Everyone knows that an eclipse is ripe for horror happenings, with Satanic ceremonies that bring about the antichrist, evil prophecies being fulfilled, and plain old witchy mayhem playing out under the celestial shadow. As the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th draws near (which near 44 million North Americans will have perfect view of), the veil between the normal and the paranormal seems thinner, stirring the pot of cosmic chaos and serving up a celestial smorgasbord of scares.
With the moon’s looming shadow set to sweep across the sky, it’s the perfect time to delve into the dark side of cinema where eclipses cast their eerie glow. These 10 terrifying horror movies eclipses utilize the astronomical event to amplify the horror, making you think twice about stepping outside to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. So, as we brace for the sun to disappear, let’s countdown to darkness...
With the moon’s looming shadow set to sweep across the sky, it’s the perfect time to delve into the dark side of cinema where eclipses cast their eerie glow. These 10 terrifying horror movies eclipses utilize the astronomical event to amplify the horror, making you think twice about stepping outside to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. So, as we brace for the sun to disappear, let’s countdown to darkness...
- 3/19/2024
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Dissident Iranian film professionals are calling on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to consider an alternative film to represent Iran in 2024 Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category rather than the one submitted this week as the country’s official entry.
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
- 9/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Iran has submitted Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian for Best International Film category at the 96th Academy Awards, in a move that will likely prompt pushback from the country’s dissident film community.
A press release announcing the selection said the film had been selected by the government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation from three short-listed titles which also included Omid Shams’s Conjugal Visit and Ali Hazrati’s The Town.
The drama stars Touraj Alvand as the story of a rural worker forced to move to the city where he ekes out a living on the streets.
The announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom protests provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022 after being held in police custody for not wearing her veil correctly.
The country’s hardline Islamist regime ratcheted up a crackdown on the country’s creative community as well...
A press release announcing the selection said the film had been selected by the government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation from three short-listed titles which also included Omid Shams’s Conjugal Visit and Ali Hazrati’s The Town.
The drama stars Touraj Alvand as the story of a rural worker forced to move to the city where he ekes out a living on the streets.
The announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom protests provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022 after being held in police custody for not wearing her veil correctly.
The country’s hardline Islamist regime ratcheted up a crackdown on the country’s creative community as well...
- 9/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
90 Day Fiancé fans often observe that more cast members are from Florida than any other state. On the TLC series, one person from each couple has a K-1 visa, which means they have 90 days to marry their partner who’s a U.S. citizen. 90 Day Fiancé has inspired several spinoffs, and its loyal fans love discussing the often-controversial cast members.
Is it just a coincidence that there are so many cast members from the sunny state or perhaps filming in the Sunshine State appeals to producers? No matter the reason, here are all of the cast members from 90 Day Fiancé who call Florida home. Are they still together? Read on.
Jason Hitch: Spring Hill, Florida
90 Day Fiance star Jason Hitch has died aged 45 https://t.co/znV0RhPd4V pic.twitter.com/gDHOEUyimy
— The Sun (@TheSun) December 15, 2021
Jason Hitch, from Spring Hill, Florida, was on Season...
Is it just a coincidence that there are so many cast members from the sunny state or perhaps filming in the Sunshine State appeals to producers? No matter the reason, here are all of the cast members from 90 Day Fiancé who call Florida home. Are they still together? Read on.
Jason Hitch: Spring Hill, Florida
90 Day Fiance star Jason Hitch has died aged 45 https://t.co/znV0RhPd4V pic.twitter.com/gDHOEUyimy
— The Sun (@TheSun) December 15, 2021
Jason Hitch, from Spring Hill, Florida, was on Season...
- 3/15/2023
- by Produced by Digital Editors
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles has announced the nominees for the 10th annual Best of Nfmla Awards.
Nfmla is a nonprofit organization that supports emerging filmmakers and artists through a monthly series of screenings and events in Los Angeles. The nominees for its Best of Nfmla slate are comprised of films that have screened as part of the Nfmla Monthly Film Festival selection in 2021. This year, the awards honor 125 nominees across 16 categories, including achievements in features, documentaries, shorts, experimental media and a best new filmmaker award.
“We are so proud to be able to highlight the incredible talent of all of our nominees, who have each created such inspiring work,” Nfmla programming director Bojana Sandic said in a statement.
15,000 will be provided to select Best of Nfmla winners, a practice that began last year to celebrate the career of recently passed producer Anthony Rhulen, who launched the indie producing company FilmEngine.
“We...
Nfmla is a nonprofit organization that supports emerging filmmakers and artists through a monthly series of screenings and events in Los Angeles. The nominees for its Best of Nfmla slate are comprised of films that have screened as part of the Nfmla Monthly Film Festival selection in 2021. This year, the awards honor 125 nominees across 16 categories, including achievements in features, documentaries, shorts, experimental media and a best new filmmaker award.
“We are so proud to be able to highlight the incredible talent of all of our nominees, who have each created such inspiring work,” Nfmla programming director Bojana Sandic said in a statement.
15,000 will be provided to select Best of Nfmla winners, a practice that began last year to celebrate the career of recently passed producer Anthony Rhulen, who launched the indie producing company FilmEngine.
“We...
- 4/6/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
The Criterion Channel’s February Lineup Includes Melvin Van Peebles, Douglas Sirk, Laura Dern & More
Another month, another Criterion Channel lineup. In accordance with Black History Month their selections are especially refreshing: seven by Melvin Van Peebles, five from Kevin Jerome Everson, and Criterion editions of The Harder They Come and The Learning Tree.
Regarding individual features I’m quite happy to see Abderrahmane Sissako’s fantastic Bamako, last year’s big Sundance winner (and Kosovo’s Oscar entry) Hive, and the remarkably beautiful Portuguese feature The Metamorphosis of Birds. Add a three-film Laura Dern collection (including the recently canonized Smooth Talk) and Pasolini’s rarely shown documentary Love Meetings to make this a fine smorgasboard.
See the full list of February titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
Alan & Naomi, Sterling Van Wagenen, 1992
All That Heaven Allows, Douglas Sirk, 1955
The Angel Levine, Ján Kadár, 1970
Babylon, Franco Rosso, 1980
Babymother, Julian Henriques, 1998
Bamako, Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006
Beat Street, Stan Lathan, 1984
Blacks Britannica, David Koff, 1978
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,...
Regarding individual features I’m quite happy to see Abderrahmane Sissako’s fantastic Bamako, last year’s big Sundance winner (and Kosovo’s Oscar entry) Hive, and the remarkably beautiful Portuguese feature The Metamorphosis of Birds. Add a three-film Laura Dern collection (including the recently canonized Smooth Talk) and Pasolini’s rarely shown documentary Love Meetings to make this a fine smorgasboard.
See the full list of February titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
Alan & Naomi, Sterling Van Wagenen, 1992
All That Heaven Allows, Douglas Sirk, 1955
The Angel Levine, Ján Kadár, 1970
Babylon, Franco Rosso, 1980
Babymother, Julian Henriques, 1998
Bamako, Abderrahmane Sissako, 2006
Beat Street, Stan Lathan, 1984
Blacks Britannica, David Koff, 1978
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution,...
- 1/24/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Academy (Afaa) revealed the nominees for the 15th Asian Film Awards today. Thirty-six films from eight Asian regions will compete for 16 awards. China’s One Second, South Korea’s The Book of Fish, India’s The Disciple, and two Japanese films, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Wife of a Spy, compete for this year’s “Best Film Award.”
Three Hong Kong films were nominated for this year’s Afa, including Drifting, directed by Jun Li, nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Limbo, directed by Cheang Pou-soi, was nominated for Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best sound; Adam Wong’s The Way We Keep Dancing was nominated for Best Original Music.
The Afaa is honoured that legendary South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong will be this year’s Jury President. Lee was the lifetime award recipient at the 13th Asian Film Awards.He won the “Best...
Three Hong Kong films were nominated for this year’s Afa, including Drifting, directed by Jun Li, nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Actress. Limbo, directed by Cheang Pou-soi, was nominated for Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best sound; Adam Wong’s The Way We Keep Dancing was nominated for Best Original Music.
The Afaa is honoured that legendary South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong will be this year’s Jury President. Lee was the lifetime award recipient at the 13th Asian Film Awards.He won the “Best...
- 9/9/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
In a sad blow, the Melbourne International Film Festival (Miff) has announced it will cancel its in-cinema screenings given the current Covid situation in the city.
The festival, always designed as a hybrid event, will continue nationally on Miff Play, with the festival securing an additional 30 titles for the platform. These include some direct-from-Cannes titles such as The Hill Where Lionesses Roar, La Civil, Rehana Maryam Noor and Babi Yar, and Australian films Ablaze, Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution, Little Tornadoes and Paper City.
However, some of the festival most anticipated films, including local films such as Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, intended as the Opening Night Gala, and Justin Kurzel’s Nitram are not available on the service.
As regional Victoria is no longer in lockdown, the festival’s regional season will proceed, with required changes to the line-up to be advised through local operators.
The festival, always designed as a hybrid event, will continue nationally on Miff Play, with the festival securing an additional 30 titles for the platform. These include some direct-from-Cannes titles such as The Hill Where Lionesses Roar, La Civil, Rehana Maryam Noor and Babi Yar, and Australian films Ablaze, Chef Antonio’s Recipes for Revolution, Little Tornadoes and Paper City.
However, some of the festival most anticipated films, including local films such as Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson, intended as the Opening Night Gala, and Justin Kurzel’s Nitram are not available on the service.
As regional Victoria is no longer in lockdown, the festival’s regional season will proceed, with required changes to the line-up to be advised through local operators.
- 8/10/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Sun Children (Khorshid) Strand Releasing Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Majid Majidi Writer: Nima Javidi, Majid Majidi Cast: Roohollah Zamani, Ali Ghabeshi, Shamila Shirzad, Javad Ezati, Ali Nassiran Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 5/19/21 Opens: June 25, 2021 Iranian filmmakers frequently make use of children to evade […]
The post Sun Children Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Sun Children Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/20/2021
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to “Cicada,” Matthew Fifer’s Brooklyn-set debut feature, which premiered last year at several festivals, including Frameline, Outfest and BFI London.
“Cicada” was written and directed by Fifer and Kieran Mulcare. The film was inspired by events in Sheldon Brown’s and Fifer’s own lives. Fifer headlines the film alongside Brown, who also co-wrote the script.
The film follows Ben (Fifer), a young bisexual man who, after a string of unsuccessful and awkward encounters, meets Sam (Brown), a man of color struggling with deep wounds of his own. As the summer progresses and their intimacy grows, their pasts begin to crawl to the surface.
“We’re thrilled to be working on Matt’s debut feature ‘Cicada.’ It’s a thrilling and promising new voice, one that fits our family of auteurs,” said Marcus Hu of Strand Releasing.
The film also stars Cobie Smulders,...
“Cicada” was written and directed by Fifer and Kieran Mulcare. The film was inspired by events in Sheldon Brown’s and Fifer’s own lives. Fifer headlines the film alongside Brown, who also co-wrote the script.
The film follows Ben (Fifer), a young bisexual man who, after a string of unsuccessful and awkward encounters, meets Sam (Brown), a man of color struggling with deep wounds of his own. As the summer progresses and their intimacy grows, their pasts begin to crawl to the surface.
“We’re thrilled to be working on Matt’s debut feature ‘Cicada.’ It’s a thrilling and promising new voice, one that fits our family of auteurs,” said Marcus Hu of Strand Releasing.
The film also stars Cobie Smulders,...
- 6/4/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Strand Releasing has acquired North American rights to Christopher Makoto Yogi’s “I Was a Simple Man,” which stars Constance Wu and had its world premiere at this year’s Sundance film festival.
A lyrical ghost story set in the lush Hawaiian countryside, the film follows Masao (Steve Iwamoto) whose life is slowly fading away because of a terminal illness. As his estranged family members struggle to care for him, Masao is visited by his deceased wife Grace (Wu) and is forced to confront the decisions of his past.
Spanning multiple generations, “I Was a Simple Man” features a rich ensemble of Asian American and Native Hawaiian actors, including Iwamoto, Wu, Kanoa Goo, Tim Chiou and Chanel Akiko Hirai. The film participated in the Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs, as well as Sundance Catalyst.
“I was lucky enough to be introduced to Chris and this project at the Sundance Labs,...
A lyrical ghost story set in the lush Hawaiian countryside, the film follows Masao (Steve Iwamoto) whose life is slowly fading away because of a terminal illness. As his estranged family members struggle to care for him, Masao is visited by his deceased wife Grace (Wu) and is forced to confront the decisions of his past.
Spanning multiple generations, “I Was a Simple Man” features a rich ensemble of Asian American and Native Hawaiian actors, including Iwamoto, Wu, Kanoa Goo, Tim Chiou and Chanel Akiko Hirai. The film participated in the Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs, as well as Sundance Catalyst.
“I was lucky enough to be introduced to Chris and this project at the Sundance Labs,...
- 5/11/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Majid Majidi had been making movies for quite some time when he rose to worldwide attention for “Children Of Heaven”, a poignant 1997 film featuring the life of impoverished children in Iran. He followed it up with a darker, far more tragic version in 1999 with “The Colour Of Paradise”, in which he told the tale of a blind child. In 2020, Majidi was suddenly back under the limelight, due to his ” Sun Children” not only premiering but also winning an award at Venice.
“Sun Children” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
Majidi’s latest tells the story of twelve-year-old Ali and a bunch of his friends. Their fathers are absent from their lives, whether they are dead, constantly intoxicated, missing or in prison. Thus, they have to accept the responsibility of supporting themselves and their family, which they do through small jobs in a garage. However, the income is clearly not enough,...
“Sun Children” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival
Majidi’s latest tells the story of twelve-year-old Ali and a bunch of his friends. Their fathers are absent from their lives, whether they are dead, constantly intoxicated, missing or in prison. Thus, they have to accept the responsibility of supporting themselves and their family, which they do through small jobs in a garage. However, the income is clearly not enough,...
- 4/28/2021
- by Raktim Nandi
- AsianMoviePulse
Strand Releasing has acquired all U.S. rights to Oscar-nominated Cambodian director Rithy Panh’s “Irradiated,” which world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and won best documentary. The film is represented in international markets by Playtime.
Through “Irradiated,” Panh sheds light on the human horrors perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge regime which he experienced during his childhood. Narrated by Rebecca Marder and André Wilms (“Le Havre”), the film brings together black-and-white archival war footage across a tryptic of panels juxtaposing images of war and suffering across the 20th century and around the world. The cinematic documentary is scored by Panh’s longtime collaborator Marc Marder.
“What it means to be a survivor cannot be put into words. To live on, to make contact with this irradiation, for which there may be no cause, no knowledge, but from which there is no protection,” said Panh about his film. “Evil radiates.
Through “Irradiated,” Panh sheds light on the human horrors perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge regime which he experienced during his childhood. Narrated by Rebecca Marder and André Wilms (“Le Havre”), the film brings together black-and-white archival war footage across a tryptic of panels juxtaposing images of war and suffering across the 20th century and around the world. The cinematic documentary is scored by Panh’s longtime collaborator Marc Marder.
“What it means to be a survivor cannot be put into words. To live on, to make contact with this irradiation, for which there may be no cause, no knowledge, but from which there is no protection,” said Panh about his film. “Evil radiates.
- 4/22/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The 15 shortlisted films vying to become one of the five Best International Feature nominees at the 2021 Academy Awards are a surprising and creatively engaging bunch. Their stories often are drenched in history — much of it tragic and disturbing — and turbulent social and political currents course through any number of them. Just four of the 15 were directed by familiar names so, for the most part, the filmmakers behind these works are in the early stages of their careers, which can only create optimism and excitement about what these up-and-comers will do in the future.
Oscar nominations will be revealed on March 15.
I’ve now seen all of the contenders and must say that it was, for the most part, stimulating to encounter so many fresh voices from some often little-heard-from realms of the cinematic world. Fewer than half of the semi-finalists come from countries typically thought of as regularly representing the cinematic front-rank — France,...
Oscar nominations will be revealed on March 15.
I’ve now seen all of the contenders and must say that it was, for the most part, stimulating to encounter so many fresh voices from some often little-heard-from realms of the cinematic world. Fewer than half of the semi-finalists come from countries typically thought of as regularly representing the cinematic front-rank — France,...
- 3/8/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
“Glocal” is the key word for the Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival as the annual event provides a platform for both local and global projects. Of the 93 international submissions to the Oscars, the Florida fest has picked seven films “that moved us and that would speak powerfully to our Miami audience,” says festival executive director Jaie Laplante, who leads a selection committee alongside programming co-director, Lauren Cohen.
“We’ve always thought it important to look out for films by female directors but it wasn’t at all difficult this year,” says Cohen about the festival’s lineup, which includes nearly 100 shorts and features from some 40 countries.
This year’s 38th edition, which takes place March 5-14, and for the first time in its history, runs before the Oscars, includes international film shortlisted contenders “La Llorona,” “Sun Children,” “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” “Charlatan,” “The Mole Agent” and “Night of the Kings.
“We’ve always thought it important to look out for films by female directors but it wasn’t at all difficult this year,” says Cohen about the festival’s lineup, which includes nearly 100 shorts and features from some 40 countries.
This year’s 38th edition, which takes place March 5-14, and for the first time in its history, runs before the Oscars, includes international film shortlisted contenders “La Llorona,” “Sun Children,” “Quo Vadis, Aida?,” “Charlatan,” “The Mole Agent” and “Night of the Kings.
- 3/5/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Majid Majidi has been making sensitive and trenchant films about kids in Iran for three decades and he’s still doing it in Sun Children (Khorshid), a shrewdly observed humanistic drama about some young teens scrambling to make their way in a difficult world. Winner of the Best Picture prize at last year’s Fajr Film Festival and an official Venice Festival entry, this brisk drama focuses sympathetically on several marginalized but striving kids whose every waking moments are devoted to survival strategies. The International Feature Oscar-shortlisted title from Iran is being distributed by Strand Releasing in the U.S.
The kids in Majidi’s films are straight out of Charles Dickens. Forced by their lot in life to be resourceful at an early age, they can be crafty, devious, sneaky, brazen, misguided and sometimes ingenious — by turns obliged to live by their wits more than most children their age.
The kids in Majidi’s films are straight out of Charles Dickens. Forced by their lot in life to be resourceful at an early age, they can be crafty, devious, sneaky, brazen, misguided and sometimes ingenious — by turns obliged to live by their wits more than most children their age.
- 2/24/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Sun Children’ Lead Rouhollah Zamani Cast in War Drama as Oscar Entry Adds Further Sales (Exclusive)
Rouhollah Zamani, the lead actor of Majid Majidi’s Oscar shortlisted child labor drama “Sun Children” and winner of the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young actor or actress at the Venice Film Festival, has been cast in a TV drama series, “Mehdi Bakeri,” about soldiers in the Iran-Iraq War. Variety has been given the first image from the series (above).
Meanwhile, sales agent Celluloid Dreams has told Variety that “Sun Children,” which is shortlisted in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards, has been acquired by additional distributors, including Mongrel Media in Canada, and Bodega Films in France.
Other territories sold include German-speaking Europe (Mfa+ Film Distribution), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Scandinavia (Angel Films), Spain (Caramel Films), Turkey (Filmarti Film), Mexico (Alameda Films), Indonesia (Falcon Pictures), Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam (Suraya), and Taiwan (Filmware). The film was previously picked up by Strand in the U.S.
“Sun...
Meanwhile, sales agent Celluloid Dreams has told Variety that “Sun Children,” which is shortlisted in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards, has been acquired by additional distributors, including Mongrel Media in Canada, and Bodega Films in France.
Other territories sold include German-speaking Europe (Mfa+ Film Distribution), Benelux (Cherry Pickers), Scandinavia (Angel Films), Spain (Caramel Films), Turkey (Filmarti Film), Mexico (Alameda Films), Indonesia (Falcon Pictures), Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam (Suraya), and Taiwan (Filmware). The film was previously picked up by Strand in the U.S.
“Sun...
- 2/23/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Barbara Sukowa, Martine Chevallier, and Léa Drucker star in Filippo Meneghetti’s Oscar shortlisted Two of Us (Deux)
The 93rd Academy Awards Oscar Best International Film shortlist has been revealed with the number increased from ten to 15 films for this year.
From Chile, The Mole Agent (El Agente Topo), Maite Alberdi, director; Czech Republic, Charlatan, Agnieszka Holland, director; Denmark, Another Round, Thomas Vinterberg, director; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Jasmila Žbanić, director; Guatemala, La Llorona, Jayro Bustamante, director; Hong Kong, Better Days, Derek Tsang, director; Iran, Sun Children, Majid Majidi, director; Ivory Coast, Night Of The Kings, Philippe Lacôte, director; Mexico, I’m No Longer Here, Fernando Frías de la Parra, director; Norway, Hope, Maria Sødahl, director; Romania, Collective, Alexander Nanau, director; Russia, Dear Comrades!, Andrei Konchalovsky, director; Taiwan, A Sun, Chung Mong-hong, director; Tunisia, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Kaouther Ben Hania, director, and France, Two Of Us (Deux), Filippo Meneghetti,...
The 93rd Academy Awards Oscar Best International Film shortlist has been revealed with the number increased from ten to 15 films for this year.
From Chile, The Mole Agent (El Agente Topo), Maite Alberdi, director; Czech Republic, Charlatan, Agnieszka Holland, director; Denmark, Another Round, Thomas Vinterberg, director; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Jasmila Žbanić, director; Guatemala, La Llorona, Jayro Bustamante, director; Hong Kong, Better Days, Derek Tsang, director; Iran, Sun Children, Majid Majidi, director; Ivory Coast, Night Of The Kings, Philippe Lacôte, director; Mexico, I’m No Longer Here, Fernando Frías de la Parra, director; Norway, Hope, Maria Sødahl, director; Romania, Collective, Alexander Nanau, director; Russia, Dear Comrades!, Andrei Konchalovsky, director; Taiwan, A Sun, Chung Mong-hong, director; Tunisia, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Kaouther Ben Hania, director, and France, Two Of Us (Deux), Filippo Meneghetti,...
- 2/10/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best International Feature is made difficult by the three-step process that begins after the December 1 deadline for countries to submit entries. To be part of the selection process for this category, which was called Best Foreign Language Film before 2020, requires a great deal of dedication. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscar predictions for Best International Feature.)
First, the several hundred academy members of the International Feature screening committee are divided into groups and required to watch a number of the submissions over a two-month period that ends in early February. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top 15 vote-getters make it to the next round. This list of semi-finalists will be revealed on February 9, 2021.
Those 15 films will be available to the entire academy membership who can cast ballots for the final five nominees provided they attest to having watched all the entries.
First, the several hundred academy members of the International Feature screening committee are divided into groups and required to watch a number of the submissions over a two-month period that ends in early February. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top 15 vote-getters make it to the next round. This list of semi-finalists will be revealed on February 9, 2021.
Those 15 films will be available to the entire academy membership who can cast ballots for the final five nominees provided they attest to having watched all the entries.
- 2/9/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The shortlist for the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film is long on expected contenders, from Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round to Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dear Comrades! The Academy’s expanded 15-strong list unveiled Tuesday has essentially made for few snubs while also noting a group of films from far and wide that highlight the power of cinema in all its forms and provenance.
Also on the shortlist, culled from submissions representing 93 countries, are notably two documentaries: The Mole Agent out of Chile and Alexander Nanau’s Collective from Romania.
Beyond those, there are some familiar faces including Agnieszka Holland with Charlatan; but there are a number of newcomers as well. First-time feature director Filippo Meneghetti just last week got nominated for a Golden Globe for France’s Two of Us, as did Guatemala’s Jayro Bustamante with La Llorona. There is also heat on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Quo Vadis,...
Also on the shortlist, culled from submissions representing 93 countries, are notably two documentaries: The Mole Agent out of Chile and Alexander Nanau’s Collective from Romania.
Beyond those, there are some familiar faces including Agnieszka Holland with Charlatan; but there are a number of newcomers as well. First-time feature director Filippo Meneghetti just last week got nominated for a Golden Globe for France’s Two of Us, as did Guatemala’s Jayro Bustamante with La Llorona. There is also heat on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Quo Vadis,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The academy released the 2021 Oscars shortlists in nine categories on Tuesday, February 9. The hopefuls in a wide range of races found out if they are remain in contention for the 93rd annual Academy Awards. Among these are the marquee categories for Best International Feature Film (which was pared down to 10 films from the 93 submitted) and Best Documentary Feature (which went from 238 to 15).
Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submissions apiece. The Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects races as well as the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
Documentary Feature
Two hundred and thirty-eight films were eligible for consideration; there are 15 on the shortlist. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The films, listed in alphabetical order by title,...
Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from upwards of 100 submissions apiece. The Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects races as well as the three awards for shorts – animated, documentary and live-action — were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.
Documentary Feature
Two hundred and thirty-eight films were eligible for consideration; there are 15 on the shortlist. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The films, listed in alphabetical order by title,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists for nine categories for the upcoming Oscars. The categories and number of films include documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (10), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (10), live action short film (10) and visual effects (10).
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Oscar shortlists are out in nine categories including International Film, Documentary Feature, Music Score and Song, Makeup & Hairstyling, Visual Effects and Shorts. These are the first indicator of strength in the race for the 93rd Annual Academy Awards and, though the lists contain few real surprises, is especially good news for those films that are mentioned more than once.
Leading the pack with three mentions apiece are Netflix’s holiday film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, David Fincher’s Mank and Disney’s Mulan.
Films receiving two mentions each are The Little Things, One Night in Miami, Birds of Prey, The Life Ahead, The Midnight Sky, Minari, Soul, The One and Only Ivan, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Tenet. Also doubling up in both the Documentary Feature and International Feature Film categories...
Leading the pack with three mentions apiece are Netflix’s holiday film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, David Fincher’s Mank and Disney’s Mulan.
Films receiving two mentions each are The Little Things, One Night in Miami, Birds of Prey, The Life Ahead, The Midnight Sky, Minari, Soul, The One and Only Ivan, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Tenet. Also doubling up in both the Documentary Feature and International Feature Film categories...
- 2/9/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The road to the 2021 Academy Awards hit an important marker today with the announcement of nine shortlists for the following categories: International Feature Film, Documentary, Original Score, Original Song, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Live-Action Short Film, Documentary Short Subject, and Animated Short Film. Just as in previous years, members of the Academy will select from these reduced lists of contenders in each category the nominees for the 2021 Oscars. This year marked the third year in a row the Academy released nine of its shortlists on the same day.
The nominations for the 2021 Oscars will be announced Monday, March 15, ahead of the 93rd Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, April 25. The Academy pushed back the ceremony this year in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Films that were set for a theatrical release but headed to streaming and/or PVOD instead are eligible for Oscar consideration. The Oscar cutoff date for...
The nominations for the 2021 Oscars will be announced Monday, March 15, ahead of the 93rd Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, April 25. The Academy pushed back the ceremony this year in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Films that were set for a theatrical release but headed to streaming and/or PVOD instead are eligible for Oscar consideration. The Oscar cutoff date for...
- 2/9/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The last time the Oscars let its general voters determine the entire shortlist in the Best International Feature Film category, it was 2007 and so many quality films were snubbed that the Academy changed the rules in what was then called Best Foreign Language Film.
But this year, with the shortlist expanded to 15 entries and entrusted to the general body of voters for the first time since then, the usual suspects all made it to the shortlist and the outcry over what didn’t make the cut is likely to be muted though not entirely absent.
Denmark’s “Another Round,” Romania’s “Collective,” Mexico’s “I’m No Longer Here,” the Ivory Coast’s “Night of the Kings” and Taiwan’s “A Sun” were among the critical favorites from the record 93 films that qualified in the category, along with crowd-pleasing films like Chile’s “The Mole Agent,” the Czech Republic’s “Charlatan...
But this year, with the shortlist expanded to 15 entries and entrusted to the general body of voters for the first time since then, the usual suspects all made it to the shortlist and the outcry over what didn’t make the cut is likely to be muted though not entirely absent.
Denmark’s “Another Round,” Romania’s “Collective,” Mexico’s “I’m No Longer Here,” the Ivory Coast’s “Night of the Kings” and Taiwan’s “A Sun” were among the critical favorites from the record 93 films that qualified in the category, along with crowd-pleasing films like Chile’s “The Mole Agent,” the Czech Republic’s “Charlatan...
- 2/9/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Music, score, visual effects, make-up and hairstyling, short film shortlists also unveiled.
The Academy has announced the 15 international features and 15 documentary shortlists that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister and Greece’s Apples are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
All shortlisted films proceed to the phase one voting stage that runs from March 5-9 prior to the nominations announcement on March 15. The 93rd...
The Academy has announced the 15 international features and 15 documentary shortlists that have made the cut as it unveiled nine Oscar shortlists on Tuesday (February 9).
Switzerland’s My Little Sister and Greece’s Apples are notable absentees from an international list dominated by Europe with seven contenders, followed by Latin America on three, Africa and Asia on two apiece, and the Middle East with one.
All shortlisted films proceed to the phase one voting stage that runs from March 5-9 prior to the nominations announcement on March 15. The 93rd...
- 2/9/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Shortlists to be announced on February 9.
The Academy on Thursday (January 28) published a list of 93 films eligible for international feature film Oscar category.
Algeria’s Heliopolis, about the brutal suppression by French colonial authorities of an uprising in 1945, is omitted from the list. Screen understands the national selection committee withdrew the submission.
There were also a record number of documentary submissions – 238 compared to the previous high of 170 – in light of amended eligibility rules this season due to the pandemic, and a reduced field of 27 animation contenders.
The shortlists will be announced on February 9. The 93rd annual Academy Awards are scheduled...
The Academy on Thursday (January 28) published a list of 93 films eligible for international feature film Oscar category.
Algeria’s Heliopolis, about the brutal suppression by French colonial authorities of an uprising in 1945, is omitted from the list. Screen understands the national selection committee withdrew the submission.
There were also a record number of documentary submissions – 238 compared to the previous high of 170 – in light of amended eligibility rules this season due to the pandemic, and a reduced field of 27 animation contenders.
The shortlists will be announced on February 9. The 93rd annual Academy Awards are scheduled...
- 1/28/2021
- ScreenDaily
Although this year’s Middle Eastern/North African Oscar submissions have yet to generate a strong buzz, there are titles among the 10 films that could be contenders for the international feature short list.
Chief among them is “Sun Children” from veteran Iranian helmer Majid Majidi, whose 1997 “Children of Heaven” landed a foreign-language film nomination. This gripping drama about exploited urban street kids is cast with charismatic, non-pro performers and earned an acting award at the Venice fest for its resilient young protagonist. Strand Films will release.
A possible dark horse is “Broken Keys,” the feature debut of Lebanese multi-hyphenate Jimmy Keyrouz. It marks an expansion of his 2016 Student Academy Award-winner “Nocturne in Black” about a musician in a Syrian town controlled by Isis. Sporting the Cannes Label, this tense drama, with a score by Keyrouz’s famous compatriot Gabriel Yared, shares the combination of real-life crisis and sweeping emotion that characterizes some past nominees.
Chief among them is “Sun Children” from veteran Iranian helmer Majid Majidi, whose 1997 “Children of Heaven” landed a foreign-language film nomination. This gripping drama about exploited urban street kids is cast with charismatic, non-pro performers and earned an acting award at the Venice fest for its resilient young protagonist. Strand Films will release.
A possible dark horse is “Broken Keys,” the feature debut of Lebanese multi-hyphenate Jimmy Keyrouz. It marks an expansion of his 2016 Student Academy Award-winner “Nocturne in Black” about a musician in a Syrian town controlled by Isis. Sporting the Cannes Label, this tense drama, with a score by Keyrouz’s famous compatriot Gabriel Yared, shares the combination of real-life crisis and sweeping emotion that characterizes some past nominees.
- 1/27/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
A version of this story about “Sun Children” first appeared in the International Film Issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
The films of director Magid Magidi have represented Iran at the Oscars more than the work of any other director — six times in total, beginning with the 1998 nominee “Children of Heaven.” Like that movie, his latest film, “Sun Children,” focuses on young people — in this case, a group of street kids and child laborers who do jobs around the city and are kept under the control of men who only pretend to be benevolent.
At 2020’s Venice Film Festival, teen actor Rouhollah Zamani won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for an emerging performer for his performance as a desperate kid who sees a way out when his boss tells him to locate treasure that’s been hidden beneath a local cemetery. But the only way to reach the tunnels that lead...
The films of director Magid Magidi have represented Iran at the Oscars more than the work of any other director — six times in total, beginning with the 1998 nominee “Children of Heaven.” Like that movie, his latest film, “Sun Children,” focuses on young people — in this case, a group of street kids and child laborers who do jobs around the city and are kept under the control of men who only pretend to be benevolent.
At 2020’s Venice Film Festival, teen actor Rouhollah Zamani won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for an emerging performer for his performance as a desperate kid who sees a way out when his boss tells him to locate treasure that’s been hidden beneath a local cemetery. But the only way to reach the tunnels that lead...
- 1/22/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“Bad Tales,” a drama written and directed by Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo, has been acquired by Strand Releasing for North American distribution. Sold by The Match Factory, the movie world premiered in competition at Berlin in 2019 and won the Silver Bear for best screenplay.
The drama unfolds in the suburbs of Rome and is set over the course of a fateful summer. The film revolves around a seemingly normal family in which the devious deeds of fathers, and the passivity of mothers create a bad influence for their children.
Since opening in Berlin, “Bad Tales” went on to play at a flurry of festivals, notably Karlovy Vary, Zurich, BFI London and El Gouna festivals.
“‘Bad Tales’ is one of the brightest films to come out of the Berlin Film Festival, and the brother’s unique vision definitely makes them auteurs that fit perfectly in line with Strand’s eclectic library,...
The drama unfolds in the suburbs of Rome and is set over the course of a fateful summer. The film revolves around a seemingly normal family in which the devious deeds of fathers, and the passivity of mothers create a bad influence for their children.
Since opening in Berlin, “Bad Tales” went on to play at a flurry of festivals, notably Karlovy Vary, Zurich, BFI London and El Gouna festivals.
“‘Bad Tales’ is one of the brightest films to come out of the Berlin Film Festival, and the brother’s unique vision definitely makes them auteurs that fit perfectly in line with Strand’s eclectic library,...
- 1/14/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Listen up Oscar fans and international cinema aficioniados. We'd been holding off on this three part deep dive into the list of titles vying for Best International Feature Film until the Academy's announcement. Sadly we hear through the grapevine that they're not actually making this list "official" until very late in January. In other words, less than two weeks after they announce the 90 plus titles, they'll be cutting most of them when the finalist list of ten is announced on February 9th. This is no way to treat the movies, giving them such a tiny window of "official" attention. So we're sharing the list of 93 titles (a record) now and doing our deep dive now... with the caveat that one or two titles might change in late January when the Academy makes this official. If things do change we'll republish the list and the articles then. If they don't, we can just link back.
- 1/11/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Anthony Chen’s “Wet Season,” which represents Singapore in the Oscar race for best international feature film.
The movie world premiered in the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is being represented in international markets by Memento Films International.
Penned and directed by Chen, “Wet Season” revolves around a Chinese language teacher whose marriage and school life are falling apart because she’s unable to bear a child. An unlikely friendship with a student helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman.
“Wet Season” marks Chen’s sophomore outing. His feature debut, “Ilo Ilo,” world premiered at Cannes in 2013 and earned him the prestigious Camera d’Or award for best first film. “Ilo Ilo” went on to win more than 40 awards around the world, including the Sutherland Award at BFI London Film Festival, and four Golden Horse Awards...
The movie world premiered in the Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is being represented in international markets by Memento Films International.
Penned and directed by Chen, “Wet Season” revolves around a Chinese language teacher whose marriage and school life are falling apart because she’s unable to bear a child. An unlikely friendship with a student helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman.
“Wet Season” marks Chen’s sophomore outing. His feature debut, “Ilo Ilo,” world premiered at Cannes in 2013 and earned him the prestigious Camera d’Or award for best first film. “Ilo Ilo” went on to win more than 40 awards around the world, including the Sutherland Award at BFI London Film Festival, and four Golden Horse Awards...
- 12/21/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Strand Releasing has acquired North American rights to Bassam Tariq’s “Mogul Mowgli,” co-written, starring and produced by Riz Ahmed. The movie world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival where it won the Fipresci International Critics’ Prize.
Produced by Thomas Benski, CEO of Pulse Films, and Ahmed’s Left Handed Films banner, “Mogul Mowgli” recently received seven British Independent Film Award nominations. Strand plans for a theatrical release in the spring.
“Mogul Mowgli,” which marks Tariq’s debut narrative feature, follows the story of a rapper, Zed (Ahmed), who, on the cusp of his first world tour, is struck down by an illness that forces him to face his past, his family, and the uncertainty of his legacy.
” ‘Mogul Mowgli’ is unlike anything I’ve done before or seen before,” said Ahmed. “In a time where identity is at the forefront of our cultural conversation, Bassam has explored it in a bold and genre-defying way.
Produced by Thomas Benski, CEO of Pulse Films, and Ahmed’s Left Handed Films banner, “Mogul Mowgli” recently received seven British Independent Film Award nominations. Strand plans for a theatrical release in the spring.
“Mogul Mowgli,” which marks Tariq’s debut narrative feature, follows the story of a rapper, Zed (Ahmed), who, on the cusp of his first world tour, is struck down by an illness that forces him to face his past, his family, and the uncertainty of his legacy.
” ‘Mogul Mowgli’ is unlike anything I’ve done before or seen before,” said Ahmed. “In a time where identity is at the forefront of our cultural conversation, Bassam has explored it in a bold and genre-defying way.
- 12/16/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Strand Releasing has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Majid Majidi’s “Sun Children,” which competed at Venice and represents Iran in the international feature film race at the 2021 Academy Awards.
Represented in international markets by Hengameh Panahi’s Celluloid Dreams, “Sun Children” has been critically acclaimed in the festival circuit, and its young leading actor Ruhollah Zamani won Venice’s Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young actor. The movie went on to win the best feature film award at the Doha Ajyal Film Festival. The film was produced by Amir Banan and Majid Majidi.
“Sun Children” tells the story of 12-year-old Ali and his three friends who work hard together to survive and support their families, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes to make fast cash. In a turn of events that seems miraculous, Ali is entrusted to find hidden treasure underground, but in order...
Represented in international markets by Hengameh Panahi’s Celluloid Dreams, “Sun Children” has been critically acclaimed in the festival circuit, and its young leading actor Ruhollah Zamani won Venice’s Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young actor. The movie went on to win the best feature film award at the Doha Ajyal Film Festival. The film was produced by Amir Banan and Majid Majidi.
“Sun Children” tells the story of 12-year-old Ali and his three friends who work hard together to survive and support their families, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes to make fast cash. In a turn of events that seems miraculous, Ali is entrusted to find hidden treasure underground, but in order...
- 12/4/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Since the last round up 6 more countries have announced Oscar submissions bringing the total of competing films to 43.
Belgium - Working Girls A drama about three women from France crossing the border daily to Belgium for sex work Indonesia - Impetigore (previously discussed) Usually there's a random horror movie somewhere in the submission list but this year we have not one but two Asian horror movies (the other is Roh/Soul from Malaysia). The only horror movie we can think of to be successfully nominated in this category was a very long time ago with Japan's Kwaidan (1964). Iran - Sun Children (previously discussed) Kenya - The Letter This is the first time Kenya has submitted a documentary (the nomination for Honeyland last year seems to have embolded various countries to send docs as it looks like there will be more of them than usual this year) Lesotho -This is Not a Burial,...
Belgium - Working Girls A drama about three women from France crossing the border daily to Belgium for sex work Indonesia - Impetigore (previously discussed) Usually there's a random horror movie somewhere in the submission list but this year we have not one but two Asian horror movies (the other is Roh/Soul from Malaysia). The only horror movie we can think of to be successfully nominated in this category was a very long time ago with Japan's Kwaidan (1964). Iran - Sun Children (previously discussed) Kenya - The Letter This is the first time Kenya has submitted a documentary (the nomination for Honeyland last year seems to have embolded various countries to send docs as it looks like there will be more of them than usual this year) Lesotho -This is Not a Burial,...
- 11/10/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut “Falling” and the already acclaimed Chinese film “The Cloud in her Room” form part of the 11-title competition section announced by the International Film Festival & Awards Macao. The festival will take place entirely online this year, running Dec. 3-8.
The competition, which focuses on first and second films, also includes: Wang Xiaozhen’s “Love Poem,” which won the top prize at the First International Film Festival this year; Jeonju prize-winner “Black Light,” by Bae Jongdae; Cannes 2020 Label titles “Limbo,” by the U.K.’s Ben Sharrock, “Spring Blossom” by France’s Suzanne Lindon, and “Sweat” by Magnus von Horn; and “Back To The Wharf,” by China’s Li Xiaofeng.
Three other titles joining the competition are: “Servants,” by Ivan Ostrochovsky of the Czech Republic; “Shorta,” by Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Olholm from Denmark; and “Tragic Jungle,” by Yulene Olaizola, from Mexico.
Prizes will be...
The competition, which focuses on first and second films, also includes: Wang Xiaozhen’s “Love Poem,” which won the top prize at the First International Film Festival this year; Jeonju prize-winner “Black Light,” by Bae Jongdae; Cannes 2020 Label titles “Limbo,” by the U.K.’s Ben Sharrock, “Spring Blossom” by France’s Suzanne Lindon, and “Sweat” by Magnus von Horn; and “Back To The Wharf,” by China’s Li Xiaofeng.
Three other titles joining the competition are: “Servants,” by Ivan Ostrochovsky of the Czech Republic; “Shorta,” by Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Olholm from Denmark; and “Tragic Jungle,” by Yulene Olaizola, from Mexico.
Prizes will be...
- 11/10/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The International Film Festival & Awards Macao has unveiled its program and jury ahead of its 5th edition taking place digitally December 3 – 8.
Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda will receive the festival’s ‘Spirit of Cinema’ award at a virtual awards ceremony taking place online December 8. The event will also screen films via a dedicated video streaming platform and host five in conversation events virtually.
Competing in the International Competition are: Viggo Mortenson’s directorial debut Falling; Love Poem which won the top prize at the First International Film Festival this year; Jeonju prize-winner Black Light; Rotterdam Tiger winner The Cloud In Her Room and Cannes 2020 Label titles Limbo, Spring Blossom and Sweat.
The competition jury, which awards a $60,000 prize to the best feature, will be comprised of: filmmaker Ning Hao (president), filmmaker Mattie Do, actress Nina Hoss, director Eric Khoo, and Hong Kong Film Festival head Albert Lee.
The five in conversations...
Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda will receive the festival’s ‘Spirit of Cinema’ award at a virtual awards ceremony taking place online December 8. The event will also screen films via a dedicated video streaming platform and host five in conversation events virtually.
Competing in the International Competition are: Viggo Mortenson’s directorial debut Falling; Love Poem which won the top prize at the First International Film Festival this year; Jeonju prize-winner Black Light; Rotterdam Tiger winner The Cloud In Her Room and Cannes 2020 Label titles Limbo, Spring Blossom and Sweat.
The competition jury, which awards a $60,000 prize to the best feature, will be comprised of: filmmaker Ning Hao (president), filmmaker Mattie Do, actress Nina Hoss, director Eric Khoo, and Hong Kong Film Festival head Albert Lee.
The five in conversations...
- 11/10/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Bookmark this page for all the latest international feature submissions.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
Submissions for the best international feature film award at the 2021 Academy Awards have started to come in, and Screen is keeping a running list of each film below.
Scroll down for the full list
The 93rd Academy Awards is set to take place on April 25, 2021. It was originally set to be held on February 28, before both the ceremony and eligibility period were postponed for two months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Submitted films must have been released in their respective countries between the expanded dates of October 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. (Last year it was October-September.
- 11/9/2020
- by Ben Dalton¬Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Iran has chosen childhood labor drama “Sun Children” as its national representative for the Academy Awards best international feature film category. It is the sixth time that a firm directed by Majid Majidi will represent the country.
The decision was announced on Sunday by the delegation of the representative of Iranian cinema to the Oscar ceremony. The committee said that it screened 90 films and whittled that down to a shortlist of 12 before making its final decision. Other films in contention had included drama “Walnut Tree,” “Yalda: A Night for Forgiveness” and “Careless Crime.”
“Sun Children” had its world premiere in competition at the 77th Venice Film Festival in September. The film’s star, Ruhollah Zamani, was named the best young actor at the Italian festival and claimed the Marcello Mastroianni Award. Majidi was presented with the Lanterna Magica award.
The story follows a small group of kids who sign up...
The decision was announced on Sunday by the delegation of the representative of Iranian cinema to the Oscar ceremony. The committee said that it screened 90 films and whittled that down to a shortlist of 12 before making its final decision. Other films in contention had included drama “Walnut Tree,” “Yalda: A Night for Forgiveness” and “Careless Crime.”
“Sun Children” had its world premiere in competition at the 77th Venice Film Festival in September. The film’s star, Ruhollah Zamani, was named the best young actor at the Italian festival and claimed the Marcello Mastroianni Award. Majidi was presented with the Lanterna Magica award.
The story follows a small group of kids who sign up...
- 11/9/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
by Nathaniel R
Iran is sending their favourite filmmaking son to the Oscars again. Sixty-one year old prolific filmmaker Majid Majidi brought Iran the first of their three Oscar nominations with his fifth film Children of Heaven (1998); they've submitted him almost every time he's made a feature since. This year his latest film Sun Children, which you'll recall won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at Venice this year, about poverty stricken chilldren trying to support their families, will compete for the coveted Best International Feature Film Oscar prize.
After the jump key Iranian submissions over the years and Oscar trivia...
Iran is sending their favourite filmmaking son to the Oscars again. Sixty-one year old prolific filmmaker Majid Majidi brought Iran the first of their three Oscar nominations with his fifth film Children of Heaven (1998); they've submitted him almost every time he's made a feature since. This year his latest film Sun Children, which you'll recall won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at Venice this year, about poverty stricken chilldren trying to support their families, will compete for the coveted Best International Feature Film Oscar prize.
After the jump key Iranian submissions over the years and Oscar trivia...
- 11/8/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Vanessa Kirby wins best actress Coppa Volpi for Pieces Of A Woman.
Chloé Zhao’s US drama Nomadland starring Frances McDormand has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, which held its awards in a socially-distanced ceremony on Saturday evening (September 12).
The Silver Lion – Grand Jury prize went to Michel Franco’s Mexican-French feature New Order, about a high society wedding which is interrupted by protesters. Franco was present in Venice to accept the award, which was presented in front of a half-full Sala Grande, as part of the measures in place to combat the...
Chloé Zhao’s US drama Nomadland starring Frances McDormand has won the Golden Lion for best film at the 2020 Venice Film Festival, which held its awards in a socially-distanced ceremony on Saturday evening (September 12).
The Silver Lion – Grand Jury prize went to Michel Franco’s Mexican-French feature New Order, about a high society wedding which is interrupted by protesters. Franco was present in Venice to accept the award, which was presented in front of a half-full Sala Grande, as part of the measures in place to combat the...
- 9/12/2020
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
“Nomadland” has received the Golden Lion Award as the best film of the 2020 Venice International Film Festival, a jury headed by Cate Blanchett announced on Saturday.
The Searchlight drama, a simultaneous premiere by the Venice, Telluride and Toronto festivals, was directed by Chloe Zhao and stars Frances McDormand as a woman who travels through the American West in a van after losing her job and her home. Apart from McDormand and David Strathairn, almost all of the actors in the film are actual “nomads” that Zhao cast on her own travels through the area.
“Nuevo Orden” (“New Order”) by Mexican director Michel Franco won the Silver Lion, the festival’s second-place award, while acting prizes went to Vanessa Kirby for “Pieces of a Woman” and Pierfrancesco Favino for “Padrenostro.”
Kiyoshi Kurosawa was named the festival’s best director for “Wife of a Spy.”
Ahmad Bahrami’s “The Wasteland” won the...
The Searchlight drama, a simultaneous premiere by the Venice, Telluride and Toronto festivals, was directed by Chloe Zhao and stars Frances McDormand as a woman who travels through the American West in a van after losing her job and her home. Apart from McDormand and David Strathairn, almost all of the actors in the film are actual “nomads” that Zhao cast on her own travels through the area.
“Nuevo Orden” (“New Order”) by Mexican director Michel Franco won the Silver Lion, the festival’s second-place award, while acting prizes went to Vanessa Kirby for “Pieces of a Woman” and Pierfrancesco Favino for “Padrenostro.”
Kiyoshi Kurosawa was named the festival’s best director for “Wife of a Spy.”
Ahmad Bahrami’s “The Wasteland” won the...
- 9/12/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Venice Film Festival, which reinvigorated the fall festival season with a physical event that began on September 2 in Italy, concluded on Saturday with its annual awards ceremony. See the full list of winners and watch the live stream below.
Led by president Cate Blanchett, the jurors for the main competition included Austrian director Veronika Franz, British filmmaker Joanna Hogg (“The Souvenir”), Italian writer and novelist Nicola Lagioia, German filmmaker Christian Petzold, actor Matt Dillon (“Crash”), and French actress Ludivine Sagnier.
Together, they awarded the festival’s top prizes, including the Golden Lion, which last year went to “Joker” under jury president Lucrecia Martel. This year’s Golden Lion went to “Nomadland,” which received a rapturous reception out of the Toronto International Film Festival as well this week, and looks to be headed straight for Oscar contention.
Meanwhile, in the Orizzonti, or Horizons, section running parallel to the main competition,...
Led by president Cate Blanchett, the jurors for the main competition included Austrian director Veronika Franz, British filmmaker Joanna Hogg (“The Souvenir”), Italian writer and novelist Nicola Lagioia, German filmmaker Christian Petzold, actor Matt Dillon (“Crash”), and French actress Ludivine Sagnier.
Together, they awarded the festival’s top prizes, including the Golden Lion, which last year went to “Joker” under jury president Lucrecia Martel. This year’s Golden Lion went to “Nomadland,” which received a rapturous reception out of the Toronto International Film Festival as well this week, and looks to be headed straight for Oscar contention.
Meanwhile, in the Orizzonti, or Horizons, section running parallel to the main competition,...
- 9/12/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Venice Film Festival wraps today after putting on a show against the odds. Despite lacking in studio fare, there was no shortage of well-received movies. Was there a Sundance-style bounce, with critics giddy just to be on the Lido after months of lockdown? Perhaps. But this was also a solid roster of independent movies. While there was no Joker juggernaut, there was at least one Roma rave. We’ve done a wide sweep of the English-language reviews and here’s our run-down of the best-received world premieres.
Standing out in the pack for its touted Academy Awards potential was Chloe Zhao’s anticipated drama Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand as a woman who embarks on a journey through the American West. The Searchlight Pictures movie, which debuted last night, was expected to be impress given its simultaneous berths in Venice and Toronto, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s just...
Standing out in the pack for its touted Academy Awards potential was Chloe Zhao’s anticipated drama Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand as a woman who embarks on a journey through the American West. The Searchlight Pictures movie, which debuted last night, was expected to be impress given its simultaneous berths in Venice and Toronto, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s just...
- 9/12/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Al Pacino and Francis Ford Coppola on the set of The Godfather: Part III.A new edit and restoration of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part III will have a limited theatrical release in December. The film, entitled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, includes a "a new beginning and ending."New inclusion requirements for the Oscars will take full effect in 2024, requiring films to meet standards for on-screen representation (in cast or theme) and creative leadership in order to be eligible for Best Picture. This year's lineup for the London Film Festival includes Ben Sharrock's Limbo (which will be distributed in the U.K. and Ireland by Mubi!). The Fondation Cartier will be presenting the world premiere of Artavazd Peleshian's first film in 27 years, La nature.
- 9/9/2020
- MUBI
Above: Dear Comrades!After a week of four films a day, unhealthy amounts of coffee, and dangerously little sleep, the countless screenings you’ve been shuttled into tend to merge into one confused amalgam. You’ve watched enough films for creative pairings between the selection to start percolating, and a great double bill came about yesterday, as the Lido welcomed back Andrei Konchalovsky and his latest, Dear Comrades! I watched it as a storm raged over the Lido, the thunders roaring above the roof of the Sala Darsena, a fitting soundtrack for a film that unearthed a tragic chapter of Soviet history, and brought me back to another Golden Lion contender from a few days ago, Quo Vadis, Aida? Both Konchalovsky and Jasmila Žbanić’s films home in on unspeakable massacres, and follow women struggling to protect their families against the forces of History. Incidentally, both are also among the...
- 9/8/2020
- MUBI
Majid Majidi’s cast of young toughs digging for treasure under a school deliver a heart-rending story with unexpected depth of emotion
Sun Children, by the Iranian director Majid Majidi, gives us a prison-break drama that is escaping to nowhere, and a knockabout school comedy gone horribly wrong. The acting is broad, the plot gears often creak, but it has guts and heart and a grubby, street-smart charisma. It’s one of the finest films playing in this year’s Venice competition.
Dedicated to “the 152m children forced into child labour”, this casts 12-year-old Roohollah Zamani as Ali, the pint-sized boss of a gang of thieves, a miniature wheel inside a much bigger machine, working for an unnamed local crime boss who skulks on the rooftop amid his pigeon coops. The boss wants Ali to retrieve a hoard of unspecified treasure, which is either buried in the local graveyard or...
Sun Children, by the Iranian director Majid Majidi, gives us a prison-break drama that is escaping to nowhere, and a knockabout school comedy gone horribly wrong. The acting is broad, the plot gears often creak, but it has guts and heart and a grubby, street-smart charisma. It’s one of the finest films playing in this year’s Venice competition.
Dedicated to “the 152m children forced into child labour”, this casts 12-year-old Roohollah Zamani as Ali, the pint-sized boss of a gang of thieves, a miniature wheel inside a much bigger machine, working for an unnamed local crime boss who skulks on the rooftop amid his pigeon coops. The boss wants Ali to retrieve a hoard of unspecified treasure, which is either buried in the local graveyard or...
- 9/8/2020
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Iranian director Majid Majidi has made some of the most visually stunning and emotionally stirring films in world cinema about the plight of under-privileged, exploited and abused young people, and Sun Children (Khorshid) is one of his very best. The story of street boys commissioned by a local boss to dig for a treasure unfolds around an urban schoolyard and the clever, freckled face of 12-year-old Ali (Roohollah Zamani), a stereotype-buster of non-stop courage. The movie won best film, best screenplay and best production design kudos at this year’s Fajr Film Festival and should be a frontrunner in Venice competition.
Majidi’s ...
Majidi’s ...
Majid Majidi begins his new film with a caption dedicating it to the 152 million children who have been forced into child labor. It’s an important and sobering statistic, but not necessarily one that leads you to expect a rollicking hour-and-a-half’s entertainment.
In fact, though, “Khorshid” (or “Sun Children”) is quite the thrill ride, mixing a Dickensian, social-realist account of children in poverty in Tehran with a kinetic, far-fetched heist movie and a well-meaning drama about a kindly teacher who would, in a 1980s American film, have been played by Robin Williams. Majidi’s “Children of Heaven” was the first Iranian film to be nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, back in 1999 (Roberto Benigni’s “Life is Beautiful” won). “Sun Children,” which was the top prize-winner at Tehran’s Fajr International Film Festival in February, could have a similar crossover appeal.
Its hero is 12-year-old Ali (Rouhollah...
In fact, though, “Khorshid” (or “Sun Children”) is quite the thrill ride, mixing a Dickensian, social-realist account of children in poverty in Tehran with a kinetic, far-fetched heist movie and a well-meaning drama about a kindly teacher who would, in a 1980s American film, have been played by Robin Williams. Majidi’s “Children of Heaven” was the first Iranian film to be nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, back in 1999 (Roberto Benigni’s “Life is Beautiful” won). “Sun Children,” which was the top prize-winner at Tehran’s Fajr International Film Festival in February, could have a similar crossover appeal.
Its hero is 12-year-old Ali (Rouhollah...
- 9/6/2020
- by Nicholas Barber
- Indiewire
Watching Iranian director Majid Majidi’s “Sun Children,” I was reminded of “The Florida Project.” One of the best films about children of the 21st century, “The Florida Project” takes place within a stone’s throw of Walt Disney World, where it seems a dream too much for its neglected kid characters to visit until, in the film’s last scene, they enter the park. “Sun Children” presents this scenario in reverse. It opens with two boys, 12-year-old Ali (Rouhollah Zamani) and young Afghan friend/accomplice Abolfazl (Abolfazl Shirzad), running through the poshest place they can think of: a Tehran shopping mall where they’ve been stealing tires from the luxury cars in the parking garage.
Majidi, as some may recall, directed one of the best films about children of the 20th century: “Children of Heaven,” about a boy who loses his sister’s shoes and the trouble that causes for them both.
Majidi, as some may recall, directed one of the best films about children of the 20th century: “Children of Heaven,” about a boy who loses his sister’s shoes and the trouble that causes for them both.
- 9/6/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.