UK-France-Germany co-production depicts the AIDS pandemic at the end of 1990s.
Germany-based sales firm Global Screen has boarded world sales on Mercy, the new film from More Than Ever director Emily Atef.
French-Iranian director Atef is in Cannes sourcing partners for the film, which will be her English-language film debut and is aiming for a 2024 shoot entirely in Kenya.
Atef has written the adaptation of Lara Santoro’s novel of the same name, about a friendship between a US correspondent in Kenya and a local woman from the slums, who pair up to combat the AIDS crisis in the country...
Germany-based sales firm Global Screen has boarded world sales on Mercy, the new film from More Than Ever director Emily Atef.
French-Iranian director Atef is in Cannes sourcing partners for the film, which will be her English-language film debut and is aiming for a 2024 shoot entirely in Kenya.
Atef has written the adaptation of Lara Santoro’s novel of the same name, about a friendship between a US correspondent in Kenya and a local woman from the slums, who pair up to combat the AIDS crisis in the country...
- 5/21/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Durban — “The Reports on Sarah and Saleem,” directed by Muayad Alayan, scooped best picture at the 39th Durban Intl. Film Festival, which wrapped Saturday night with an award ceremony at the Suncoast Cine Center complex.
The film tells the story of the political ramifications of an extra-marital affair between a Palestinian man and an Israeli woman. Variety described it as a “taut psychosocial drama.”
In a pre-recorded message from Jerusalem, Alayan offered thanks to the audience in South Africa – a country, he said, “which we as Palestinians hold in a very special place in our hearts” – while dedicating the award to “all the filmmakers out there in this world who are fighting all forms of injustice with their films and their art.”
The award punctuated a Diff whose 2018 edition “had a very special focus on hearing and seeing the marginal voices, with a focus on celebrating diversity,” according to Lliane Loots,...
The film tells the story of the political ramifications of an extra-marital affair between a Palestinian man and an Israeli woman. Variety described it as a “taut psychosocial drama.”
In a pre-recorded message from Jerusalem, Alayan offered thanks to the audience in South Africa – a country, he said, “which we as Palestinians hold in a very special place in our hearts” – while dedicating the award to “all the filmmakers out there in this world who are fighting all forms of injustice with their films and their art.”
The award punctuated a Diff whose 2018 edition “had a very special focus on hearing and seeing the marginal voices, with a focus on celebrating diversity,” according to Lliane Loots,...
- 7/29/2018
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Leonardo DiCaprio and Appian Way Productions are to executive produce Silas, a documentary about a Liberian environmental activist debuting at the Toronto Film Festival.
Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman direct the profile of Silas Siakor, who crusades against illegal logging in Liberia. It will have its world premiere at Tiff on Sept. 11. Appian Way's DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson join Oscar-winning Edward Zwick and Jonathan Stack (The Farm: Angola, USA) as executive producers on the Canada-South Africa co-production.
The Oscar-winning actor has been a strong advocate of fighting climate change and preserving wildlife, and his documentary, Before the Flood, directed...
Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman direct the profile of Silas Siakor, who crusades against illegal logging in Liberia. It will have its world premiere at Tiff on Sept. 11. Appian Way's DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson join Oscar-winning Edward Zwick and Jonathan Stack (The Farm: Angola, USA) as executive producers on the Canada-South Africa co-production.
The Oscar-winning actor has been a strong advocate of fighting climate change and preserving wildlife, and his documentary, Before the Flood, directed...
- 9/1/2017
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
By Thom Powers
“Resistance is a key theme in this year’s documentaries,” said Tiff Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.”
Tiff’s 2017 documentary lineup goes deep into the lives of boundary-pushing characters — Grace Jones, Jim Carrey, Jane Goodall, and Eric Clapton, to name only a few of the most famous. But the celebrity factor isn’t enough to make a great film. What sets these docs apart is their directors’ ability to a bring fresh perspective.
Azmaish: A Journey through the SubcontinentBoom For Real The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Then there are figures whose names you may not recognize, but they become unforgettable after you see them on screen. They include Scotty Bowers, who was...
“Resistance is a key theme in this year’s documentaries,” said Tiff Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.”
Tiff’s 2017 documentary lineup goes deep into the lives of boundary-pushing characters — Grace Jones, Jim Carrey, Jane Goodall, and Eric Clapton, to name only a few of the most famous. But the celebrity factor isn’t enough to make a great film. What sets these docs apart is their directors’ ability to a bring fresh perspective.
Azmaish: A Journey through the SubcontinentBoom For Real The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Then there are figures whose names you may not recognize, but they become unforgettable after you see them on screen. They include Scotty Bowers, who was...
- 8/3/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
ThelmaA selection of films from the 2017 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has been unveiled, with new films by Sebastián Lelio, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Darren Aronofsky, Greta Gerwig, Guillermo Del Toro, Joachim Trier, Wim Wenders, and many more.Special PRESENTATIONSOpening Night: Ladybird (Greta Gerwig)Closing Night: Sheikh Jackson (Amr Salama)Battle of the Sexes (Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton)Bpm (Beats Per Minute) (Robin Campillo)The Brawler (Anurag Kashyap)The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)Catch the Wind (Gaël Morel)The Children Act (Richard Eyre)The Current War (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)Disobedience (Sebastián Lelio)Downsizing (Alexander Payne)A Fantastic Woman (Sebastián Lelio)First They Killed My Father (Angelina Jolie)The Guardians (Xavier Beauvois)Hostiles (Scott Cooper)The Hungry (Bornila Chatterjee)I, Tonya (Craig Gillespie)Mother! (Darren Aronofsky)Novitiate (Maggie Betts)Omerta (Hansal Mehta)Plonger (Mélanie Laurent)The Price of Success (Teddy Lussi-Modeste)Professor Marston & the Wonder Women...
- 8/3/2017
- MUBI
Following an initial round of premieres and the announcement that Borg vs. McEnroe will open Toronto International Film Festival 2017, they’ve now announced their lineup for Midnight Madness and Documentaries. Leading the pack of our most-anticipated among midnight tiles is Brawl in Cell Block 99, which is S. Craig Zahler’s follow-up to Bone Tomahawk and will premiere at Venice beforehand. There’s also the latest film from Joseph Kahn, Bodied, which will open the sidebar, and the first trailer has landed.
On the documentary side, there is Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, as well as new films from Morgan Spurlock, Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck), and more. Check out the new additions below, along with images and trailers where available.
Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness Opening Film
Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA
World Premiere
Our #TIFF17 Midnight Madness Opening Night Film is @JosephKahn’s Bodied,...
On the documentary side, there is Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, as well as new films from Morgan Spurlock, Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck), and more. Check out the new additions below, along with images and trailers where available.
Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness Opening Film
Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA
World Premiere
Our #TIFF17 Midnight Madness Opening Night Film is @JosephKahn’s Bodied,...
- 8/2/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Morgan Spurlock re-engages with the food industry, James Franco digs into the ‘worst film ever made’.
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
- 8/1/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
They are two of the Toronto International Film Festival’s wildest sections — for very different reasons — and this year’s slate of both Midnight Madness and Documentary offerings appear to signal another strong lineup for the festival. Thrills, chills, terror, and scares await movie-goers, all care of unbelievable real-life stories and slightly less true tales for genre fans of all stripes.
This year’s Midnight Madness section will open with Joseph Kahn’s provocative World Premiere of “Bodied,” and also offers up the World Premiere of “The Disaster Artist,” directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film, “The Room.” (The film previously screened as a work-in-progress at SXSW.)
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
In his first year as programmer, Peter Kuplowsky is also welcoming back several fest alumni, including David Bruckner,...
This year’s Midnight Madness section will open with Joseph Kahn’s provocative World Premiere of “Bodied,” and also offers up the World Premiere of “The Disaster Artist,” directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film, “The Room.” (The film previously screened as a work-in-progress at SXSW.)
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
In his first year as programmer, Peter Kuplowsky is also welcoming back several fest alumni, including David Bruckner,...
- 8/1/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Well folks, after a rather long and brutal winter (at least for me here in Buffalo), we are finally heading into the wonderful warmth of summer, but with that blast of sunshine and steamy humidity comes the mid-year drought of major film fests. After the Sheffield Doc/Fest concludes on June 10th and AFI Docs wraps on June 21st, we likely won’t see any major influx in our charts until Locarno, Venice, Telluride and Tiff announce their line-ups in rapid succession. In the meantime, we can look forward to the intriguing onslaught of films making their debut in Sheffield, including Brian Hill’s intriguing examination of Sweden’s most notorious serial killer, The Confessions of Thomas Quick, and Sean McAllister’s film for which he himself was jailed in the process of making, A Syrian Love Story, the only two films world premiering in the festival’s main competition.
- 6/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
It should come as no surprise that Cannes Film Festival will play host to Kent Jones’s doc on the touchstone of filmmaking interview tomes, Hitchcock/Truffaut (see photo above). The film has been floating near the top of this list since it was announced last year as in development, while Jones himself has a history with the festival, having co-written both Arnaud Desplechin’s Jimmy P. and Martin Scorsese’s My Voyage To Italy, both of which premiered in Cannes. The film is scheduled to screen as part of the Cannes Classics sidebar alongside the likes of Stig Björkman’s Ingrid Bergman, in Her Own Words, which will play as part of the festival’s tribute to the late starlet, and Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna’s Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans (see trailer below). As someone who grew up watching road races with my dad in Watkins Glen,...
- 5/1/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Now that the busy winter fest schedule of Sundance, Rotterdam and the Berlinale has concluded, we’ve now got our eyes on the likes of True/False and SXSW. While, True/False does not specialize in attention grabbing world premieres, it does provide a late winter haven for cream of the crop non-fiction fare from all the previously mentioned fests and a selection of overlooked genre blending films presented in a down home setting. This year will mark my first trip to the Columbia, Missouri based fest, where I hope to catch a little of everything, from their hush-hush secret screenings, to selections from their Neither/Nor series, this year featuring chimeric Polish cinema of decades past, to a spotlight of Adam Curtis’s incisive oeuvre. But truth be told, it is SXSW, with its slew of high profile world premieres being announced, such as Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs...
- 2/27/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Turkey or no turkey, these next couple of days lucky filmmakers who’ve been selected to screen as part of the Sundance Film Festival will get the invitation notice straight from John Cooper and the Park City programming team, and thus, those that we’re betting have made the cut have also inched up the list a bit. One of those that seem an obvious choice to premiere at the fest is director Steve Hoover and producer Danny Yourd’s Crocodile Gennadiy. Following up their Grand Jury Prize winning Blood Brother with incredible turnaround time, our new most anticipated film tracks the delicate operations of Gennadiy Mokhnenko, a Ukrainian activist, orphanage manager and savior of countless children whose addict parents favor injected cold medicine and alcohol over them. Part heartwrenching domestic drama, part sleuth thriller, the film looks to use the Ukrainian uprising as a backdrop to highlight its protagonist...
- 11/27/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
I'm a sucker for solid political thrillers, and this one definitely has my attention, if only because it's set in an African country (Kenya), with a black African cast and crew, and is a 4th collaboration between German filmmaker Tom Tykwer's One Fine Day Films, and Nairobi (Kenya)-based Ginger Ink - a project we first alerted you to a year ago, when it was beginning principal photography. S&A has covered every film that's been developed under the One Fine Day Films/Ginger Ink collab: "Soul Boy," from director Hawa Essuman, "Nairobi Half Life," from director David Tosh Gitonga, and most recently, "Something Necessary,"...
- 8/18/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
"'Djin' is the name of a spirit that’s in a wind. That wind blows every 30 years. It selects people but nobody knows why or who. It blows, and removes whatever uncertainties a person has about whatever it is they care about the most, leaving them to take action." This is how director Hawa Essuman introduces the video story of her new film Djin, that she has been writing in recent months, and which bears the name of a magical wind which crosses the lives of the protagonists. Along with the transformations of each character, the film offers a fresh look at the locations in which it is set, along the Kenyan coastline. Hawa Essuman is a young director of Ghanaian origin who is...
- 4/22/2014
- by Claudia D'Alonzo For lettera27
- ShadowAndAct
Interview Video Series Launch w/ Director Hawa Essuman As She Develops Her Supernatural Drama 'Djin'
"'Djin' is the name of a spirit that’s in a wind. That wind blows every 30 years. It selects people but nobody knows why or who. It blows, and removes whatever uncertainties a person has about whatever it is they care about the most, leaving them to take action." This is how director Hawa Essuman introduces the video story of her new film Djin, that she has been writing in recent months, and which bears the name of a magical wind which crosses the lives of the protagonists. Along with the transformations of each character, the film offers a fresh look at the locations in which it is set, along the Kenyan coastline. Hawa Essuman is a young director of Ghanaian origin who is...
- 4/17/2014
- by Claudia D'Alonzo For lettera27
- ShadowAndAct
Congratulations to Kenyan director Hawa Essuman, Anjali Nayar and South African producer Steven Markovitz on their feature documentary project, Logs Of War, being selected for the 2014 Hot Docs Forum, regarded as the most effective international documentary market in North America - a dynamic pitching event that stimulates international co-production financing for projects at various levels of completion. It's a two-day, focused on a slate of pre-selected international project presentations showcased in front of a round table of commissioning editors, programming executives and delegates from around the globe. The South African/Kenyan production, Logs Of War, follows a...
- 3/12/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Dok Leipzig’s Golden Dove for Best International Documentary went to the Us, while Norway scored a hat-trick at the Nordic Film Days in Lübeck.
The top award in Leipzig’s International Documentary Competition went to Italian-born, Us-based film-maker Roberto Minervini’s Stop The Pounding Heart whose portrayal of a strict religious family was described by the jury as ¨refreshing and unsettling at the same time.¨
The Us-Belgian-Italian co-production is handled internationally by Doc & Film.
The Golden Dove in the German Documentary Competition was awarded to Carlo Zoratti for his feature-length debut The Special Need, while the newly-created Golden Dove for the animation-documentary hybrid form was presented to French director Daniela De Felice’s Casa.
A total of 18 prizes with cash awards totalling almost €70,000 ($95,000) included the Fipresci Prize for Gang Zhao’s A Folk Troupe; the Mdr Film Prize for Vitaly Mansky’s Pipeline; and the Youth Jury Prize to Joanna by Aneta Kopacz, a graduate...
The top award in Leipzig’s International Documentary Competition went to Italian-born, Us-based film-maker Roberto Minervini’s Stop The Pounding Heart whose portrayal of a strict religious family was described by the jury as ¨refreshing and unsettling at the same time.¨
The Us-Belgian-Italian co-production is handled internationally by Doc & Film.
The Golden Dove in the German Documentary Competition was awarded to Carlo Zoratti for his feature-length debut The Special Need, while the newly-created Golden Dove for the animation-documentary hybrid form was presented to French director Daniela De Felice’s Casa.
A total of 18 prizes with cash awards totalling almost €70,000 ($95,000) included the Fipresci Prize for Gang Zhao’s A Folk Troupe; the Mdr Film Prize for Vitaly Mansky’s Pipeline; and the Youth Jury Prize to Joanna by Aneta Kopacz, a graduate...
- 11/4/2013
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
'Nairobi Half Life' Producers Begin Production On Next Project - Kenya-Set Political Thriller 'Veve'
A 4th collaboration between German filmmaker Tom Tykwer's One Fine Day Films, and Nairobi (Kenya)-based Ginger Ink, has begun production in Nairobi. S&A has covered every film that's been developed under the One Fine Day Films/Ginger Ink banners - Soul Boy, from director Hawa Essuman, Nairobi Half Life, from director David Tosh Gitonga, and most recently, Something Necessary, from another Kenyan filmmaker in Judy Kibinge. After launching a casting call for actors early last month, the production companies are currently shooting their next feature, which is titled Veve, and is written by Natasha Likimani, and is being...
- 5/20/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
We've been following the progress of Kenyan filmmaker Hawa Essuman's supernatural feature Djin, for about 2 years now, as it's picked up financing in bits and pieces, via various film markets, co-production initiatives, grants received and more, including, most recently, the Director’s Eye prize at the 9th African Film Festival of Cordoba (Spain), which comes with 25,000 euro (or about $32,600) to be used for development. The acclaimed director of Soul Boy, her 2010 feature film debut (which was produced by Tom Tykwer - director of Run Lola, Run, Cloud Atlas), saw her Djin awarded the Director's Eye prize from a...
- 5/17/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Titled Something Necessary, the film is directed by Kenyan filmmaker, Judy Kibinge, and produced by German filmmaker Tom Tykwer (Run Lola, Run, Perfume) via his film production company, One Fine Day Films, which he co-founded in 2008 with his girlfriend/partner, Marie Steinmann, with the goal being to promote and support filmmaking for aspiring filmmakers in Nairobi (Kenya), with Nairobi-based producing partners Ginger Ink. S&A has covered every film that's been developed under the One Fine Day Films banner - Soul Boy, from director Hawa Essuman; and, most recently, the crime drama titled Nairobi Half Life, from director David...
- 3/3/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
More kudos to Kenyan filmmaker Hawa Essuman's supernatural screenplay titled Djin, which has won the Director’s Eye prize at the 9th African Film Festival of Cordoba (Spain); the award comes with 25,000 euro (or about $32,600) to be used in development. This marks yet another funding coup for the project, which, you may remember, in January, was 1 of 36 entries selected for Rotterdam’s 29th co-production market CineMart, where it was presented to 850 potential co-financiers. The acclaimed director of Soul Boy, her 2010 feature film debut (which was produced by Tom Tykwer - director of Run...
- 10/22/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Kenyan filmmaker Hawa Essuman's latest supernatural screenplay titled Djin (set in a sleepy seaside town that is about to be roused by a wind that stirs people’s deepest emotions every forty years) was selected as one of the 36 projects (from 465 entries) for Rotterdam’s 29th co-production market CineMart, where it was presented to 850 potential co-financiers. Now word yet on whether she's managed to raise all the funds she needs to go into production yet; but in the meantime, the acclaimed director of Soul Boy, her 2010 feature film debut (which was produced by Tom Tykwer - director of Run Lola, Run,...
- 7/19/2012
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The New York African Film Festival begins Today New Yorkers, and the 2011 lineup is an impressive one!
Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.
Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.
New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...
Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.
Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.
New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...
- 4/6/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
The New York African Film Festival begins tomorrow New Yorkers, and the 2011 lineup is an impressive one!
Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.
Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.
New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...
Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.
Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.
New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...
- 4/6/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
News on the march…! Held over the weekend, in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State (Nigeria) on Saturday, March 26, 2011, the celebration announcing the winners of the 2011 African Movie Academy Awards (Amaa) – in just its 7th year.
This year’s nominations list boasted an even longer list of awards, compared to previous years, as the award ceremony continues to grow.
Viva Riva, a film I’ve touted on this website in recent days, after seeing it for the first time last week, rightfully dominated, winning 6 trophies, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design.
The rest of the story follows in the table below, lifted from the Amaa’s website Here:
Category
Nominated Films
Winners
Best Short Film Bougfen – Petra Baninla Sunjo (Cameroun)
Weakness – Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya)
No Jersey No Match – Daniel Ademinokan (Nigeria)
Duty – Mak Kusare (Nigeria)
Bomlambo – Zwelesizwe Ntuli (South Africa)
Zebu And...
This year’s nominations list boasted an even longer list of awards, compared to previous years, as the award ceremony continues to grow.
Viva Riva, a film I’ve touted on this website in recent days, after seeing it for the first time last week, rightfully dominated, winning 6 trophies, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design.
The rest of the story follows in the table below, lifted from the Amaa’s website Here:
Category
Nominated Films
Winners
Best Short Film Bougfen – Petra Baninla Sunjo (Cameroun)
Weakness – Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya)
No Jersey No Match – Daniel Ademinokan (Nigeria)
Duty – Mak Kusare (Nigeria)
Bomlambo – Zwelesizwe Ntuli (South Africa)
Zebu And...
- 3/28/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
The New York African Film Festival has announced its 2011 lineup, and it’s an impressive one! I’m excited, and hopefully you will be too, especially if you live in New York.
Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film at Sundance in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.
Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s Viva Riva!, which screened at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and Fespaco last month, where it won some awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I haven’t seen it, but I’m really looking forward to doing so.
Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film at Sundance in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.
Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s Viva Riva!, which screened at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and Fespaco last month, where it won some awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I haven’t seen it, but I’m really looking forward to doing so.
- 3/15/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
I’m a few days late on this… for those of you in London, if you aren’t already aware, the Birds Eye View Film Festival is underway. It actually started on Tuesday, the 8th this week, and runs through the 17th, next week Thursday.
I’m not terribly familiar with the festival, but I know that Soul Boy, a film that has been previously mentioned on this blog, is screening tomorrow, Saturday, the 12th. It’ll be the film’s London premiere. It screens at 2Pm,at the Ica (Institute of Contemporary Arts), and will be followed by a Q&A session with director, Hawa Essuman.
Its story goes… In September 2008, the German production company One Fine Day Films teamed up with Kenyan producing partners Ginger Ink to develop a film workshop in Nairobi for aspiring local movie makers. The concept of the project was to take a minimal budget,...
I’m not terribly familiar with the festival, but I know that Soul Boy, a film that has been previously mentioned on this blog, is screening tomorrow, Saturday, the 12th. It’ll be the film’s London premiere. It screens at 2Pm,at the Ica (Institute of Contemporary Arts), and will be followed by a Q&A session with director, Hawa Essuman.
Its story goes… In September 2008, the German production company One Fine Day Films teamed up with Kenyan producing partners Ginger Ink to develop a film workshop in Nairobi for aspiring local movie makers. The concept of the project was to take a minimal budget,...
- 3/11/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Over the weekend, as most of us were reveling in Academy Awards thrills and chills, the nominations for another major movie award ceremony were announced, many miles, across the Atlantic Ocean; I’m referring to the 7-year old (this year) Africa Movie Academy Awards (Amaa), which will be held in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State (Nigeria) on Saturday, March 26, 2011.
This year’s nominations list boasts an even longer list of awards, compared to previous years, as the award ceremony continues to grow.
I’ll have to thoroughly scrub this list to highlight as many titles as I can – especially in the feature film categories, and I’ll do that with individual posts over the next week, or so. In the meantime, however, I’ll quickly point out those few titles that we’ve previously given ink to on this website, that are nominated for Amaa awards, including the following: in the Best Diaspora Feature,...
This year’s nominations list boasts an even longer list of awards, compared to previous years, as the award ceremony continues to grow.
I’ll have to thoroughly scrub this list to highlight as many titles as I can – especially in the feature film categories, and I’ll do that with individual posts over the next week, or so. In the meantime, however, I’ll quickly point out those few titles that we’ve previously given ink to on this website, that are nominated for Amaa awards, including the following: in the Best Diaspora Feature,...
- 2/28/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Given the recent furore over certain Sky Sports presenters being a bunch of sexist bastards, it seems a relevant time to celebrate the female contribution to cinema – which is still largely unappreciated with women directors still making up a small percentage of directors and other creatives. But they’re awesome and they’ve now got their own festival to show off their work.
We’ve been sent over the press release and festival line up. The Bird’s Eye View Film Festival takes place in London from March 8th – 17th. The programme includes new films, documentaries, retrospectives and panel discussions.
From the press release:
The hotly anticipated Birds Eye View Film Festival 2011 (Bev) programme has been announced by Rosamund Pike at a private launch event on 25 January. The Festival returns for its seventh annual celebration of women filmmakers from 8-17 March at BFI Southbank, the Ica the Southbank Centre, with...
We’ve been sent over the press release and festival line up. The Bird’s Eye View Film Festival takes place in London from March 8th – 17th. The programme includes new films, documentaries, retrospectives and panel discussions.
From the press release:
The hotly anticipated Birds Eye View Film Festival 2011 (Bev) programme has been announced by Rosamund Pike at a private launch event on 25 January. The Festival returns for its seventh annual celebration of women filmmakers from 8-17 March at BFI Southbank, the Ica the Southbank Centre, with...
- 1/26/2011
- by Martyn Conterio
- FilmShaft.com
Continuing on with my planned 2 1/2 week pre-coverage of the New York African Diaspora Film Festival, which begins on November 26th, and will run for about 2 1/2 weeks, through December 14th…
Thus far, I’ve profiled the festival opener, Africa United, which you can read Here, and London River, Here.
Today, it’s a film called Soul Boy, another film that has been previously mentioned on this blog.
Its story goes… In September 2008, the German production company One Fine Day Films teamed up with Kenyan producing partners Ginger Ink to develop a film workshop in Nairobi for aspiring local movie makers. The concept of the project was to take a minimal budget, a small professional crew and a large group of young trainees to create a feature film inside Kibera, Nairobi’s biggest slum.
The main aim was to integrate upcoming talents of all filmmaking categories from Nairobi in the practical work...
Thus far, I’ve profiled the festival opener, Africa United, which you can read Here, and London River, Here.
Today, it’s a film called Soul Boy, another film that has been previously mentioned on this blog.
Its story goes… In September 2008, the German production company One Fine Day Films teamed up with Kenyan producing partners Ginger Ink to develop a film workshop in Nairobi for aspiring local movie makers. The concept of the project was to take a minimal budget, a small professional crew and a large group of young trainees to create a feature film inside Kibera, Nairobi’s biggest slum.
The main aim was to integrate upcoming talents of all filmmaking categories from Nairobi in the practical work...
- 11/14/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Two highly-anticipated second feature films from U.S. underground filmmakers will be making their World Premieres all the way over at the 64th annual Edinburgh International Film Festival, which will run for twelve days on June 16-27. The films are Rona Mark’s The Crab and Zach Clark’s Vacation!.
The Crab, which screens on June 21, is the touching story of a verbally abusive man born with two enormous, mutant-like hands; while Vacation!, which screens on June 20, tracks four urban gals let loose in a sunny seaside resort down South.
Both Mark and Clark previously screened their debut features at Eiff. Mark’s Strange Girls screened there in 2008 and Clark’s Modern Love Is Automatic screened in 2009. Both films also ended up as runners-up in Bad Lit’s annual Movie of the Year award, again Strange Girls in 2008 and Modern Love in 2009. Sadly, these two masterpieces are still unavailable on...
The Crab, which screens on June 21, is the touching story of a verbally abusive man born with two enormous, mutant-like hands; while Vacation!, which screens on June 20, tracks four urban gals let loose in a sunny seaside resort down South.
Both Mark and Clark previously screened their debut features at Eiff. Mark’s Strange Girls screened there in 2008 and Clark’s Modern Love Is Automatic screened in 2009. Both films also ended up as runners-up in Bad Lit’s annual Movie of the Year award, again Strange Girls in 2008 and Modern Love in 2009. Sadly, these two masterpieces are still unavailable on...
- 6/4/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The story goes…
In September 2008, the German production company One Fine Day Films teamed up with Kenyan producing partners Ginger Ink to develop a film workshop in Nairobi for aspiring local movie makers. The concept of the project was to take a minimal budget, a small professional crew and a large group of young trainees to create a feature film inside Kibera, Nairobi’s biggest slum.
The main aim was to integrate upcoming talents of all filmmaking categories from Nairobi in the practical work on an artistically ambitious film project, providing them with professional knowledge, career perspectives and the inspiration to continue. This film is the first.
Co-written by Kenyan Billy Kahora with Ghanaian-Kenyan filmmaker Hawa Essuman directing, the film is titled Soul Boy.
Synopsis: 14 year-old Abila lives with his parents in Kibera, one of the largest slums in East Africa. One morning the teenager discovers his father ill and delirious.
In September 2008, the German production company One Fine Day Films teamed up with Kenyan producing partners Ginger Ink to develop a film workshop in Nairobi for aspiring local movie makers. The concept of the project was to take a minimal budget, a small professional crew and a large group of young trainees to create a feature film inside Kibera, Nairobi’s biggest slum.
The main aim was to integrate upcoming talents of all filmmaking categories from Nairobi in the practical work on an artistically ambitious film project, providing them with professional knowledge, career perspectives and the inspiration to continue. This film is the first.
Co-written by Kenyan Billy Kahora with Ghanaian-Kenyan filmmaker Hawa Essuman directing, the film is titled Soul Boy.
Synopsis: 14 year-old Abila lives with his parents in Kibera, one of the largest slums in East Africa. One morning the teenager discovers his father ill and delirious.
- 3/23/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Updated through 2/11.
The last round of awards to be presented during this year's just-wrapped International Film Festival Rotterdam were announced Saturday night. The Iffr 2010 Audience Award goes to Álvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro's Yo, también, the Dioraphte Award "for the Hubert Bals Fund film held in highest regard" to Hawa Essuman's Soul Boy, produced by Tom Tykwer.
2010's three winners of the Vpro Tiger Awards, given to debut or second features by new directors, are Paz Fábrega's Agua fría de mar, Pedro González-Rubio's Alamar and Anocha Suwichakornpong's Mundane History (I posted first impressions of those last two here; meantime, indieWIRE reports that Film Movement has picked up Alamar for distribution in the Us). The International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) has presented its Rotterdam award to Ben Russell's Let Each One Go Where He May and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (Netpac) has selected Whang Cheol-Mean's Moscow.
The last round of awards to be presented during this year's just-wrapped International Film Festival Rotterdam were announced Saturday night. The Iffr 2010 Audience Award goes to Álvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro's Yo, también, the Dioraphte Award "for the Hubert Bals Fund film held in highest regard" to Hawa Essuman's Soul Boy, produced by Tom Tykwer.
2010's three winners of the Vpro Tiger Awards, given to debut or second features by new directors, are Paz Fábrega's Agua fría de mar, Pedro González-Rubio's Alamar and Anocha Suwichakornpong's Mundane History (I posted first impressions of those last two here; meantime, indieWIRE reports that Film Movement has picked up Alamar for distribution in the Us). The International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) has presented its Rotterdam award to Ben Russell's Let Each One Go Where He May and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (Netpac) has selected Whang Cheol-Mean's Moscow.
- 2/12/2010
- MUBI
Berlin -- Films from Costa Rica, Thailand and Mexico won this year's trio of Tiger Awards at the 38th International Film Festival Rotterdam, which took place Jan. 27-Feb.6, with the prizes for first- and second-time directors going to Paz Fabrega's "Cold Water of the Sea," Anocha Suwichakornpong's "Mundane History" and Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio's "To the Sea."
The prizes, which are valued equally, each come with a cash bursary of €15,000 ($20,520).
Spanish drama "Yo, Tambien," which scooped the acting prizes in San Sebastian last year, won Rotterdam's audience award. The Dioraphte Award, which is given to a film supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, went to "Soul Boy" from Kenyan director Hawa Essuman. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer produced "Soul Boy" as the pilot project for his new One Fine Day Films shingle, which aims to help filmmakers in the poorer regions of Africa finance and produce their stories.
"Soul Boy...
The prizes, which are valued equally, each come with a cash bursary of €15,000 ($20,520).
Spanish drama "Yo, Tambien," which scooped the acting prizes in San Sebastian last year, won Rotterdam's audience award. The Dioraphte Award, which is given to a film supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, went to "Soul Boy" from Kenyan director Hawa Essuman. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer produced "Soul Boy" as the pilot project for his new One Fine Day Films shingle, which aims to help filmmakers in the poorer regions of Africa finance and produce their stories.
"Soul Boy...
- 2/8/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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