Month: May 2022

When filmmaker Marie Kreutzer was writing “Corsage,” which chronicles a critical period in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as “Sissi,” she had in mind the experience of other women in the public eye, in particular Princess Diana and Meghan Markle. In recent weeks, she has been mulling the treatment of Amber

Setting the agenda for much top Brazilian cinema bowing over 2022-25, Globo Filmes has boarded 20 new Brazilian movies, powering up by far the biggest production slate of any company in Brazil. New titles from many of Brazil’s good and great range from Cinema Novo veteran Zelito Viana to Oscar-shortlisted Cao Hambuger. The production slate

World premiering at the Cannes ACID showcase, “Polaris” explores the intimate relationship between two sisters, Hayat and Leila. The film, set between the isolated Northern Sea and warm, well-connected France, aims to bring a human perspective to this tale of sisterhood set against dramatic land- and seascapes. “Polaris” marks the doc feature debut of Spain’s

Returning to Cannes’ Un Certain Regard with her second feature film, Palestinian director Maha Haj tackles the dynamics of male friendship and the strain of living under occupation in “Mediterranean Fever.” The subtly tender film follows family man Waleed, whose chronic depression hinders his dreams of a writing career and leads him into the path

Three fiction features and two documentary films were presented to an industry audience at the Cannes Film Market as part of its Thessaloniki Goes to Cannes, the Cannes Film Market’s Works-in-Progress showcase, on May 23. “Panellinion” Described as a movie about obsession, madness and loneliness, “Panellinion” is the debut documentary feature of Spyros Mantzavinos and

Prolific Italian film and stage director Mario Martone, who is a Venice aficionado, is back in competition in Cannes 27 years after his Elena Ferrante adaptation “L’amore molesto” (“Troubling Love”) launched in competition from the Croisette in 1995. And there is a close connection between these two films that delve deep into the entrails of

Ukraine’s Film.UA has closed a raft of deals during the Cannes Market, as the production and distribution heavyweight has defiantly continued to do business on the Croisette despite the ongoing war back home. Headlining the company’s Cannes slate is “Mavka. The Forest Song,” an animated feature about a magical spirit who’s responsible for protecting the

The 28th Sarajevo Film Festival has unveiled the jury of its feature film competition jury. Director and screenwriter Sebastian Meise will serve as jury president and fellow jurors include director, screenwriter and producer Lucile Hadžihalilović, writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, actor Milan Marić and producer and senior consultant for international co-productions Katriel Schory. Meise debuted with

The top IEFTA (Intl. Film Talent Assn.) award for docs-in-progress at the Cannes Film Market’s documentary-focused industry sidebar Cannes Docs has gone to “Twice Colonized” by Lin Alluna. The film was developed by the Circle Women Doc Accelerator, a training program for female-identifying documentary filmmakers. The win marks a hat-trick for Circle since they started

Deaf Crocodile Films and Gratitude Films have acquired Indian films “Lalanna’s Song” and “Dhuin” for North American distribution. The deals were completed during the Cannes Market. “Dhuin” is one of six Indian titles selected by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for a market screening. Previous Deaf Crocodile and Gratitude acquisition “Boomba Ride,” by Biswajeet

Matthew McConaughey has issued a statement responding to news of a mass shooting at an elementary school in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas. The massacre has left at least 19 students and two adults dead, with several more being treated in local hospitals for injuries sustained during the incident. The actor offered a response on

Belgian director Lukas Dhont is in rare company. His 2018 Un Certain Regard debut, “Girl,” won the Caméra d’Or and three more Cannes prizes, besting the number of first-time feature wins from the likes of Steven Soderbergh and Steve McQueen. And while his rise has come with some controversy, he earned a place in competition with the May 26 Lumière gala premiere of

In a world awash in marketing messages and entertainment options, spurring consumers to check out new movie titles at the multiplex is no easy task. And that was before pandemic conditions made everything about going to a theater that much more complicated. “Now there’s an extra step,” said Michael Moses, chief marketing officer for Universal

The Cannes Film Festival invited eight male directors for an hours-long symposium on the future of cinema on Tuesday — a session that raised uneasy questions for those working with streaming services, and paid no attention to the lack of female filmmakers on the panel. Moderated by Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux and Canal+ correspondent