Blake Shelton and Emily Ann Roberts are in the middle of a happy reunion while out on the road together. Could spending all this time in close proximity lead to more trouble in Blake Shelton’s rocky marriage to Gwen Stefani?
Blake Shelton Hit The Road Amid Marriage Problems With Gwen Stefani
Blake Shelton’s marriage problems with Gwen Stefani have been a hot topic for months, particularly since the beginning of the year. With these two spending so much time apart due to various obligations, businesses, and more, many fans feel like they could be on the last leg of their relationship, and could be close to throwing in the towel on their marriage.
The way many fans see it, Blake Shelton isn’t exactly helping the situation. He chose to hit the road for weeks as part of his Back To The Honky Tonk Tour. The country singer...
Blake Shelton Hit The Road Amid Marriage Problems With Gwen Stefani
Blake Shelton’s marriage problems with Gwen Stefani have been a hot topic for months, particularly since the beginning of the year. With these two spending so much time apart due to various obligations, businesses, and more, many fans feel like they could be on the last leg of their relationship, and could be close to throwing in the towel on their marriage.
The way many fans see it, Blake Shelton isn’t exactly helping the situation. He chose to hit the road for weeks as part of his Back To The Honky Tonk Tour. The country singer...
- 3/13/2024
- by Evan Morgan
- TV Shows Ace
Ever since Abbas Kiarostami’s And Life Goes On premiered back in 1992, movies set in cars have become the modus operandi of some of Iranian cinema’s greatest works.
Kiarostami followed Life with Through the Olive Trees, where driving is also a major part of the narrative, and then made his masterly Palme d’Or winner Taste of Cherry, where the main character is at the wheel for nearly the entire film. Director Jafar Panahi, who was once Kiarostami’s assistant, won Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2015 for Taxi, in which he pretended to be a cab driver in order to scrutinize his country’s dire social situation. In 2021, Panahi’s son, Panah, made his debut with the exuberant and crowd-pleasing Hit the Road, about a family taking one last road trip together toward the Turkish border.
There are reasons for this phenomenon. First off, driving scenes are essentially cinematic,...
Kiarostami followed Life with Through the Olive Trees, where driving is also a major part of the narrative, and then made his masterly Palme d’Or winner Taste of Cherry, where the main character is at the wheel for nearly the entire film. Director Jafar Panahi, who was once Kiarostami’s assistant, won Berlin’s Golden Bear in 2015 for Taxi, in which he pretended to be a cab driver in order to scrutinize his country’s dire social situation. In 2021, Panahi’s son, Panah, made his debut with the exuberant and crowd-pleasing Hit the Road, about a family taking one last road trip together toward the Turkish border.
There are reasons for this phenomenon. First off, driving scenes are essentially cinematic,...
- 8/16/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There are a growing number of compelling, young Iranian filmmakers that are reinvigorating and rethinking Iranian cinema. It's exactly what Iranian cinema needs now, and I'm glad they're making such interesting films. They're also films that I'm happy to talk about and recommend, which is vital to their success outside of film festivals. One of the most well known is Panah Panahi, son of Jafar Panahi, who won over everyone with his feature debut Hit the Road (from Cannes 2021). One of the next new filmmakers to make his mark is Behrooz Karamizade, who was born in Iran but moved away with his parents, eventually growing up in Germany. His feature directorial debut is an Iranian love story film called Empty Nets, which premiered at the 2023 Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Crystal Globe Competition section this summer. It tells a tragic story, as usual for Iran, about how painfully harsh and unrelenting society is there.
- 7/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Here we go again, movie lovers!! One of the best 2022 recaps is a video countdown made by my colleague David Ehrlich (follow him @davidehrlich). He counts down his 25 best films of the year in a video edited together with footage and music from the films. It's one of the best ways to look back at the year, including footage from films beyond the 25 that made his list. Watch all of these!! They're worth it. David's Top 25 of 2022 is as unique and as intriguing as always, and you will likely agree with many of his favorite films from last year. His highlights: After Yang, Top Gun: Maverick, Rrr, Decision to Leave, Nope, Tar, Hit the Road, and Everything Everywhere All at Once (also my #1). Plus a few unexpected picks like We're All Going to the World's Fair, Jackass Forever, and Eo. Year after year, this is a must watch video for every cinephile.
- 1/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2022, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
While 2022 marked a personal benchmark in films viewed––over 600, logged away here––the major takeaway was the confirmation of just how much greater an impression the theatrical experience leaves. As noted below, while there were films I viewed at home that I perhaps appreciated more, the fondest memories looking back at the year were at Mike Leigh, Dario Argento, and Toshiro Mifune retrospectives, the bountiful offerings at the New York Film Festival, the Joachim Trier-curated My Sex Life… or How I Got Into an Argument, and even the double bill of Steven Spielberg’s Always and The Terminal we presented at the Roxy. The privilege of having access to these opportunities is not lost on me, however, and thankfully services like the Criterion Channel and Mubi...
While 2022 marked a personal benchmark in films viewed––over 600, logged away here––the major takeaway was the confirmation of just how much greater an impression the theatrical experience leaves. As noted below, while there were films I viewed at home that I perhaps appreciated more, the fondest memories looking back at the year were at Mike Leigh, Dario Argento, and Toshiro Mifune retrospectives, the bountiful offerings at the New York Film Festival, the Joachim Trier-curated My Sex Life… or How I Got Into an Argument, and even the double bill of Steven Spielberg’s Always and The Terminal we presented at the Roxy. The privilege of having access to these opportunities is not lost on me, however, and thankfully services like the Criterion Channel and Mubi...
- 1/5/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2022, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
It occurred to me in 2022 that the films of Steven Spielberg have been there my entire life. I watched the three Indiana Jones films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jaws, among others, on nearly every sick day. The opening of Jurassic Park on June 9, 1993, was a major event on my calendar as a 13-year-old. So was the opening of Schindler’s List later that year.
This lifetime of Spielberg-ia culminated in two key events in 2022. The first was seeing E.T. on the big screen over the summer with my 12-year-old son, during its recent re-release. I’ve seen E.T. countless times over the years, but at the cinema, it was a revelation. And my goodness: the final chunk is as emotionally overwhelming to me as a...
It occurred to me in 2022 that the films of Steven Spielberg have been there my entire life. I watched the three Indiana Jones films, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Jaws, among others, on nearly every sick day. The opening of Jurassic Park on June 9, 1993, was a major event on my calendar as a 13-year-old. So was the opening of Schindler’s List later that year.
This lifetime of Spielberg-ia culminated in two key events in 2022. The first was seeing E.T. on the big screen over the summer with my 12-year-old son, during its recent re-release. I’ve seen E.T. countless times over the years, but at the cinema, it was a revelation. And my goodness: the final chunk is as emotionally overwhelming to me as a...
- 12/30/2022
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
Jafar Panahi’s career can now be split into two distinct sections: his work prior to an initial 2010 arrest amidst Iran’s Green Movement, and his creative response following that. The latter, ongoing now but complicated by a new six-year prison sentence he has just commenced, constitutes one of the stranger and more miraculous stretches of work for any internationally renowned filmmaker. It’s a period, beginning with 2011’s still-revelatory This is Not a Film—famously smuggled out of Iran and to Cannes on a Usb stick inside a cake—that found Panahi working prolifically while attempting to evade detection and further punishment by the authorities—these two currents fusing to engender international solidarity for a predicament putting his life, let alone freedom, at risk.
So here we are in late 2022 and the situation is terminal, though we mustn’t forget the shoots of hope from his son Panah’s...
So here we are in late 2022 and the situation is terminal, though we mustn’t forget the shoots of hope from his son Panah’s...
- 9/19/2022
- by David Katz
- The Film Stage
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of Indie Film Site Network (Ifsn), a collaboration between well-respected media outlets covering the most essential developments in independent and international cinema. Ifsn, which represents The Film Stage, Hammer to Nail, Ioncinema.com, RogerEbert.com, and Screen Anarchy, was created with a mission to support film criticism and foster an ever-growing community of indie film lovers.
In the evolving landscape of filmmaking and film criticism, the very definition of “independent” is shifting and it is our mission to work with sites and distributors that still retain that singular focus on the best in cinema. With Indie Film Site Network, we’re delighted to offer a destination for distributors and filmmakers where they know they will truly be reaching the most passionate fans of independent movies.
Through reviews, interviews, podcasts, news, special features, and extensive coverage from film festivals across the world to theatrical,...
In the evolving landscape of filmmaking and film criticism, the very definition of “independent” is shifting and it is our mission to work with sites and distributors that still retain that singular focus on the best in cinema. With Indie Film Site Network, we’re delighted to offer a destination for distributors and filmmakers where they know they will truly be reaching the most passionate fans of independent movies.
Through reviews, interviews, podcasts, news, special features, and extensive coverage from film festivals across the world to theatrical,...
- 8/31/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The 66th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express has announced the contenders for the Best Film Award; this year’s Official Competition selection is presented in association with Sight and Sound.
The 2022 nominated films showcase a remarkable range of filmmaking talent from across the world with 13 countries represented across the selection. From a thrilling and uncompromising Argentinian political drama to a chilling British folk horror tale; and a breathtaking story of brotherly love to the poignancy of family displacement during the Syrian conflict in Damascus, the films selected for Official Competition celebrate passionate and inspired global filmmaking.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard for A Prophet, recent winners of the Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
Also in news – Stephen Graham to joins period drama series ‘A Thousand Blows’
The 8 films in the Official Competition are:
Argentina,...
The 2022 nominated films showcase a remarkable range of filmmaking talent from across the world with 13 countries represented across the selection. From a thrilling and uncompromising Argentinian political drama to a chilling British folk horror tale; and a breathtaking story of brotherly love to the poignancy of family displacement during the Syrian conflict in Damascus, the films selected for Official Competition celebrate passionate and inspired global filmmaking.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard for A Prophet, recent winners of the Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
Also in news – Stephen Graham to joins period drama series ‘A Thousand Blows’
The 8 films in the Official Competition are:
Argentina,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Mark Jenkin’s latest Cornish horror Enys Men and Alice Diop’s feature debut Saint Omer are among the eight titles set to compete in the Official Competition of the 66th BFI London Film Festival, running from October 5 – 16.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner of the festival’s Best Film award will be chosen by the Official Competition Jury, the members of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
BFI Southbank will be home to the Official Competition titles this year. And the winner of the Best Film Award will be announced at a special virtual Lff Awards Ceremony event on Sunday 16 October on BFI YouTube and social media.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, recent winners of the London Film Festival’s Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos, and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner of the festival’s Best Film award will be chosen by the Official Competition Jury, the members of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
BFI Southbank will be home to the Official Competition titles this year. And the winner of the Best Film Award will be announced at a special virtual Lff Awards Ceremony event on Sunday 16 October on BFI YouTube and social media.
Established in 2009 and first won by Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet, recent winners of the London Film Festival’s Best Film Award include Sudabeh Mortezai’s Joy, Alejandro Landes’ Monos, and, in 2021, Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road.
- 8/25/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The BFI London Film Festival has revealed eight titles that will be in official competition.
The films include Santiago Mitre’s political drama “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina); Clement Virgo’s brotherly love tale “Brother” (Canada); Marie Kreutzer’s irreverent period drama “Corsage” (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany-France); Fyzal Boulifa’s atmospheric domestic drama “The Damned Don’t Cry” (France-Belgium-Morocco); Mark Jenkin’s folk horror tale “Enys Men” (U.K.); Hlynur Palmason’s historical epic “Godland” (Denmark-Iceland-France-Sweden); Soudade Kaadan’s poignant family film “Nezouh” (U.K.-Syria-France); and Alice Diop’s courtroom drama “Saint Omer.”
The nominated films are all on the festival circuit this year. “Argentina, 1985” and “Saint Omer” are debuting at Venice and both are up for the Golden Lion. “The Damned Don’t Cry” and “Nezouh” are also set for Venice bows. “Brother” will bow at Toronto, while “Corsage” won best performance at Cannes and best actress at Sarajevo for Vicky Krieps. “Enys Men” and “Godland” were also in Cannes.
The films include Santiago Mitre’s political drama “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina); Clement Virgo’s brotherly love tale “Brother” (Canada); Marie Kreutzer’s irreverent period drama “Corsage” (Austria-Luxembourg-Germany-France); Fyzal Boulifa’s atmospheric domestic drama “The Damned Don’t Cry” (France-Belgium-Morocco); Mark Jenkin’s folk horror tale “Enys Men” (U.K.); Hlynur Palmason’s historical epic “Godland” (Denmark-Iceland-France-Sweden); Soudade Kaadan’s poignant family film “Nezouh” (U.K.-Syria-France); and Alice Diop’s courtroom drama “Saint Omer.”
The nominated films are all on the festival circuit this year. “Argentina, 1985” and “Saint Omer” are debuting at Venice and both are up for the Golden Lion. “The Damned Don’t Cry” and “Nezouh” are also set for Venice bows. “Brother” will bow at Toronto, while “Corsage” won best performance at Cannes and best actress at Sarajevo for Vicky Krieps. “Enys Men” and “Godland” were also in Cannes.
- 8/25/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The winner will be revealed at a virtual awards ceremony on October 16.
Saint Omer, Corsage and Nezouh are among the eight titles screening as part of the official competition at the 66th BFI London Film Festival.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner is to be chosen by a jury and revealed at a virtual awards presentation on October 16.
The jury members will be announced in the coming weeks.
Scroll down for the Lff official competition line-up
Saint Omer is the fiction debut from French director Alice Diop, and is to world premiere at Venice. It is set in a courtroom,...
Saint Omer, Corsage and Nezouh are among the eight titles screening as part of the official competition at the 66th BFI London Film Festival.
Thirteen countries are represented across this year’s selection. The winner is to be chosen by a jury and revealed at a virtual awards presentation on October 16.
The jury members will be announced in the coming weeks.
Scroll down for the Lff official competition line-up
Saint Omer is the fiction debut from French director Alice Diop, and is to world premiere at Venice. It is set in a courtroom,...
- 8/25/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Holdovers dominate chart again.
Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Aug 5 - 7) Total gross to date Week 1. Bullet Train (Sony) £1.9m £2.9m 1 2. DC League Of Super-Pets (Warner Bros) £1.2m £6.2m 2 3. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Universal) £1.1m £36.7m 6 4. Thor: Love And Thunder (Disney) £938,102 £33.3m 5 5. Elvis (Warner Bros)
£737,624 £22.7m 7
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.21
Sony action thriller Bullet Train opened top of the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, with a £1.85m three-day start.
Playing in 671 locations, Bullet Train took an average of £2,751 per site – down on the opening averages of recent number ones DC League Of Super-Pets , Thor: Love And Thunder and Minions: The Rise Of Gru.
Rank Film (distributor) Three-day gross (Aug 5 - 7) Total gross to date Week 1. Bullet Train (Sony) £1.9m £2.9m 1 2. DC League Of Super-Pets (Warner Bros) £1.2m £6.2m 2 3. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Universal) £1.1m £36.7m 6 4. Thor: Love And Thunder (Disney) £938,102 £33.3m 5 5. Elvis (Warner Bros)
£737,624 £22.7m 7
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.21
Sony action thriller Bullet Train opened top of the UK-Ireland box office this weekend, with a £1.85m three-day start.
Playing in 671 locations, Bullet Train took an average of £2,751 per site – down on the opening averages of recent number ones DC League Of Super-Pets , Thor: Love And Thunder and Minions: The Rise Of Gru.
- 8/8/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Takings up on last year although football-mania hits this weekend.
RankFilm (distributor) Three-day gross (July 29 - 31)Total gross to date Week 1. DC League Of Super-Pets (Warner Bros) £2.6m £2.6m 1 2. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Universal) £2m £33.5m 5 3. Thor: Love And Thunder (Disney) £1.9m £30.8m 4 4. Elvis (Warner Bros) £1.1m £20.9m 6 5. Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount) £981,000 £76.1m 10
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.23
Warner Bros’ animation DC League Of Super-Pets topped the UK-Ireland box office on its opening weekend, as total takings for 2022 passed 2021 with five months still to go.
DC League Of Super-Pets grossed £2.6m across the weekend. It was the widest opening ever for an animated title,...
RankFilm (distributor) Three-day gross (July 29 - 31)Total gross to date Week 1. DC League Of Super-Pets (Warner Bros) £2.6m £2.6m 1 2. Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Universal) £2m £33.5m 5 3. Thor: Love And Thunder (Disney) £1.9m £30.8m 4 4. Elvis (Warner Bros) £1.1m £20.9m 6 5. Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount) £981,000 £76.1m 10
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.23
Warner Bros’ animation DC League Of Super-Pets topped the UK-Ireland box office on its opening weekend, as total takings for 2022 passed 2021 with five months still to go.
DC League Of Super-Pets grossed £2.6m across the weekend. It was the widest opening ever for an animated title,...
- 8/1/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Panah Panahi juggles joy, heartbreak and surreal humour in a road movie his imprisoned father would be proud of
Earlier this month, the irrepressible Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi found himself detained in Tehran and facing six years in jail. It’s the latest move in a long and largely fruitless campaign by the Iranian authorities to silence an artist who continues to be an international beacon of inspiration – not least to his son, Panah Panahi, who worked on his father’s most recent films, and who here makes his own triumphant feature debut as writer and director.
We meet the stars of Hit the Road in the borrowed car in which they will spend much of the film. Hassan Madjooni is the outwardly grouchy Dad, wrestling toothache and a broken leg, the authenticity of which is slyly doubted by Pantea Panahiha’s quietly exasperated but endlessly loving Mum. In the...
Earlier this month, the irrepressible Iranian film-maker Jafar Panahi found himself detained in Tehran and facing six years in jail. It’s the latest move in a long and largely fruitless campaign by the Iranian authorities to silence an artist who continues to be an international beacon of inspiration – not least to his son, Panah Panahi, who worked on his father’s most recent films, and who here makes his own triumphant feature debut as writer and director.
We meet the stars of Hit the Road in the borrowed car in which they will spend much of the film. Hassan Madjooni is the outwardly grouchy Dad, wrestling toothache and a broken leg, the authenticity of which is slyly doubted by Pantea Panahiha’s quietly exasperated but endlessly loving Mum. In the...
- 7/31/2022
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Festival favourites ‘Fire Of Love’, ‘Hit The Road’ also out.
Warner Bros’ DC League Of Super-Pets receives the widest release ever in the UK and Ireland for a fully-animated title this weekend, opening in 725 locations.
It is the joint-eighth widest release of all-time in the territory, alongside Disney’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi from 2017.
Among animated films, DC League Of Super-Pets tops the 719 locations of Disney’s 2019 The Lion King remake. It is slightly behind the 743 opening sites of Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns from 2018 – a predominantly live-action film featuring animated sequences.
It is a second-widest opening ever for Warner Bros,...
Warner Bros’ DC League Of Super-Pets receives the widest release ever in the UK and Ireland for a fully-animated title this weekend, opening in 725 locations.
It is the joint-eighth widest release of all-time in the territory, alongside Disney’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi from 2017.
Among animated films, DC League Of Super-Pets tops the 719 locations of Disney’s 2019 The Lion King remake. It is slightly behind the 743 opening sites of Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns from 2018 – a predominantly live-action film featuring animated sequences.
It is a second-widest opening ever for Warner Bros,...
- 7/29/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Universal’s “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” and Disney’s “Thor: Love And Thunder” were in a neck and neck battle atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with the animated film narrowly besting the Marvel superhero.
“Minions: The Rise Of Gru,” which had debuted in pole position in the territory, returned to the top with £3.08 million (3.7 million) in its fourth weekend, according to numbers released by Comscore. The film now has a total of £28.2 million. “Thor: Love And Thunder” was close behind with £3.05 million in its third weekend for a total of £26.4 million.
Sony’s “Where The Crawdads Sing” debuted in third position with £1.3 million, while Warner Bros.’ “Elvis” collected £1.2 million in fourth place in its fifth weekend for a total of £18.4 million.
Rounding off the top five was Paramount’s Tom Cruise vehicle “Top Gun: Maverick.” Already the highest grossing film of the year in the U.
“Minions: The Rise Of Gru,” which had debuted in pole position in the territory, returned to the top with £3.08 million (3.7 million) in its fourth weekend, according to numbers released by Comscore. The film now has a total of £28.2 million. “Thor: Love And Thunder” was close behind with £3.05 million in its third weekend for a total of £26.4 million.
Sony’s “Where The Crawdads Sing” debuted in third position with £1.3 million, while Warner Bros.’ “Elvis” collected £1.2 million in fourth place in its fifth weekend for a total of £18.4 million.
Rounding off the top five was Paramount’s Tom Cruise vehicle “Top Gun: Maverick.” Already the highest grossing film of the year in the U.
- 7/26/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Bitterbrush (Emelie Mahdavian)
Watch an exclusive clip above.
While they don’t know it yet, this is, for friends Colie Moline and Hollyn Patterson, the end of five years range riding together in the American Pacific Northwest. It’s also their most comfortable after trading the usual camper for an old cabin this summer. With only themselves and a crew of herd dogs for assistance, they take to the Idahoan plains in search of the beef cattle and calves they’ve been contracted to reclaim. The work is tiring and tenuous in consistency, but also spiritually and physically rewarding—if not financially. Colie and Hollyn have grown close: an easy rapport and trust that allows director Emelie Mahdavian (and us) a glimpse into their personal lives,...
Bitterbrush (Emelie Mahdavian)
Watch an exclusive clip above.
While they don’t know it yet, this is, for friends Colie Moline and Hollyn Patterson, the end of five years range riding together in the American Pacific Northwest. It’s also their most comfortable after trading the usual camper for an old cabin this summer. With only themselves and a crew of herd dogs for assistance, they take to the Idahoan plains in search of the beef cattle and calves they’ve been contracted to reclaim. The work is tiring and tenuous in consistency, but also spiritually and physically rewarding—if not financially. Colie and Hollyn have grown close: an easy rapport and trust that allows director Emelie Mahdavian (and us) a glimpse into their personal lives,...
- 6/24/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
This review for “A Man of Integrity” was first published June 17, 2022, after its debut in New York City.
At a crucial point in Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s blistering drama “A Man of Integrity,” a suffering friend of the main character says, “In this country, you’re either oppressor or oppressed. There are no other options.”
In the attempt of his beleaguered protagonist to live a third way — with values, unwilling to give in to corruption’s claws — lies the cloud-covered, Kafka-esque suspense of this seething, tense work.
Rasoulof is himself, to the cinema world, that code-driven figure, having been targeted by his country’s totalitarian regime for arrest (alongside Jafar Panahi in 2010), imprisonment, and a ban on filmmaking, and yet defiantly rolling cameras anyway. “A Man of Integrity” is from 2017 — its success at Cannes that year spurring the confiscation of his passport, and the aforementioned ban — and it...
At a crucial point in Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof’s blistering drama “A Man of Integrity,” a suffering friend of the main character says, “In this country, you’re either oppressor or oppressed. There are no other options.”
In the attempt of his beleaguered protagonist to live a third way — with values, unwilling to give in to corruption’s claws — lies the cloud-covered, Kafka-esque suspense of this seething, tense work.
Rasoulof is himself, to the cinema world, that code-driven figure, having been targeted by his country’s totalitarian regime for arrest (alongside Jafar Panahi in 2010), imprisonment, and a ban on filmmaking, and yet defiantly rolling cameras anyway. “A Man of Integrity” is from 2017 — its success at Cannes that year spurring the confiscation of his passport, and the aforementioned ban — and it...
- 6/24/2022
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
A Chiara
Jonas Carpignano completes his Southern Italian trilogy about a Calabrian town where African refugees, the Romani community and Mafia exist side by side, for the first time focusing on a young female protagonist: a teen girl (Swamy Rotolo) absorbing shocking discoveries about her adored father. The result is a film of haunting intimacy. — David Rooney
After Yang
Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith play a couple whose family harmony suffers when the android sibling they purchased for their adopted Chinese daughter breaks down in writer-director Kogonada’s exquisite, meditative sci-fi drama. The film’s stealthy emotional power creeps up on you. — D.R.
ANAïS In Love
A restless young Parisian woman (Anaïs Demoustier, charming) falls in love with her ex’s partner, a famous writer played by a brilliant Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, in Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s seductive debut feature. It’s a...
A Chiara
Jonas Carpignano completes his Southern Italian trilogy about a Calabrian town where African refugees, the Romani community and Mafia exist side by side, for the first time focusing on a young female protagonist: a teen girl (Swamy Rotolo) absorbing shocking discoveries about her adored father. The result is a film of haunting intimacy. — David Rooney
After Yang
Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith play a couple whose family harmony suffers when the android sibling they purchased for their adopted Chinese daughter breaks down in writer-director Kogonada’s exquisite, meditative sci-fi drama. The film’s stealthy emotional power creeps up on you. — D.R.
ANAïS In Love
A restless young Parisian woman (Anaïs Demoustier, charming) falls in love with her ex’s partner, a famous writer played by a brilliant Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, in Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet’s seductive debut feature. It’s a...
- 6/22/2022
- by David Rooney, Sheri Linden, Lovia Gyarkye and Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New Release Wall
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Lionsgate) could very easily have been a one-joke movie, but Nicolas Cage playing a less successful and more venal version of himself is just the launching point for a clever and engaging film about fame, the movies and male bonding. When “Cage” accepts a gig to appear at the birthday of a nefarious Spanish billionaire (a hilarious Pedro Pascal), it’s one surprise after another both for our hero and for the audience.
Also available:
“Ambulance” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Michael Bay puts the robots away for this heart-thumping caper starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
“The Bad Guys” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Animated anthropomorphic villains seek some redemption in this Dreamworks comedy.
“The Contractor” (Paramount Home Entertainment): Chris Pine stars as a desperate veteran who gets tied up with an underground paramilitary force.
“Eraser: Reborn” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment...
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Lionsgate) could very easily have been a one-joke movie, but Nicolas Cage playing a less successful and more venal version of himself is just the launching point for a clever and engaging film about fame, the movies and male bonding. When “Cage” accepts a gig to appear at the birthday of a nefarious Spanish billionaire (a hilarious Pedro Pascal), it’s one surprise after another both for our hero and for the audience.
Also available:
“Ambulance” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Michael Bay puts the robots away for this heart-thumping caper starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
“The Bad Guys” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): Animated anthropomorphic villains seek some redemption in this Dreamworks comedy.
“The Contractor” (Paramount Home Entertainment): Chris Pine stars as a desperate veteran who gets tied up with an underground paramilitary force.
“Eraser: Reborn” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment...
- 6/17/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Picturehouse Entertainment has revealed the trailer for Panah Panahi’s directorial debut ‘Hit The Road.’
Driving across endless miles of rugged landscape, a family navigates a long road trip alongside a range of conflicting emotions. Dad’s got a broken leg and a mood to match whilst Mum fusses over her two children and their pet dog. And when he’s not drawing on the car windows, their energetic youngest son couldn’t be louder as he sings along to the car radio whilst his elder brother tries to concentrate on the road ahead. As the journey twists and turns and their destination draws ever closer, the chaotic claustrophobia in the car grows as does the love and affection they have for each other.
Panah Panahi’s debut feature is draws ever closer, the chaotic claustrophobia in the car grows as does the love and affection they have for each other.
Driving across endless miles of rugged landscape, a family navigates a long road trip alongside a range of conflicting emotions. Dad’s got a broken leg and a mood to match whilst Mum fusses over her two children and their pet dog. And when he’s not drawing on the car windows, their energetic youngest son couldn’t be louder as he sings along to the car radio whilst his elder brother tries to concentrate on the road ahead. As the journey twists and turns and their destination draws ever closer, the chaotic claustrophobia in the car grows as does the love and affection they have for each other.
Panah Panahi’s debut feature is draws ever closer, the chaotic claustrophobia in the car grows as does the love and affection they have for each other.
- 5/27/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe Mother and the Whore (1972).The lineup for this year's Cannes Classics boasts a 4k digital restoration of Jean Eustache's The Mother and the Whore, a rare screening of Satyajit Ray’s newly restored Pratidwandi, films by Vittorio de Sica, Orson Welles, Mike De Leon, and much more. After recently making Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger's I Know Where I'm Going! available for free online, Martin Scorsese is set to narrate and executive produce a documentary about the filmmaking duo. Directed by David Hinton, the documentary follows Scorsese's personal journey with and relationship to Powell & Pressburger's films. David Cronenberg has announced his follow-up to Crimes of the Future: Starring Vincent Cassel and produced by Saïd Ben Saïd, Shrouds is about grieving widower whose technologically innovative (and controversial) cemetery is vandalized. Recommended VIEWINGThe trailer...
- 5/11/2022
- MUBI
It is the Iranian director’s first film since road movie 3 Faces which won best screenplay in competition at Cannes in 2018.
Paris-based Celluloid Dreams will kick off sales on Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s new feature No Bears at the upcoming edition of Cannes.
The drama follows two parallel love stories in which the partners are thwarted by hidden, inevitable obstacles, the force of superstition, and the mechanics of power.
It Is currently in post-production and will be ready for a launch at a festival this year.
It marks Panahi’s first fiction film since the road movie 3 Faces,...
Paris-based Celluloid Dreams will kick off sales on Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s new feature No Bears at the upcoming edition of Cannes.
The drama follows two parallel love stories in which the partners are thwarted by hidden, inevitable obstacles, the force of superstition, and the mechanics of power.
It Is currently in post-production and will be ready for a launch at a festival this year.
It marks Panahi’s first fiction film since the road movie 3 Faces,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The Red Sea International Film Festival in partnership with Vox Cinemas, Mbc Group, and Saudia Airlines announced the winners of the Red Sea competition sections. The 16 feature, 18 shorts selection and 21 ground-breaking global virtual reality experiences are a celebration of the most exciting, innovative new films and cinematic storytelling from established and emerging filmmakers from the Arab world and Africa.
This year’s jury included: President of the Red Sea Features Competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director, writer, actress, and producer Cherien Dabis, Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.
Competition Jury Prize went to the Cannes Directors Fortnight premiering Hit the Road by Panah Panahi from Iran.
Competition Best Film went to Brighton 4th by Levan Koguashvili a coproduction of Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco. This is Georgia’s submission for Oscar Nomination for Best International Film and the winner of the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles for Best Picture. This film about the Georgian emigrants living in Brighton Beach, USA today captures the heart of the viewers with its open sharing of the Georgians today. Its director Levan Koguashvili graduated NYU Film school. The film is the winner of three prizes at Cottbus Film Festival and three awards at Tribeca as well.
Competition Best Actor and Best Director for Europa went to Amal Ali and Haider Rashid respectively, a coproduction of Iraq, Italy, and Kuwait:
Haider Rashid says, “Regarding the main role, Kamal, I was set on finding an actor who could understand the sense of displacement that we wanted to portray on an emotional level. My colleague Daniele Bernabei ran into a trailer for a short film while at the Short Film Corner in Cannes and sent it to me, as the cast was composed of several Arab actors. As soon as I saw Adam Ali I felt there was something interesting about him, a silent movie face in a way. That made me want to find out more, since we were going to make a film in which dialogue is at a minimum and most of the film is on the protagonist’s shoulders.
While he was in Canada shooting Apple+’s Little America, we had a very interesting conversation and found some common grounds on certain issues like the misrepresentation of certain ethnicities in film and TV and what it feels like to be sometimes torn between two cultures. Adam is of Libyan origins and moved with his family to Manchester when he was a child, so the issue of identity was also a common ground between us.
Of course this film is pretty different as it is so physical and it was clear that we were going to do many things that not every actor would be willing to do. While speaking to Adam, it seemed to me that there was a certain pride about him that would help me in pushing him in certain directions both physically and emotionally by sometimes provoking him. He was great in being determined to do what was necessary and I have to say he was really brave in how he faced the physical and emotional challenges that the story entailed.”
Competition Best Actress Award went to Arawinda Kirana for her role in Yuni a production of Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia. She also won for best actress in the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles. This is a beautifully shot story of the feisy rebellion of a young woman in Indonesia today, a place we have not seen in its contemporary feminine aspects until now.
Best Saudi Film Rupture by Hamzah K. Jamjoom — Saudi Arabia
Audience Award You Resemble Me by Dina Amer — Egypt, France, USA
Immersive Silver Yusr Samsara by Hsin-Chien Huang — Taiwan
Immersive Gold Yusr End of Night by David Adler — Denmark, France
Short Competition Golden Yusr Tala’vision by Murad Abu Eisheh — Jordan, Germany
Competition Special Mention Farha by Darin J. Sallam — Jordan
Competition Best Cinematic Contribution went to Amin Jafari for Hit the Road — Iran
Competition Best Screenplay Neighbours by Mano Khalil — Syria, Switzerland...
This year’s jury included: President of the Red Sea Features Competition, Academy Award-winning Italian director and writer Giuseppe Tornatore, Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Palestinian-American director, writer, actress, and producer Cherien Dabis, Mexican festival director and founder of the Morelia International Film Festival Daniela Michel and Saudi film director Abdulaziz Alshlahei.
Competition Jury Prize went to the Cannes Directors Fortnight premiering Hit the Road by Panah Panahi from Iran.
Competition Best Film went to Brighton 4th by Levan Koguashvili a coproduction of Georgia, Russia, Bulgaria, USA, Monaco. This is Georgia’s submission for Oscar Nomination for Best International Film and the winner of the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles for Best Picture. This film about the Georgian emigrants living in Brighton Beach, USA today captures the heart of the viewers with its open sharing of the Georgians today. Its director Levan Koguashvili graduated NYU Film school. The film is the winner of three prizes at Cottbus Film Festival and three awards at Tribeca as well.
Competition Best Actor and Best Director for Europa went to Amal Ali and Haider Rashid respectively, a coproduction of Iraq, Italy, and Kuwait:
Haider Rashid says, “Regarding the main role, Kamal, I was set on finding an actor who could understand the sense of displacement that we wanted to portray on an emotional level. My colleague Daniele Bernabei ran into a trailer for a short film while at the Short Film Corner in Cannes and sent it to me, as the cast was composed of several Arab actors. As soon as I saw Adam Ali I felt there was something interesting about him, a silent movie face in a way. That made me want to find out more, since we were going to make a film in which dialogue is at a minimum and most of the film is on the protagonist’s shoulders.
While he was in Canada shooting Apple+’s Little America, we had a very interesting conversation and found some common grounds on certain issues like the misrepresentation of certain ethnicities in film and TV and what it feels like to be sometimes torn between two cultures. Adam is of Libyan origins and moved with his family to Manchester when he was a child, so the issue of identity was also a common ground between us.
Of course this film is pretty different as it is so physical and it was clear that we were going to do many things that not every actor would be willing to do. While speaking to Adam, it seemed to me that there was a certain pride about him that would help me in pushing him in certain directions both physically and emotionally by sometimes provoking him. He was great in being determined to do what was necessary and I have to say he was really brave in how he faced the physical and emotional challenges that the story entailed.”
Competition Best Actress Award went to Arawinda Kirana for her role in Yuni a production of Indonesia, Singapore, France, Australia. She also won for best actress in the Asian World Film Festival, Los Angeles. This is a beautifully shot story of the feisy rebellion of a young woman in Indonesia today, a place we have not seen in its contemporary feminine aspects until now.
Best Saudi Film Rupture by Hamzah K. Jamjoom — Saudi Arabia
Audience Award You Resemble Me by Dina Amer — Egypt, France, USA
Immersive Silver Yusr Samsara by Hsin-Chien Huang — Taiwan
Immersive Gold Yusr End of Night by David Adler — Denmark, France
Short Competition Golden Yusr Tala’vision by Murad Abu Eisheh — Jordan, Germany
Competition Special Mention Farha by Darin J. Sallam — Jordan
Competition Best Cinematic Contribution went to Amin Jafari for Hit the Road — Iran
Competition Best Screenplay Neighbours by Mano Khalil — Syria, Switzerland...
- 5/8/2022
- by Sydney
- Sydney's Buzz
This review of “Hit the Road” was first published on April 22, 2022, after its New York City opening.
“The cockroach thinks its baby is beautiful,” says the middle-aged father to his 6-year-old.
“Are we cockroaches?” the child asks. After pausing, the father replies, “We are now.”
This exchange, playful on the surface, but heavy with quiet grief, occurs late in “Hit The Road,” the stunning debut feature written and directed by Panahi about a troubled road trip, one involving a young man fleeing Iran for an uncertain future. He’s referred to frequently as a “traveler,” but there’s more to it than that.
The young man is Farid (Amin Simiar). He’s driving to a meeting spot, where masked guides on motorcycles are meant to smuggle him into Turkey. Along for the ride are his mother (Pantea Panahiha), father (Hassan Majooni) and young brother (Rayan Sarlak).
There’s been a summons,...
“The cockroach thinks its baby is beautiful,” says the middle-aged father to his 6-year-old.
“Are we cockroaches?” the child asks. After pausing, the father replies, “We are now.”
This exchange, playful on the surface, but heavy with quiet grief, occurs late in “Hit The Road,” the stunning debut feature written and directed by Panahi about a troubled road trip, one involving a young man fleeing Iran for an uncertain future. He’s referred to frequently as a “traveler,” but there’s more to it than that.
The young man is Farid (Amin Simiar). He’s driving to a meeting spot, where masked guides on motorcycles are meant to smuggle him into Turkey. Along for the ride are his mother (Pantea Panahiha), father (Hassan Majooni) and young brother (Rayan Sarlak).
There’s been a summons,...
- 5/7/2022
- by Dave White
- The Wrap
Mounia Akl’s long-awaited “Costa Brava, Lebanon” (2021) marks an impressive first feature. Eight different countries backed “Costa Brava”’s production, in addition to Akl’s own three completed residences at Cannes, Sundance, and Torino. The film’s international reception has also been warm. With a world premiere at Venice, a North American premiere at Toronto, and now a screening at Sffilm, “Costa Brava” ushers in Akl as an up-and-coming icon of Lebanese cinema. Crowds at home agree too: this film was recently selected as the Lebanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at this year’s Academy Awards.
The accolades are not unwarranted. “Costa Brava” masters the universal and the local at once. In this contemporary fiction, three generations of the Badri family reside in an idyllic mountain home. Though the location is picture-perfect, familial arguments bubble up beneath the surface. Grandmother Zeina (Liliane Chacar Khoury), ex-singer Soraya (Nadine Labaki...
The accolades are not unwarranted. “Costa Brava” masters the universal and the local at once. In this contemporary fiction, three generations of the Badri family reside in an idyllic mountain home. Though the location is picture-perfect, familial arguments bubble up beneath the surface. Grandmother Zeina (Liliane Chacar Khoury), ex-singer Soraya (Nadine Labaki...
- 5/4/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
You are dropped into the middle of a journey. It’s unclear where exactly you’re going, at least at first. Still, a few early signposts suggest possible destinations: precocious-kid comedy, existential-crisis drama, Ransom of Red Chief-type ironyfest, paranoid thriller, regional road-to-nowhere allegory. You start to pick up that it’s a family you’re traveling with, a foursome who fit easily into familiar slots. Dad (Hasan Mujuni) is cranky, bearded, partially crippled by having his leg in a cast. Mom (Pantea Panahiha) is fretful, slightly fussy, extremely nurturing — possibly,...
- 4/29/2022
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Ah, with the slowly rising temps and with most schools getting ready to finish u[ their “grade years”, many families are hearing the call of the open highway. Maybe more so than other forms of mass transportation, driving may be the best option with new “variants’ popping up . But long hours in such “close quarters’ can certainly put a strain on the old “family dynamic”. And that’s probably true with families all around the world. In this new release, we’re in the ‘passenger seat’ for a winding journey through the battered dusty highways and byways of Iran. What really complicates this trek is what’s “packed away” with the bottled water and snacks, namely some big secrets. So, will these “hidden agendas” keep locked away when they Hit The Road?
This story begins with a “rest stop’ off the shoulder of a baking trail full of sand and rocks. Papa (Hasan Majuni) is trying to nap in the back seat, while his left leg, which has been in a plaster cast for a loooong while, stretches into the front armrests. Of course, his slumber is thwarted by his “spirited” six-year-old son who’s mainly known as “little bro” (Rayan Sarlak). Meanwhile, his older “big bro” (Amin Simiar) walks around the borrowed SUV, looking for dents and leaks. In the front passenger seat, Mama (Pantea Panahiha) is jolted awake by her little boy’s hidden cell phone he had promised not to bring it along, so she grabs it and dashes away to hide it under a nearby rock, insisting that they will pick it up...
This story begins with a “rest stop’ off the shoulder of a baking trail full of sand and rocks. Papa (Hasan Majuni) is trying to nap in the back seat, while his left leg, which has been in a plaster cast for a loooong while, stretches into the front armrests. Of course, his slumber is thwarted by his “spirited” six-year-old son who’s mainly known as “little bro” (Rayan Sarlak). Meanwhile, his older “big bro” (Amin Simiar) walks around the borrowed SUV, looking for dents and leaks. In the front passenger seat, Mama (Pantea Panahiha) is jolted awake by her little boy’s hidden cell phone he had promised not to bring it along, so she grabs it and dashes away to hide it under a nearby rock, insisting that they will pick it up...
- 4/29/2022
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Moviegoing Memories is a series of short interviews with filmmakers about going to the movies. Panah Panahi's Hit the Road is Mubi Go's Film of the Week in the US for April 29, 2022. Panah Panahi (right) on the set of Hit the Road (2021).Moviegoing Memorieshit The Road Notebook: How would you describe your movie in the least amount of words?Panah Panahi: An emotional roller coaster.Notebook: Where and what is your favorite movie theater? Why is it your favorite?Panahi: The movie theaters after the revolution are usually built in the shopping malls and I really don’t like going there as it’s everything but cultural. However, I have a heartwarming recollection of my parents taking me to an open air cinema in the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults. That was and still is my absolute favorite movie theater.Notebook: What is the...
- 4/25/2022
- MUBI
Before watching Hit the Road, I vaguely remember reading that it was Panah Panahi's debut. Upon finishing the film, I felt compelled to double check that it was indeed his debut. I could have blamed my bad memory; but I must confess. A part of me harbored some disbelief that a film directed with such mastery, shot so beautifully, and written so cleverly so as to convey both comic charm and dramatic depth, could be a debut. When I confirmed that indeed it was Panahi's debut, the shame was on me. To be fair, Panahi descends from quite the pedigree. He is the son of one of cinema's biggest names: Jafar Panahi. And he has worked on some of...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/25/2022
- Screen Anarchy
The Road (Jaddeh Khaki) Kino Lorber Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net, linked from Rotten Tomatoes by Harvey Karten Director: Panah Panahi Screenwriter: Panah Panahi Cast: Hassan Madjooni, Pantea Panahiha, Rayan Sarlak, Amin Simiar Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 4/8/22 Opens: April 22, 2022 “Hit the Road” takes place in a car but is unlike most […]
The post Hit The Road Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Hit The Road Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/22/2022
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
No filmmaker in Iran is immune to the pressures of censorship. Movies made in the country must gain approval from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance not only for distribution purposes but for shooting permits as well. For directors and producers with stories that violate government standards — say, a scene where a woman removes her traditional headscarf, or another violation of Islamic law — the options for maintaining creative freedom are simple: Submit a script with the offending scenes removed, then shoot them anyway. Or hit the road.
Panah Panahi took the second option for his acclaimed debut, but “Hit the Road” is hardly an anomaly. “In a sense the car becomes a second house for us Iranians,” Panahi said in a phone interview with IndieWire ahead of his movie’s U.S. release. “There is a level of security inside the car. That’s why you see so many road films.
Panah Panahi took the second option for his acclaimed debut, but “Hit the Road” is hardly an anomaly. “In a sense the car becomes a second house for us Iranians,” Panahi said in a phone interview with IndieWire ahead of his movie’s U.S. release. “There is a level of security inside the car. That’s why you see so many road films.
- 4/22/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“For Us Iranians, the Car Has Become a Second Home”: Panah Panahi on His Debut Feature, Hit the Road
Hit the Road, the debut feature from writer/director Panah Panahi, is a 93-minute long goodbye of aptly sweet sorrow. Panah, 38, is the son of Jafar Panahi, one of the undisputed titans of Iranian art-house cinema. Having served as an assistant on his father’s films and edited his most recent feature (3 Faces), Panah emerges with Hit the Road as a filmmaker with a slyly unclassifiable take on the family road movie. Panah has called Hit the Road in many ways “the opposite of Jafar’s cinema,” but the film shares at least one key quality with his father’s work: It’s […]
The post “For Us Iranians, the Car Has Become a Second Home”: Panah Panahi on His Debut Feature, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “For Us Iranians, the Car Has Become a Second Home”: Panah Panahi on His Debut Feature, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/22/2022
- by Soheil Rezayazdi
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
“For Us Iranians, the Car Has Become a Second Home”: Panah Panahi on His Debut Feature, Hit the Road
Hit the Road, the debut feature from writer/director Panah Panahi, is a 93-minute long goodbye of aptly sweet sorrow. Panah, 38, is the son of Jafar Panahi, one of the undisputed titans of Iranian art-house cinema. Having served as an assistant on his father’s films and edited his most recent feature (3 Faces), Panah emerges with Hit the Road as a filmmaker with a slyly unclassifiable take on the family road movie. Panah has called Hit the Road in many ways “the opposite of Jafar’s cinema,” but the film shares at least one key quality with his father’s work: It’s […]
The post “For Us Iranians, the Car Has Become a Second Home”: Panah Panahi on His Debut Feature, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “For Us Iranians, the Car Has Become a Second Home”: Panah Panahi on His Debut Feature, Hit the Road first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/22/2022
- by Soheil Rezayazdi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Early on in a family’s drive across northwest Iran, the father, Khosro (Hassan Madjooni), looks out the window at what used to be the largest lake in the Middle East, Lake Urmia. “Years ago, we would swim in it. Now, you can only have a dust bath.” Except for the unflaggingly effervescent younger son (Rayan Sarlak), the family all carry a similar blank experience that at first seems to come from the fatigue of a family road trip gone on too long. But then we deduce, detail by detail, that their worn expressions instead signal resignation, of worries that have no resolution. Hit The Road is an account of family separation from the older son, 20-year old Farid (Amin Simiar), who has to flee across the Turkish border for an offense for which he was arrested and released on a bail.We’re never told what Farid’s offense was,...
- 4/20/2022
- MUBI
The mystery of the Dead Boy Detectives‘ future has been solved, with HBO Max officially ordering the Doom Patrol offshoot to series.
An eight-episode horror detective series developed using elements of DC’s The Sandman and Dead Boy Detectives comics, the show is described as a “fresh take on a ghost story that explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, two dead British teenagers, and their very alive friend, Crystal Palace. So, it’s a lot like a vintage detective series — only darker and on acid.”
More from TVLineWonder Twins: Kj Apa and...
An eight-episode horror detective series developed using elements of DC’s The Sandman and Dead Boy Detectives comics, the show is described as a “fresh take on a ghost story that explores loss, grief, and death through the lens of Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, two dead British teenagers, and their very alive friend, Crystal Palace. So, it’s a lot like a vintage detective series — only darker and on acid.”
More from TVLineWonder Twins: Kj Apa and...
- 4/14/2022
- by Andy Swift
- TVLine.com
Hazel Green and Byron Gogol’s toxic relationship becomes an unlikely partnership when Made for Love returns for Season 2 this month.
On Wednesday, HBO Max unveiled a new trailer, which you can check out above, that teases the twosome’s reluctant team-up as a crew of investigators works to bring down Byron for his many unsavory deeds.
More from TVLineHacks Season 2: Deborah and Ava Hit the Road (and Dumpster Dive?) in New Teaser -- Plus, Get Premiere DateMinx Season 1 Finale Recap: You've Come a Long Way, Baby -- Grade It!Kaley Cuoco Got a Surprise Slap From Flight Attendant...
On Wednesday, HBO Max unveiled a new trailer, which you can check out above, that teases the twosome’s reluctant team-up as a crew of investigators works to bring down Byron for his many unsavory deeds.
More from TVLineHacks Season 2: Deborah and Ava Hit the Road (and Dumpster Dive?) in New Teaser -- Plus, Get Premiere DateMinx Season 1 Finale Recap: You've Come a Long Way, Baby -- Grade It!Kaley Cuoco Got a Surprise Slap From Flight Attendant...
- 4/13/2022
- by Keisha Hatchett
- TVLine.com
The first five Friday month of 2022 has arrived and studios are bringing their heavy hitters like Morbius, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and The Bad Guys to utilize that extra time. That kind of even spacing hopefully means there should still be plenty of screens to house the littler fare as well.
So, keep the creative imagery coming as full-scale competition for eyeballs is seemingly back for good. The “Theatrical Only” text has become a permanent fixture on marketing materials to manufacture an air of “quality” for Hollywood blockbusters while other independent shingles have refused to bat an eye when going day and date with digital too. More forums mean more opportunity. More opportunity means more titles. It’s never been more crucial to stand out from the pack.
Just in frame
I love the excitement bursting from the one-sheet for Hit the Road. The...
So, keep the creative imagery coming as full-scale competition for eyeballs is seemingly back for good. The “Theatrical Only” text has become a permanent fixture on marketing materials to manufacture an air of “quality” for Hollywood blockbusters while other independent shingles have refused to bat an eye when going day and date with digital too. More forums mean more opportunity. More opportunity means more titles. It’s never been more crucial to stand out from the pack.
Just in frame
I love the excitement bursting from the one-sheet for Hit the Road. The...
- 4/1/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
The Indie Meme Film Festival, Austin’s leading cinema event curating South Asian independent cinema, returns to movie theaters for the first time in two years. The festival, which was presented virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, comes back in a hybrid format.
The festival will showcase nearly three dozen films from South Asian filmmakers, covering a variety of poignant topics. Each film tells a unique and diverse story of South Asian lives: a child’s struggle in remote India, an Iranian family seeking asylum in Europe, domestic abuse, alcoholism, mental health, patriarchy and colonialism.
Many of the films in this year’s festival focus on issues important to women, including sexuality, education and the family unit.
Through it all, this year’s lineup is a testament to the importance of accepting people for who they are, and each story is told so that audiences of all backgrounds can relate.
The festival will showcase nearly three dozen films from South Asian filmmakers, covering a variety of poignant topics. Each film tells a unique and diverse story of South Asian lives: a child’s struggle in remote India, an Iranian family seeking asylum in Europe, domestic abuse, alcoholism, mental health, patriarchy and colonialism.
Many of the films in this year’s festival focus on issues important to women, including sexuality, education and the family unit.
Through it all, this year’s lineup is a testament to the importance of accepting people for who they are, and each story is told so that audiences of all backgrounds can relate.
- 3/22/2022
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Last month we learned that the upcoming 2022 edition of Directors’ Fortnight (aka Quinzaine) taking place between May 18th to the 27th will be topper Paolo Moretti’s last mandate and shockingly, the Société des Réalisateurs de Films are currently rethinking the name of the section and their own mandate. Highlights from last year’s edition include A Night of Knowing Nothing, Hit the Road, A Chiara, the Camera d’Or winner Murina and The Souvenir Part II. We’re once again expecting a generous supply of European and French films, solid international title discoveries and a repeat focus on films from the United Kingdom.…...
- 3/14/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
After its world premiere at Cannes last July, Iranian Panah Panahi‘s “Hit The Road” quickly became one of the must-see films from the festival. No doubt part of that is due to Panahi’s father, Jafar Panahi, one of the touchstone filmmakers of the Iranian New Wave. Now, “Hit The Road” gets its US theatrical release next month.
Read More: ‘Hit The Road’: Panah Panahi’s Directorial Debut Is Thrilling Cinema & A Breath Of Fresh Air [Cannes Review]
Panahi’s debut offers a quirky look at a family as they cross Iran’s rugged landscape while on a road trip.
Continue reading ‘Hit The Road’ Trailer: Panah Panahi’s Cannes 2021 Hit Comes to Theaters This April at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Hit The Road’: Panah Panahi’s Directorial Debut Is Thrilling Cinema & A Breath Of Fresh Air [Cannes Review]
Panahi’s debut offers a quirky look at a family as they cross Iran’s rugged landscape while on a road trip.
Continue reading ‘Hit The Road’ Trailer: Panah Panahi’s Cannes 2021 Hit Comes to Theaters This April at The Playlist.
- 3/5/2022
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Despite a number of masterpieces in his own career, Iranian director Jafar Panahi is not the only family member with a strong vision behind the camera. His son, Panah Panahi, crafted a remarkable feature debut with the charming, emotional journey Hit the Road. Following a family of four as they traverse the Iranian countryside and reflect on life, the Cannes and NYFF selection will arrive next month in theaters, via Kino Lorber, and the new trailer has arrived.
Jake Kring-Schreifels said in his NYFF review, “There’s not much exposition in Hit the Road. In fact it takes most of Panah Panahi’s remarkable directorial debut, about a family traveling across northwestern Iran, to understand the full gravity of this noisy and comical road trip. Yet this movie’s power comes in the slow-burning revelations found through the straightaway desert roads and rolling lush hills, which amount to an emotionally wrenching crescendo.
Jake Kring-Schreifels said in his NYFF review, “There’s not much exposition in Hit the Road. In fact it takes most of Panah Panahi’s remarkable directorial debut, about a family traveling across northwestern Iran, to understand the full gravity of this noisy and comical road trip. Yet this movie’s power comes in the slow-burning revelations found through the straightaway desert roads and rolling lush hills, which amount to an emotionally wrenching crescendo.
- 3/1/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
"One day, we'll laugh at all this." Kino Lorber has revealed an official trailer for Hit the Road, an award-winning, outstanding little indie film from Iran. It's the feature debut of filmmaker Panah Panahi, who just so happens to be the son of acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. This premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival last year in the Director's Fortnight section and ended up with tons of rave reviews (one of my favorites of the fest). The film follows a chaotic, tender Iranian family that has embarked upon a a road trip across a rugged landscape and fussing over the sick dog and getting on each others' nerves along the way. Only the mysterious older brother is quiet, as he is headed somewhere else. Panah Panahi "makes a striking feature debut with this charming, sharp-witted, and deeply moving comic drama." The film stars Pantea Panahiha, Hasan Majuni, Rayan Sarlak,...
- 3/1/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Named one of the best films of 2022 by IndieWire, Panah Panahi’s feature debut “Hit the Road” finally premieres in theaters April 22 after much acclaim on the festival circuit. Below, and exclusive on IndieWire, watch the trailer for the upcoming release.
This isn’t your average family road trip. “Hit the Road” proves to be a quietly existential voyage, fueled by a husband and wife — played by Hassan Madjooni and Pantea Panahiha — as they smuggle their eldest child (Amin Simiar) out of Iran. Rayan Sarlak stars as their younger son.
Director Panahi himself is the son of the great filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who is still banned from making movies and from leaving the country.
“Hit the Road” premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and was later screened at the New York Film Festival. The film premieres April 22 at New York’s Film Forum as a Kino Lorber release.
Over the course of the road trip,...
This isn’t your average family road trip. “Hit the Road” proves to be a quietly existential voyage, fueled by a husband and wife — played by Hassan Madjooni and Pantea Panahiha — as they smuggle their eldest child (Amin Simiar) out of Iran. Rayan Sarlak stars as their younger son.
Director Panahi himself is the son of the great filmmaker Jafar Panahi, who is still banned from making movies and from leaving the country.
“Hit the Road” premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and was later screened at the New York Film Festival. The film premieres April 22 at New York’s Film Forum as a Kino Lorber release.
Over the course of the road trip,...
- 3/1/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Panah Panahi is the son of the acclaimed Iranian dissident filmmaker Jafar Panahi, the winner of many prizes at top film festivals and the auteur who was sentenced to 6 years in prison and 20-year filmmaking ban for his socially critical work. Panah inherited his father’s filmmaking talent, got his filmmaking education and learned the tricks of the trade by assisting his father and even co-editing his film “3 Faces” (2018). “Hit the Road” is Panahi Junior’s feature directing debut that was selected for Directors Fortnight at Cannes. We had the chance to see it at Sarajevo’s Open Air section.
“Hit the Road“ is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Hit the Road opens to the sounds of Chopin’s piano music over the black screen before the action starts in the car. A hyperactive, obviously bored boy (Rayan Sarlak), pretend-plays the keyboard drawn on the...
“Hit the Road“ is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Hit the Road opens to the sounds of Chopin’s piano music over the black screen before the action starts in the car. A hyperactive, obviously bored boy (Rayan Sarlak), pretend-plays the keyboard drawn on the...
- 2/2/2022
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Leila Hatami, Iranian actress, silver bear in Berlin for A Separation by Ashgar Faradhi, an Iranian film with one million admissions in France, will be the president of the international Jury. The other members are: Suha Arraf, director (Palestine), Zig Dulay, director (Philippines), Yerlan Nurmukhambetov, director (Kazakhstan), Tran Bich Quan, distributor-producer (France).
Koji Fukada, the rising star of Japanese directors, will present all of his films in world premiere.
Both will receive a Cyclo d’or d’honneur for their entire career or their work during the opening ceremony on February 1, 2022.
Moshen Makhmalbaf, multi-award-winning Iranian director, and Atiq Rahimi, Afghan director, Goncourt Prize 2008, signatories of the appeal of July 29, 2021 “let’s save Afghan artists! », will present several films during the Afghan Day.
A tribute will be paid to filmmaker Marc Haaz, technical director of Fica, who died tragically, at the age of 33, on July 30, 2021.
The complete films of Xei Fei,...
Koji Fukada, the rising star of Japanese directors, will present all of his films in world premiere.
Both will receive a Cyclo d’or d’honneur for their entire career or their work during the opening ceremony on February 1, 2022.
Moshen Makhmalbaf, multi-award-winning Iranian director, and Atiq Rahimi, Afghan director, Goncourt Prize 2008, signatories of the appeal of July 29, 2021 “let’s save Afghan artists! », will present several films during the Afghan Day.
A tribute will be paid to filmmaker Marc Haaz, technical director of Fica, who died tragically, at the age of 33, on July 30, 2021.
The complete films of Xei Fei,...
- 1/30/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Answering the SunInternational Film Festival Rotterdam have announced the full lineup for their "scaled-down" 51st edition, which will take place online between January 26 — February 6. As part of a full, nationwide lockdown, cinemas will remain closed in the Netherlands until at least 14 January. Tiger COMPETITIONAchrome (Maria Ignatenko)The Cloud Messenger (Rahat Mahajan)The Child (Marguerite de Hillerin/Félix Dutilloy-Liégeois)Eami (Paz Encina)Excess Will Save Us (Morgane Dziurla-Petit)Kafka for Kids (Roee Rosen)Malintzin 17 (Mara Polgovsky/Eugenio Polgovsky)Met mes (Sam de Jong)The Plains (David Easteal)Proyecto Fantasma (Roberto Doveris)Le rêve et la radio (Renaud Després-Larose/Ana Tapia Rousiouk)Silver Bird and Rainbow Fish (Lei Lei)To Love Again (Gao Linyang)Yamabuki (Juichiro Yamasaki)Big Screen COMPETITIONAssault (Adilkhan Yerzhanov)Broadway (Christos Massalas)Third Grade (Jacques Doillon)Daryn’s Gym (Brett Michael Innes)Drifting Petals (Clara Law)The Harbour (Rajeev Ravi)The Island (Anca Damian)Kung Fu Zohra (Mabrouk El Mechri...
- 1/7/2022
- MUBI
Our second ever Best West Asian list is a bit smaller than the previous one, which included 20 films, but at least equal in terms of quality and diversity. In that fashion, and although Iran has the lion’s share, movies from Turkey, Georgia, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh are included in a list that also showcases (experimental) documentaries, dramas, comedies, action and everything between.
Without further ado, here are the best West Asian films of 2021, in random order. Some films may have premiered in 2020, but since they mostly circulated in 2021, we decided to include them.
15. Radiograph of A Family
“Radiograph of a Family” is a great documentary that manages to combine artfulness with a very interesting story and a parallel to the history of Iran, through a rather brave approach due to its intimacy. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
14. Hit the Road
Panahi directs his first feature with style and elegance, channeling...
Without further ado, here are the best West Asian films of 2021, in random order. Some films may have premiered in 2020, but since they mostly circulated in 2021, we decided to include them.
15. Radiograph of A Family
“Radiograph of a Family” is a great documentary that manages to combine artfulness with a very interesting story and a parallel to the history of Iran, through a rather brave approach due to its intimacy. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
14. Hit the Road
Panahi directs his first feature with style and elegance, channeling...
- 1/6/2022
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Levan Koguashvili’s Brighton 4th has scooped up the Best Film prize at Saudi Arabia’s inaugural Red Sea Film Festival. The title is Georgia’s entry in the Academy Awards international feature category this year.
Elsewhere in the festival’s Yusr Awards, Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s title Rupture was the winner for Best Saudi Film while Egyptian title You Resemble Me from director Dina Amer won the Audience Award.
Meanwhile, the jury prize was awarded to Iranian helmer Panah Panahi’s family road trip effort Hit The Road, which also won the Red Sea’s best cinematic contribution award. That title premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year. Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’Vision nabbed the Best Short award while Haider Rashid won Best Director for his title Europa.
The festival’s selection included 16 features, 18 short films and 21 virtual reality experiences in a celebration of innovative films...
Elsewhere in the festival’s Yusr Awards, Hamzah K. Jamjoom’s title Rupture was the winner for Best Saudi Film while Egyptian title You Resemble Me from director Dina Amer won the Audience Award.
Meanwhile, the jury prize was awarded to Iranian helmer Panah Panahi’s family road trip effort Hit The Road, which also won the Red Sea’s best cinematic contribution award. That title premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year. Murad Abu Eisheh’s Tala’Vision nabbed the Best Short award while Haider Rashid won Best Director for his title Europa.
The festival’s selection included 16 features, 18 short films and 21 virtual reality experiences in a celebration of innovative films...
- 12/14/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
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