative forms to bridge cultures and to clear up any misunderstandings.
Over six years of experience producing and directing with international studios and production companies, such as Mbc Studios the biggest broadcaster in the Middle East and Viu, the No1 streaming platform east of Asia. Aymen has filmed in different cities all over the world from Los Angeles, Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Bucharest, Cairo, to Jeddah. He successfully delivers high-quality films and series on time within budget.
In 2016 Aymen co-founded Khoja Brothers Productions and managed to fund, direct, co-produce, co-write his first feature film Shoot Aka The Arabian Warrior, and successfully released it theatrically then sold it to Sony Pictures, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple, and lastly Shahid. Aymen’s debut making ultra-low-budget films made him emphasize story quality, maximize creativity, and carefully spend every dollar.
Aymen received his Master’s degree in film with honors from the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles where he produced and directed many short films that have been played in different film festivals around the world. Aymen received his Bachelor’s in Business and Management from King Abdul-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. This background helped him to be at the top of his organizing game, networking, and career growth.
Born and raised in the east of Saudi Arabia until the age of 11, Khoja then traveled back with his parents to the west, Makkah where he stayed until he was 23 when he traveled to the US to pursue his dream of making films. Aymen had the passion and drive to make movies in a time there were no theaters in his home country. Being a pioneer, he had to push and fight traditions to achieve what he believes is his mission in life: to bridge and close gaps between cultures through the form of cinema by telling the right stories.
Nine Mena Films to see in the Festival:
Cannes Ff Competition Leila’s Brothers directed by Saeed Roustayi from IranCannes Ff Competition Holy Spider directed by Iranian Ali Abbasi but funded by France, Germany, Sweden, DenmarkUn Certain Regard Harka directed by Lotfy Nathan from TunisiaUn Certain Regard The Blue Caftan directed by Maryam Touzani from MoroccoUn Certain Regard Mediterranean Fever directed by Maha Haj from PalestineUn Certain Regard Domingo And The Mist directed by Ariel Escalante from Costa Rica with support from QatarDirectors’ Fortnight Under the Fig Trees directed by Eriga Sehiri from TunisiaDirectors’ Fortnight Ashkal directed by Youssef Chebbi from TunisiaCritics’ Week in Competition Imagine directed by Ali Behrad from IranL’Atelier project: Hamlet From The Slums from Egypt, directed by Ahmed Fawzi SalehL’Atelier project: The Blind Ferryman from Iraq and Switzerland, directed by Ali Al-FatlawiL’Atelier project: You Are My Everything from Israel, directed by Michal VinikdL’Atelier project: The Doubt from Palestine and Israel, directed by Ihab Jadallah...
This year there are nine films in the Festival Competition, Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week plus four projects in L’Atelier. They are listed below.
Saudi Film Commission will host a Conference and a panel on the State of Arabia with Lotfy Nathan, producer, director, writer whose work in progress Harka won the US 30,000 award at the 2021 Red Sea Film Festival and is now premiering in Un Certain Regard. Also on the panel is Mohammed Hefzy, producer, writer and Aymebn Khoja, producer, director, writer and to be moderated by Liz Shackelton, Screen International Asia Editor
My Choices for Feature Film: ‘Europa’, Selected Documentary Film: ‘Republic Of Silence’, Selected Actor: Adam Ali, Selected Actress: Maisa Abd Elhadi, Selected Director: Ayten Amin, Selected Screenplay: Ayten Amin — Mahmoud Ezzat
Panelist #1 Lotfy Nathan is the recipient of The Red Sea Fund cash prize awarded in 2021 by the Red Sea Souk Jury. The Red Sea Souk Award grant of US 30,000 was presented for his film Harka aka Contra aka Before the Spring, a “simple, tragic parable” as described by Nathan, about Ali, a young Tunisian making a precarious living selling contraband gas as he faces an impending eviction and is forced to take care of his two younger sisters, who, in real life, precipitated the Arab Spring with his act of defiance demanding dignity. His choice became the symbol of a silenced generation trying to be heard. His film Harka is in Un Certain Regard in the Cannes Film Festival 2022! The international sales agent is Constellation.
Harka
Nathan is an American filmmaker of Egyptian descent. His first feature film, the documentary 12 O’Clock Boys, for which he received the HBO Emerging Artist Award, was selected in over 50 international festivals, including SXSW, Sundance LA, Lincoln Center, Viennale, Hot Docs, London and Copenhagen. It is distributed in the United States by Oscilloscope and has been purchased by Showtime and Amazon as well as being optioned by Will Smith’s company, Overbrook Entrertainement to adapt into a drama. In 2015, Lotfy was a recipient of the Creative Capital and participated in a Cinereach Foundation director’s residency. He had previously been a recipient of the Garrett Scott Fund, the Peter Reed Foundation, the Grainger Marburg Fund, and the IFP Fellowship. This, his first feature film, was developed in the Sundance Film Institute’s Screenwriting Lab in 2016 and is now in post-production.
The film’s producer Julie Viez started her career in the film industry at Warner Bros Emea (Europe Middle East Asia). She then focused on independent film production, working for companies such as Pan-Européenne, The Film, and CG Cinema. She works on an international scale and produces a wide range of budgets. In 2019 Julie shot La Salamandre , the debut feature of director Alex Carvalho which premiered at Venice’s Settimana in 2021. She is developing several ambitious features and series, among which the next features by Cannes-nominated directors Abu Bakr Shawky, Jonathan Littell, Morgan Simon, and Marie Monge.
The third partner are the producers of The Man Who Sold His Skin, Academy Award Nomination 2020 — see my previous blog on that film — whose director, Kaouther Ben Hania, is now President of the Jury for Critics Week.).
Panelist #2 is the prolific Egyptian screenwriter and producer Mohamed Hefzy, with a constantly growing filmography of 30 feature films including worldwide acclaimed titles such as Huda’s Salon (2021) Feathers (2021), Souad (2021) You Will Die at Twenty (2019), Youmeddine (2018), and Clash (2016). He has served as a jury member in various international festivals including the 75th Venice International Film Festival. As of its 40th edition and for four consecutive years; Mohamed Hefzy was the appointed President of the Cairo International Film Festival.
In 2005, He founded Film Clinic; the now pioneer production house in the Mena region with a variety of commercial blockbusters and arthouse films that have participated in major film festivals worldwide including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, Toronto, and Tribeca with more than 80 international awards under its belt. Later Hefzy founded Film Clinic Indie Distribution, with a mission to create opportunities for Arab independent films within and beyond festival circuits & Co- founded Meem Creative Circle which produced Netflix’s first Egyptian original series Paranormal.
Hefzy was cited among 30 future leaders in film production by Screen International, headed Variety’s list of Ten Names You Need to Know in the Arab Film Industry and was among Variety’s 500 list of the most influential people in the media industry worldwide. He was granted the Arab Cinema Personality of the Year award by the Hollywood Reporter & Arab Cinema Center. Hefzy is an official member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts And Sciences in the producers’ branch. In recognition of his significant contribution to the Arab film scene, He was honored as a “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” from France.
Panelist #3 is Aymen Khoja, a film producer-director committed to bold voices and innovative forms to bridge cultures and to clear up any misunderstandings.
Over six years of experience producing and directing with international studios and production companies, such as Mbc Studios the biggest broadcaster in the Middle East and Viu, the No1 streaming platform east of Asia. Aymen has filmed in different cities all over the world from Los Angeles, Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Bucharest, Cairo, to Jeddah. He successfully delivers high-quality films and series on time within budget.
In 2016 Aymen co-founded Khoja Brothers Productions and managed to fund, direct, co-produce, co-write his first feature film Shoot Aka The Arabian Warrior, and successfully released it theatrically then sold it to Sony Pictures, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple, and lastly Shahid. Aymen’s debut making ultra-low-budget films made him emphasize story quality, maximize creativity, and carefully spend every dollar.
Aymen received his Master’s degree in film with honors from the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles where he produced and directed many short films that have been played in different film festivals around the world. Aymen received his Bachelor’s in Business and Management from King Abdul-Aziz University, Saudi Arabia. This background helped him to be at the top of his organizing game, networking, and career growth.
Born and raised in the east of Saudi Arabia until the age of 11, Khoja then traveled back with his parents to the west, Makkah where he stayed until he was 23 when he traveled to the US to pursue his dream of making films. Aymen had the passion and drive to make movies in a time there were no theaters in his home country. Being a pioneer, he had to push and fight traditions to achieve what he believes is his mission in life: to bridge and close gaps between cultures through the form of cinema by telling the right stories.
Nine Mena Films to see in the Festival:
Cannes Ff Competition Leila’s Brothers directed by Saeed Roustayi from IranCannes Ff Competition Holy Spider directed by Iranian Ali Abbasi but funded by France, Germany, Sweden, DenmarkUn Certain Regard Harka directed by Lotfy Nathan from TunisiaUn Certain Regard The Blue Caftan directed by Maryam Touzani from MoroccoUn Certain Regard Mediterranean Fever directed by Maha Haj from PalestineUn Certain Regard Domingo And The Mist directed by Ariel Escalante from Costa Rica with support from QatarDirectors’ Fortnight Under the Fig Trees directed by Eriga Sehiri from TunisiaDirectors’ Fortnight Ashkal directed by Youssef Chebbi from TunisiaCritics’ Week in Competition Imagine directed by Ali Behrad from IranL’Atelier project: Hamlet From The Slums from Egypt, directed by Ahmed Fawzi SalehL’Atelier project: The Blind Ferryman from Iraq and Switzerland, directed by Ali Al-FatlawiL’Atelier project: You Are My Everything from Israel, directed by Michal VinikdL’Atelier project: The Doubt from Palestine and Israel, directed by Ihab Jadallah...
- 5/8/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
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