French-Senegalese actor and producer Seydina Baldé has worn many hats across his career including World Karate Champion and stuntman on films such as Brian de Palma’s Femme Fatale and Bond movie Casino Royale, but his dream since childhood has been to be an actor.
After a dozen small parts, Baldé engineered his first starring role with the self-produced, English-language action thriller Covert Operation (aka The Borderland). The North Korean-set movie, about a bounty hunter on a mission to break prisoners out of high-security military compound, sold to Lionsgate for the U.S. and won praise from action movie fans.
A decade later, Baldé is appearing in the most ambitious production of his career, six-part show Lex Africana, which is being billed as the first martial arts-based action thriller to come out of West Africa.
Baldé plays brilliant architect and martial arts expert Gabriel Aliou Thiam who returns after a...
After a dozen small parts, Baldé engineered his first starring role with the self-produced, English-language action thriller Covert Operation (aka The Borderland). The North Korean-set movie, about a bounty hunter on a mission to break prisoners out of high-security military compound, sold to Lionsgate for the U.S. and won praise from action movie fans.
A decade later, Baldé is appearing in the most ambitious production of his career, six-part show Lex Africana, which is being billed as the first martial arts-based action thriller to come out of West Africa.
Baldé plays brilliant architect and martial arts expert Gabriel Aliou Thiam who returns after a...
- 5/7/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s SXSW Film Festival, taking place in Austin, TX, just unveiled their lineup, and what a massive year for horror.
The 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival’s Opening Night TV Premiere is the highly anticipated Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg for what’s in store.
The fest unveiled its Midnight lineup, which includes the Samara Weaving-starring Azrael. Elsewhere, look for Neon’s highly anticipated Cuckoo set to make its premiere.
Read on for the genre titles included in SXSW 2024’s lineup, and stay tuned for additional programming announcements.
Narrative Spotlight
Unforgettable features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.
Cuckoo (Germany)
Director/Screenwriter: Tilman Singer, Producers: Markus Halberschmidt, Josh Rosenbaum, Maria Tsigka, Ken Kao, Thor Bradwell, Ben Rimmer...
The 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival’s Opening Night TV Premiere is the highly anticipated Netflix series 3 Body Problem created, executive produced and written by Emmy Award winners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and Emmy Award nominee Alexander Woo. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg for what’s in store.
The fest unveiled its Midnight lineup, which includes the Samara Weaving-starring Azrael. Elsewhere, look for Neon’s highly anticipated Cuckoo set to make its premiere.
Read on for the genre titles included in SXSW 2024’s lineup, and stay tuned for additional programming announcements.
Narrative Spotlight
Unforgettable features receiving their World, North American, or U.S. premieres.
Cuckoo (Germany)
Director/Screenwriter: Tilman Singer, Producers: Markus Halberschmidt, Josh Rosenbaum, Maria Tsigka, Ken Kao, Thor Bradwell, Ben Rimmer...
- 1/10/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Io Capitano, Pinocchio, Tale Of Tales director Matteo Garrone with Anne-Katrin Titze: “I would say that fairy tales, as Italo Calvino used to say, fairy tales are true. It’s a different way to talk about the human condition.”
Italy’s Oscar submission and Venice Film Festival Unesco and Best Director Silver Lion winner Matteo Garrone’s suspenseful and fleet Io Capitano (Me Captain), co-written with Massimo Ceccherini (Garrone’s Pinocchio), Massimo Gaudioso, and Andrea Tagliaferri, shot by Paolo Carnera stars the naturalistic duo of Seydou Sarr (Marcello Mastroianni Award Best Young Actor) and Moustapha Fall with Ndeye Khady Sy, Oumar Diaw, Issaka Sawadogo.
Matteo Garrone on Io Capitano shot by Paolo Carnera: “Paolo put himself in the service of the story and he worked carefully on the light, but tried always to be natural, …”
Garrone’s Tale of Tales, based on Giambattista Basile’s early 17th century fairy tales,...
Italy’s Oscar submission and Venice Film Festival Unesco and Best Director Silver Lion winner Matteo Garrone’s suspenseful and fleet Io Capitano (Me Captain), co-written with Massimo Ceccherini (Garrone’s Pinocchio), Massimo Gaudioso, and Andrea Tagliaferri, shot by Paolo Carnera stars the naturalistic duo of Seydou Sarr (Marcello Mastroianni Award Best Young Actor) and Moustapha Fall with Ndeye Khady Sy, Oumar Diaw, Issaka Sawadogo.
Matteo Garrone on Io Capitano shot by Paolo Carnera: “Paolo put himself in the service of the story and he worked carefully on the light, but tried always to be natural, …”
Garrone’s Tale of Tales, based on Giambattista Basile’s early 17th century fairy tales,...
- 11/28/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Jack Black has boarded Gianna, a horror comedy short written, produced by and starring his School of Rock co-star Rivkah Reyes, as an associate producer.
Also starring Emmy nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island) and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (Peacemaker), the film follows the newly sober and recently single Gina (Reyes), who is faced with the literal devil herself, after her sliding-scale therapist (Cho) suggests spending time with her inner demons. Kait Schuster served as director, with Jarad Schwartz and Brando Crawford among the EPs on the short, which premieres at Inside Out Festival and will also play the Palm Springs Shorts Festival.
“I loved the perfectly twisted queerness of the story and script and I had to get involved,” said Cho of the project. “Rivkah is The Gay Future!!!!!”
Part of the cast of Uni’s recent box-office smash The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black will also reunite with Reyes...
Also starring Emmy nominee Margaret Cho (Fire Island) and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow (Peacemaker), the film follows the newly sober and recently single Gina (Reyes), who is faced with the literal devil herself, after her sliding-scale therapist (Cho) suggests spending time with her inner demons. Kait Schuster served as director, with Jarad Schwartz and Brando Crawford among the EPs on the short, which premieres at Inside Out Festival and will also play the Palm Springs Shorts Festival.
“I loved the perfectly twisted queerness of the story and script and I had to get involved,” said Cho of the project. “Rivkah is The Gay Future!!!!!”
Part of the cast of Uni’s recent box-office smash The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black will also reunite with Reyes...
- 6/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
In His Shadow (Le Roi des Ombres) is a thriller movie written and directed by Marc Fouchard starring Kaaris and Alassane Diong.
An original thriller because of its protagonist and which tells us the story of two brothers very much in the Goodfellas vein: style, sense of rhythm and balancedly imbalanced narrative.
About the Film
Surprising and very well directed, one of those films that know how to attract attention due to its narrative style and its good script, which is delivered through a voice-over and tells us a story of the kind that is worth being told and that knows how to recount, defend and develop it.
This time we go to France, perhaps less elegant, but also a reality, much like Little Italy in New York that we have heard so much about. It’s no coincidence, In His Shadow wants to look like a different Scorsese, maybe...
An original thriller because of its protagonist and which tells us the story of two brothers very much in the Goodfellas vein: style, sense of rhythm and balancedly imbalanced narrative.
About the Film
Surprising and very well directed, one of those films that know how to attract attention due to its narrative style and its good script, which is delivered through a voice-over and tells us a story of the kind that is worth being told and that knows how to recount, defend and develop it.
This time we go to France, perhaps less elegant, but also a reality, much like Little Italy in New York that we have heard so much about. It’s no coincidence, In His Shadow wants to look like a different Scorsese, maybe...
- 3/17/2023
- by Movies Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Paris-based sales company beefs up slate ahead of Berlinale market.
Paris-based sales company Pyramide International has boarded Anna Novion’s Le Théorème de Marguerite and Marie Garel-Weiss’s Sur La Branche and will kick off pre-sales for the French dramas at the upcoming EFM.
Novion’s Le Théorème de Marguerite stars Ella Rumpf as the titular character, a brilliant mathematics student at France’s top university the Ecole Normale Supérieure. On the day of her thesis presentation, a mistake shakes up all the certainty in her planned-out life and she decides to quit everything and start afresh.
Rumpf notably starred...
Paris-based sales company Pyramide International has boarded Anna Novion’s Le Théorème de Marguerite and Marie Garel-Weiss’s Sur La Branche and will kick off pre-sales for the French dramas at the upcoming EFM.
Novion’s Le Théorème de Marguerite stars Ella Rumpf as the titular character, a brilliant mathematics student at France’s top university the Ecole Normale Supérieure. On the day of her thesis presentation, a mistake shakes up all the certainty in her planned-out life and she decides to quit everything and start afresh.
Rumpf notably starred...
- 2/13/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Re \ Entry Short Film — Ben Brand‘s Re \ Entry (2015) short film is available for viewing. Re \ Entry short film stars Issaka Sawadogo and Johnny Bang Reilly. Crew Ben Brand wrote the screenplay for Re \ Entry. Jesper Ankarfeldt created the music for this film. Maxime Desmet crafted the cinematography for the [...]
Continue reading: Re \ Entry (2019) Short Film: Issaka Sawadogo has a Conversation with God in Ben Brand’s Movie...
Continue reading: Re \ Entry (2019) Short Film: Issaka Sawadogo has a Conversation with God in Ben Brand’s Movie...
- 1/13/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
This prediction may appear to come out of left field, but the film’s producer Annabella Nezri had a solid premiere with Jumbo a couple of years back. Next on deck is another first, in Eve Duchemin‘s fiction debut Temps mort. The docu-helmer was profoundly moved by the experience of shooting her award-winning En bataille, and decided to further pursue the realities of a trio of inmates when they take their first steps out to reconciliation. Karim Leklou, Issaka Sawadogo and rapper Jarod Cousyns in his screen debut. Filming took place in Brussels in March.
Gist: This follows the journey of three inmates, outside of prison for the weekend.…...
Gist: This follows the journey of three inmates, outside of prison for the weekend.…...
- 11/24/2021
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
“Tell me a story.” This is the command that Roman (Bakary Koné), a new arrival at La Maca penitentiary — a forest-borne fortress just outside of the Ivory Coast’s capital, Abidjan — is given almost as soon as he arrives. It’s quite a welcome. Dismissed by the prison’s guards for the gang affiliations that landed him here, Roman is thrown into the “jungle,” as the guards call it. And as soon as he arrives, everything else stops. Another inmate, the feminine Sexy (Gbazi Yves Landry), has just been knocked to the ground,...
- 3/10/2021
- by K. Austin Collins
- Rollingstone.com
Night of the Kings Trailer — Philippe Lacote‘s Night of the Kings / La nuit des rois (2020) movie trailer has been released by Neon. The Night of the Kings trailer stars Bakary Kone, Steve Tientcheu, Jean Cyrille Digbeu, Rasmane Ouedraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Abdoul Karim Konate, Macel Anzian, Laetitia Ky, and Denis Lavant. Crew Philippe Lacôte [...]
Continue reading: Night Of The Kings Trailer: Philippe Lacote’s acclaimed 2020 African Prison Thriller is Being Released by Neon...
Continue reading: Night Of The Kings Trailer: Philippe Lacote’s acclaimed 2020 African Prison Thriller is Being Released by Neon...
- 1/30/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
"When the red moon comes out tonight, you will tell us stories." Neon has unveiled an official US trailer for the outstanding Ivory Coast film Night of the Kings, which has been playing at every major festivals since last fall. It first premiered at the Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals (read our review here), and is playing at the Sundance Film Festival this week (hence the trailer). The film follows a young man who enters the infamous (and real) "La Maca" prison, a highly secure facility in the middle of Ivory Coast's forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners. It's a film about a storyteller, and how stories move us and inspire. Bakary Koné stars as the night's "Roman", and Steve Tientcheu plays "Blackbeard", with Jean Cyrille Digbeu,...
- 1/29/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The first trailer for “Night of the Kings,” Ivory Coast’s official submission to the Oscar race, beautifully blends African mythology and fairy tales with the grim reality of life inside one of the country’s most infamous prisons.
David Oyelowo, who joined the film as an executive producer Friday ahead of the film’s screening at Sundance, called “Night of the Kings” a “magnificent showcase of African cinema, artistry, culture, folklore and myth.” The trailer shows the film’s protagonist stepping up to a soapbox to tell a story to the whole prison that begins with “Once upon a time…”
Neon will be releasing “Night of the Kings,” which comes from director Philippe Lacote and tells the story of a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison La Maca. Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning,...
David Oyelowo, who joined the film as an executive producer Friday ahead of the film’s screening at Sundance, called “Night of the Kings” a “magnificent showcase of African cinema, artistry, culture, folklore and myth.” The trailer shows the film’s protagonist stepping up to a soapbox to tell a story to the whole prison that begins with “Once upon a time…”
Neon will be releasing “Night of the Kings,” which comes from director Philippe Lacote and tells the story of a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison La Maca. Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning,...
- 1/29/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Set partly in Ivory Coast’s “Mad Max”-like MacA correctional facility and partly in the imagination of its newest inmate, “Night of the Kings” feels radically different from most films set behind bars, and not just because of its one-of-a-kind location. Naturally, the wild plots and power games one typically associates with the genre still feature, but “Night” stands apart — if not necessarily above — as director Philipe Lacôte zeroes in on an unusual tradition within those walls: that of the “Roman.”
A variation on the West African griot (a kind of troubadour storyteller or bard), the Roman is tasked with spinning amusing tales for his fellow prisoners — an honorific role to which “Night” attaches heightened life-and-death stakes: In Lacôte’s version, the Roman will be killed when his story concludes. And so, like some kind of modern-day Scheherazade, this unwitting protagonist (first-timer Koné Bakary) puts everything he can into entertaining the “captive audience,...
A variation on the West African griot (a kind of troubadour storyteller or bard), the Roman is tasked with spinning amusing tales for his fellow prisoners — an honorific role to which “Night” attaches heightened life-and-death stakes: In Lacôte’s version, the Roman will be killed when his story concludes. And so, like some kind of modern-day Scheherazade, this unwitting protagonist (first-timer Koné Bakary) puts everything he can into entertaining the “captive audience,...
- 9/24/2020
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Neon said Wednesday that it has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Philippe Lacôte’s Night of the Kings, a deal that comes after the pic premiered earlier this week in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival. The drama, which has been selected as Ivory Coast’s submission for this year’s Academy Awards, is also playing later this month at the Toronto and New York film festivals. Memento Films International is handling international sales.
The distributor behind last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite has not set a release plan.
Night of the Kings centers on a young man (Koné Bakary) on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history,...
The distributor behind last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner Parasite has not set a release plan.
Night of the Kings centers on a young man (Koné Bakary) on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history,...
- 9/9/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Neon has acquired U.S. rights to Philippe Lacôte’s prison drama “Night of the Kings,” which premiered Monday in the Horizons sidebar of the Venice Film Festival.
“Night of the Kings” is set to play at both the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival later this month. The film, which has been chosen as the Ivory Coast submission for this year’s Academy Awards, stars newcomer Koné Bakary.
The film follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, prison politics threaten to boil over.
Lacôte wrote and directed the film which, in addition to Bakary, stars Steve Tientcheu,...
“Night of the Kings” is set to play at both the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival later this month. The film, which has been chosen as the Ivory Coast submission for this year’s Academy Awards, stars newcomer Koné Bakary.
The film follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, prison politics threaten to boil over.
Lacôte wrote and directed the film which, in addition to Bakary, stars Steve Tientcheu,...
- 9/9/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Memento Films International handles worldwide sales.
Neon has acquired US rights to Philippe Lacôte’s autumn festival selection and Ivory Coast international feature film Oscar submission Night Of The Kings ahead of Thursday’s (September 10) screening in Toronto.
The drama premiered on September 7 in the Horizons sidebar of Venice and plays later this month in New York.
Night Of The Kings centres on a young man on his first night in the infamous MacA prison who faces death unless he manages to captivate his audience with a story.
He recounts the tale of Zama King, a childhood friend recruited to...
Neon has acquired US rights to Philippe Lacôte’s autumn festival selection and Ivory Coast international feature film Oscar submission Night Of The Kings ahead of Thursday’s (September 10) screening in Toronto.
The drama premiered on September 7 in the Horizons sidebar of Venice and plays later this month in New York.
Night Of The Kings centres on a young man on his first night in the infamous MacA prison who faces death unless he manages to captivate his audience with a story.
He recounts the tale of Zama King, a childhood friend recruited to...
- 9/9/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Neon has acquired the rights to “Night of the Kings,” the sophomore narrative feature film by director Philippe Lacôte that is the official Oscar submission from the Ivory Coast and that has been selected as part of the lineups for Venice, Toronto and the New York Film Festival, the distributor announced Wednesday.
“Night of the Kings” made its premiere on Monday in Venice and will next screen at TIFF and NYFF later this month. Neon will announce release plans at a later date.
“Night of the Kings” follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, both prison and national politics threaten to boil over.
“Night of the Kings” made its premiere on Monday in Venice and will next screen at TIFF and NYFF later this month. Neon will announce release plans at a later date.
“Night of the Kings” follows a young man on his first night in the infamous Ivorian prison, “La Maca.” Upon arriving, he is christened the “Roman,” or “Storyteller,” and must entertain his audience until morning, risking death should he fail. Under a blood-red moon, he crafts a tale weaving together the country’s mythological past and recent history, while around him, both prison and national politics threaten to boil over.
- 9/9/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
A Banshee Films production sold by Memento, Philippe Lacôte’s second feature film will be unveiled on the Lido within the Orizzonti line-up. Night Of The Kings, the second full-length movie by the French-Ivory Coast filmmaker Philippe Lacôte who was discovered in Cannes in 2014 (in the Un Certain Regard section) via Run, will enjoy its world premiere in the Orizzonti competition of the 77th Venice International Film Festival (running 2 – 12 September) as well as being screened at the 45th Toronto Film Festival (running 10 – 19 September) in the Contemporary World Cinema line-up. Starring in the cast are Koné Bakary, Steve Tientcheu, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Digbeu Jean Cyrille, Abdoul Karim Konaté, Anzian Marcel, Laetitia Ky and Denis Lavant. Penned by Philippe Lacôte in collaboration with Delphine Jaquet, the story plunges us into Abidjan’s Maca prison, one of the most overcrowded jails in...
Film is second feature from Ivorian director Philippe Lacôte after ’Run’.
Paris-based sales company Memento Films International (Mfi) has acquired Ivorian director Philippe Lacôte’s Night Of The Kings, ahead of its world premiere in Horizons at the Venice Film Festival, running September 2-12 this year.
The Scheherazade-style tale revolves around a young pickpocket who is locked up with a bunch of hardened criminals in the notoriously violent, real-life MacA prison in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan.
In a ritual imposed by a powerful convict, who is regarded as the prison boss, he is nominated to tell stories to...
Paris-based sales company Memento Films International (Mfi) has acquired Ivorian director Philippe Lacôte’s Night Of The Kings, ahead of its world premiere in Horizons at the Venice Film Festival, running September 2-12 this year.
The Scheherazade-style tale revolves around a young pickpocket who is locked up with a bunch of hardened criminals in the notoriously violent, real-life MacA prison in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan.
In a ritual imposed by a powerful convict, who is regarded as the prison boss, he is nominated to tell stories to...
- 7/28/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
The producers of The Throne have returned their $10,600 prize, citing a desire to help the festival’s growth.
The team behind The Throne, which won Best Film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) last week, have returned their $10,600 (€10,000) prize to the festival.
Production company Tiger Pictures and director Lee Joon-ik stated that they were impressed with the festival and they wished to donate their grant to help Black Nights become “a new European hub to create cinematic joy and fun.”
The Throne, which is South Korea’s Oscar submission for 2015, follows an 18th-century Korean ruling family. It also took the Best Music prize during the festival’s award ceremony on Nov 27.
The film’s screenwriter and producer, Cho Chul-hyun—who accepted the awards on behalf of Lee and music director Bang Jun-seok who were both absent—left a handwritten letter on Dec 1 to Festival Director Tiina Lokk explaining what Lee and Tiger Pictures wanted...
The team behind The Throne, which won Best Film at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Nov 13-29) last week, have returned their $10,600 (€10,000) prize to the festival.
Production company Tiger Pictures and director Lee Joon-ik stated that they were impressed with the festival and they wished to donate their grant to help Black Nights become “a new European hub to create cinematic joy and fun.”
The Throne, which is South Korea’s Oscar submission for 2015, follows an 18th-century Korean ruling family. It also took the Best Music prize during the festival’s award ceremony on Nov 27.
The film’s screenwriter and producer, Cho Chul-hyun—who accepted the awards on behalf of Lee and music director Bang Jun-seok who were both absent—left a handwritten letter on Dec 1 to Festival Director Tiina Lokk explaining what Lee and Tiger Pictures wanted...
- 12/2/2015
- ScreenDaily
Working mostly in Europe, Burkinabé thespian Issaka Sawadogo is a name that continues to pop up on this site, and one that you really should become familiar with, as I think it's only a matter of time before Hollywood comes calling. Although, whether he'll accept is another story altogether. The actor co-stars in award-winning Swedish director Lisa Aschan's second feature, titled ''Det vita folket'' (or "The White People" in English) which is set for theatrical release in Sweden, on November 27. The likelihood of a USA pickup is probably small, but not impossible. The film co-stars Pernilla August and Vera...
- 11/19/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The Netherland’s submission to the upcoming Academy Awards’ Best Foreign-Language Film category will be Joost van Ginkel’s The Paradise Suite.
The Paradise Suite, written and directed by Joost van Ginkel, has been chosen as the official entry from the Netherlands to the 2016 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The film is set to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on September 13 as part of the Discovery programme.
Starring Issaka Sawadogo (The Invader), Anjela Nedyalkova (Avé), Magnus Krepper (The Bridge), Raymond Thiry (Between 10 and 12) and Dragan Bakema (Brownian Movement), the film’s plot follows six people from varied backgrounds seeking a better life in Amsterdam.
German outfit Media Luna New Films are handling international sales. September Film are distributing theatrically in the Netherlands.
The Paradise Suite, written and directed by Joost van Ginkel, has been chosen as the official entry from the Netherlands to the 2016 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The film is set to premiere at Toronto International Film Festival on September 13 as part of the Discovery programme.
Starring Issaka Sawadogo (The Invader), Anjela Nedyalkova (Avé), Magnus Krepper (The Bridge), Raymond Thiry (Between 10 and 12) and Dragan Bakema (Brownian Movement), the film’s plot follows six people from varied backgrounds seeking a better life in Amsterdam.
German outfit Media Luna New Films are handling international sales. September Film are distributing theatrically in the Netherlands.
- 9/9/2015
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – The situation with in-country immigrants is not just an issue in the United States. The new French film “Samba” focuses on the ongoing status of immigrants in Paris, who often do menial jobs while surviving under the radar of immigration laws. French Actor Omar Sy portrays the title character with insight and humor.
This is Sy’s (pronounced “see”) second film with co-writer/directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, after the well-received “The Intouchables’ in 2011. The French born actor – of parents who emigrated from Senegal in Africa – has an background that is similar to the characters he has portrayed for Nakache and Toledano, and he adds a touch of realism, in addition to redemption, to these roles. He recently broke into American films in a huge way, with prominent appearances in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and this summer’s “Jurassic World.”
Omar Sy is the Title Character in...
This is Sy’s (pronounced “see”) second film with co-writer/directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, after the well-received “The Intouchables’ in 2011. The French born actor – of parents who emigrated from Senegal in Africa – has an background that is similar to the characters he has portrayed for Nakache and Toledano, and he adds a touch of realism, in addition to redemption, to these roles. He recently broke into American films in a huge way, with prominent appearances in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and this summer’s “Jurassic World.”
Omar Sy is the Title Character in...
- 7/28/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Goteborg: Anticipated Nordic titles presented to industry.
A host of anticipated Nordic features were pitched to industry this week at the Works In Progress strand of the Gothenburg Film Festival.
Potential buyers and sellers heard about upcoming projects from directors including Antti Jokinen, Lisa Aschan and Mads Matthiesen.
Swedish outfit GarageFilm International is producing Aschan’s horror White People, currently in post-production.
Vera Vitali, Pernilla August and Issaka Sawadogo star in the feature about a woman’s clash with a corrupt head of security.
Aschan’s debut She Monkey’s received a special mention at the Berlinale and won Gothenburg’s Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Solar Films’ period war-romance Wildeye, currently in post-production, comes from acclaimed Finnish features and music video director Antti Jokinen, best known for drama Purge and Hilary Swank starrer The Resident.
Set against the historical backdrop of The Lapland War in 1944-1945, Wildeye charts the story of a midwife who falls...
A host of anticipated Nordic features were pitched to industry this week at the Works In Progress strand of the Gothenburg Film Festival.
Potential buyers and sellers heard about upcoming projects from directors including Antti Jokinen, Lisa Aschan and Mads Matthiesen.
Swedish outfit GarageFilm International is producing Aschan’s horror White People, currently in post-production.
Vera Vitali, Pernilla August and Issaka Sawadogo star in the feature about a woman’s clash with a corrupt head of security.
Aschan’s debut She Monkey’s received a special mention at the Berlinale and won Gothenburg’s Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film.
Solar Films’ period war-romance Wildeye, currently in post-production, comes from acclaimed Finnish features and music video director Antti Jokinen, best known for drama Purge and Hilary Swank starrer The Resident.
Set against the historical backdrop of The Lapland War in 1944-1945, Wildeye charts the story of a midwife who falls...
- 1/31/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
White People
Director: Lisa Aschan // Writer: Lisa Aschan
After nabbing several awards for her 2011 debut She Monkeys (see trailer below), Swedish director Lisa Aschan was set to direct a horror movie called The Deposit. But she gave back the funding she received from the Stockholm International Film Festival to make White People, which follows a group of six people as they fight for survival after being locked away. Considering the quality of Aschan’s first feature, plus the presence of veteran actress Pernilla August, this earns a place on our list.
Cast: Pernilla August, Vera Vitali, and Issaka Sawadogo
Producer: Garagefilm International’s Anna-Maria Kantarius (Something Must Break)
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available.
Release Date: We’re thinking this will pop up at the Berlin Film Festival, which is where She Monkeys migrated to after playing Goteburg.
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Director: Lisa Aschan // Writer: Lisa Aschan
After nabbing several awards for her 2011 debut She Monkeys (see trailer below), Swedish director Lisa Aschan was set to direct a horror movie called The Deposit. But she gave back the funding she received from the Stockholm International Film Festival to make White People, which follows a group of six people as they fight for survival after being locked away. Considering the quality of Aschan’s first feature, plus the presence of veteran actress Pernilla August, this earns a place on our list.
Cast: Pernilla August, Vera Vitali, and Issaka Sawadogo
Producer: Garagefilm International’s Anna-Maria Kantarius (Something Must Break)
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available.
Release Date: We’re thinking this will pop up at the Berlin Film Festival, which is where She Monkeys migrated to after playing Goteburg.
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- 1/5/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
For its 22nd edition to be held in Manhattan starting today, November 28 through December 14, 2014, the New York African Diaspora International Film Festival (Adiff) will showcase 89 films spanning 43 countries including 47 Us and NY Premieres. Among the films set to have their New York premiere in Adiff 2014 are films featured in international film festivals such as Toronto, Montreal, Durban, Rotterdam, Palm Spring and Los Angeles Film Fests including the Canadian/Belgian drama "Diego Star," helmed by Frederick Pelletier, starring Burkinabe actor Issaka Sawadogo. Below is our review of the film... Issaka...
- 11/28/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
In a year that saw François Delisle’s Le météore (Sundance and Berlin Film Festival accepted film) receive no love (zero nominations), and Denis Côté’s critically well-received Vic + Flo Saw a Bear was perhaps too askew for the voting clique (it did grab best Actress for Quebec’s “Melissa Leo” in Pierrette Robitaille), it was a bigger than life biopic by helmer Daniel Roby that flexed its muscles, beating out the comp. The high gloss Louis Cyr won in several tech categories and it’s strongman Antoine Bertrand won for Best Actor. Considered the favorite to win the top prize, Gabrielle was awarded the Best Director and Screenplay awards for Louise Archambault. Oddly, that film received no Best Actress consideration while it did net Gabrielle Marion-Rivard a Best Actress win at Canadian Screen Awards. Here are the noms and winners of the 16th edition.
Best Film
Catimini
Le démantèlement...
Best Film
Catimini
Le démantèlement...
- 3/24/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Burkinabé thespian Issaka Sawadogo is a name that continues to pop up on this site, and one that you really should become familiar with, as I think it's only a matter of time before Hollywood comes calling. Although, whether he'll accept is another story altogether. The actor has signed up to star in award-winning Swedish director Lisa Aschan's second feature, titled White People. The film, which is a follow-up to Aschan's feature directorial debut (She Monkeys), co-stars Pernilla August and Vera Vitali in a film that follows a group of 6 people as they fight to stay alive after being locked away together. That's all we know right now of the...
- 2/5/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
“A sailor’s life is like that. We don’t see our sons grow up. When we come back on land, we find a woman who’s remade, rearranged her life in her own way, and sons who’ve become men.” These are the words of Traore (Issaka Sawadogo), a black sailor who becomes embroiled in a heated controversy aboard a battered Russian cargo ship, called the Diego Star. With over 18 years of experience navigating the sea, he’s the target of a ship malfunction that he didn’t cause, and is pressured to take the fall for it by the ship's captain.It’s a cold, focused film, absent of music and sentimentalism. We are anchored by the mounting frustration in Traore, who becomes increasingly isolated when the...
- 1/13/2014
- by Nijla Mumin
- ShadowAndAct
Riff Review: Social-Realist 'Diego Star' Anchored by Issaka Sawadogo's Layered, Splendid Performance
Issaka Sawadogo remains a mystery here in the States, but you ought to pay attention – his work has been profiled on S&A a few times in the past (Here and Here) – because the Burkinabe actor is bestowed with serious acting range. Somewhat of an imperious aura - a burly and imposing physique - Sawadogo’s transparency, transformation on screen, and ability to get lost in his characters are impressive: he’s courageous; he’s resilient; he’s bellicose; he’s content; he’s affectionate; he charms; he intimidates; he weeps; he’s scared. And you connect with him, intimately, while watching him. The versatile actor cemented his appeal internationally in Nicholas Provost’s...
- 9/27/2013
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
On Monday I made some observations on this blog about the last film he starred in, which I finally got to see over the weekend, after a year or so of tracking it. Read that post Here if you missed it. Here's an upcoming new film he stars in as well, worth a closer look. He's an actor whose name has been mentioned quite a bit on this site in the last 12 to 18 months, but, unfortunately, he's still very much a mystery to us here at S&A, and, also in the USA. But, you read it here first - don't be too surprised if Burkinabé thespian Isaka Sawadogo starts showing up on screens at theaters near you soon (or possibly even on screens at home), as 2 films he stars in have...
- 9/11/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
A film we've been following since its 2011 premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, but none of us has seen yet - although it's a film I've been intrigued by and interested in seeing in - is now finally available to USA audiences! Titled The Invader, the film stars Burkinabé actor Issaka Sawadogo and Italian actress Stefania Rocca, as pair who meet, get involved against all expectations, and have an intense but brief love affair, that seemingly ends in tragedy. Vyer Films (www.vyerfilms.com), a new curation-oriented film streaming service, acquired U.S. VOD rights for the stylish, moody, and provocative...
- 8/9/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
A film we've been following since its 2011 premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, but none of us has seen yet - although it's a film I've been intrigued by and interested in seeing in - will now finally be released in the USA! Titled The Invader, the film stars Burkinabé actor Issaka Sawadogo and Italian actress Stefania Rocca, as pair who meet, get involved against all expectations, and have an intense but brief love affair, that seemingly ends in tragedy. I've just been informed by Vyer Films (www.vyerfilms.com), a new curation-oriented film streaming service, that the company has acquired U.S. VOD...
- 7/31/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
He's an actor whose name has been mentioned quite a bit on this site in the last 12 to 18 months or so, but, unfortunately, he's still very much a mystery to us here at S&A, and, also in the USA. But if praise for all the films we've covered that he's starred in, are any indication, he's definitely an actor we should know, and it may only be a matter of time before a film he stars in becomes an international hit, making him even more of a name. That's all it took for Frenchman Omar Sy last year, after his star-turn in the awar-winning, global blockbuster, Intouchables. The name Issaka Sawadogo may not immediately sound familiar to you, but his...
- 2/13/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
The name Issaka Sawadogo may not immediately sound familiar to you, but his face and the last film he starred in, which got lots of pub on this site, probably will, since your reactions to it were mostly, strongly negative. That film was The Invader, which stars Burkinabé actor Issaka Sawadogo and Italian actress Stefania Rocca, as Amadou ("a robust and bold illegal immigrant"), and Agnès ("a married upper-class woman who works in the real-estate and artistic sectors"). The pair meet, get involved against all expectations, and have an intense but brief love affair. When they break up,...
- 12/7/2012
- by Courtney
- ShadowAndAct
HollywoodNews.com: The 38th Seattle International Film Festival, the largest and most highly-attended event of its kind in the United States concluded today with the announcement of the Siff 2012 Competition Awards and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. The 25-day Festival, which began May 17, featured over 460 films from more than 70 countries, including 65 feature premieres (24 World, 25 North American, 16 U.S.) and over 700 screenings. Additionally, Siff brought in more than 300 directors, actors and industry professionals.
“A festival’s success is dependent on two basic principles: providing a platform for filmmakers to be celebrated and connecting them to audience members that would not otherwise be aware of their remarkable stories,” said Siff Artistic Director Carl Spence. “This year a record number of filmmakers participated in person and online with virtual Q&A’s successfully expanding the conversation around the best in cinema with passionate audiences, illuminating guests and distinguished industry in attendance.”
Siff Managing Director Deborah Person said,...
“A festival’s success is dependent on two basic principles: providing a platform for filmmakers to be celebrated and connecting them to audience members that would not otherwise be aware of their remarkable stories,” said Siff Artistic Director Carl Spence. “This year a record number of filmmakers participated in person and online with virtual Q&A’s successfully expanding the conversation around the best in cinema with passionate audiences, illuminating guests and distinguished industry in attendance.”
Siff Managing Director Deborah Person said,...
- 6/10/2012
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
A sort of Taxi Driver set within the world of European immigrant culture, Nicolas Provost’s The Invader is one of the most intriguing and seductive films currently on the festival circuit. It premiered in Venice before screening in Toronto (where the below interview was conducted) and now Rotterdam, and it marks the feature debut of Provost (pictured above), a Belgian video and installation artist whose work has always taken as its subject the way cinema orders images into narrative.
The story opens with the camera fixed on the vagina of a beautiful blonde woman, sunbathing nude on a Southern European beach. It pulls back, taking in the scene of vacation frolickers until we spy Amadou (Issaka Sawadogo), an immigrant from Africa literally washing up on shore. After a hallucinatory sequence that sends Amadou from the beach to the city (Brussells), the film proper begins. Amadou is now part of...
The story opens with the camera fixed on the vagina of a beautiful blonde woman, sunbathing nude on a Southern European beach. It pulls back, taking in the scene of vacation frolickers until we spy Amadou (Issaka Sawadogo), an immigrant from Africa literally washing up on shore. After a hallucinatory sequence that sends Amadou from the beach to the city (Brussells), the film proper begins. Amadou is now part of...
- 2/2/2012
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Jean-Marc Vallée's Café du Flore Chantal Akerman, Joseph Cedar, Béla Tarr, Nuri Bilge Ceylan: AFI Fest 2011 World Cinema Selections Arirang: Traumatized by a near-fatal accident during filming, director Kim Ki-duk offers a visionary self-portrait of a troubled artist reeling from an emotional breakdown. Dir Kim Ki-duk. South Korea. U.S. Premiere. CAFÉ Du Flore: In his follow-up to C.R.A.Z.Y., Jean Marc Vallée tells two parallel stories connected by music about a Montreal D.J. and a mother devoted to her special-needs son. Dir/Scr Jean-Marc Vallée. Cast Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent, Hélène Florent, Evelyne Brochu, Marin Gerrier. Canada. U.S. Premiere. Extraterrestrial: Timecrimes director Nacho Vigalondo’s surprising second feature finds an alien invasion providing the backdrop for one of the most delightful romantic comedies in years. Dir/Scr Nacho Vigalondo. Cast Julian Villagran, Michelle Jenner, Raul Cimas, Carlos Areces, Miguel Noguera. Spain. Faust: Russian Ark director...
- 10/23/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Andrei Zvyagintsev’s feature film "Elena" took the Grand Prix for Best Film at the 38th Ghent Film Festival in Belgium. Other winners included Nicolas Provost’s feature film, "The Invader," (Best Music and Sound Design) and Pauline Gay’s short film, "Demain, Ce Sera Bien" (Efa Short Film Award). Special mentions also went to Elisabeth Olsen for Best Actress ("Martha Marcy May Marlene") and Issaka Sawadogo for Best Actor ("The Invader"). Full ...
- 10/20/2011
- Indiewire
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