Paris-based sales company Alpha Violet has come on board as representative of “Mongrel,” the debut feature of Taiwan-based Singaporean filmmaker Chiang Wei Liang. The film will have its world premiere next month at Cannes in the Directors Fortnight section.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, “Mongrel” stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad as Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
Rungkumjad is joined by newcomer Kuo Shu-wei, who plays Hui, a patient with whom Oom develops a bond. On hearing of the film’s Cannes selection, Kuo said, “I never thought this film would have the opportunity to be seen by so many people. As I live with athetoid cerebral palsy, we worked hard to achieve this. Hui is a character whose abilities are weaker than mine, so I thought of the friends I...
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, “Mongrel” stars Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad as Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
Rungkumjad is joined by newcomer Kuo Shu-wei, who plays Hui, a patient with whom Oom develops a bond. On hearing of the film’s Cannes selection, Kuo said, “I never thought this film would have the opportunity to be seen by so many people. As I live with athetoid cerebral palsy, we worked hard to achieve this. Hui is a character whose abilities are weaker than mine, so I thought of the friends I...
- 4/16/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Pyramide International has acquired world sales (excluding France), to the upcoming Cannes Un Certain Regard title “Việt and Nam” by Vietnamese auteur Trương Minh Quý. Shot on 16mm stock, the film is a drama about two young miners who must complete a mission before fate pulls them apart.
“In the depths of the underground coal mines, where danger awaits and darkness prevails, Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea. But the departure cannot happen as, lying somewhere deep within the earth, in the far-off forest is Nam’s father, a soldier, whose remains they’re compelled to find. Together, following the mysteries of memories and dreams, they retrace the path to the past,” reads a synopsis supplied by lead producer Epicmedia of The Philippines.
Trương Minh Quý made a splash by taking part...
“In the depths of the underground coal mines, where danger awaits and darkness prevails, Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea. But the departure cannot happen as, lying somewhere deep within the earth, in the far-off forest is Nam’s father, a soldier, whose remains they’re compelled to find. Together, following the mysteries of memories and dreams, they retrace the path to the past,” reads a synopsis supplied by lead producer Epicmedia of The Philippines.
Trương Minh Quý made a splash by taking part...
- 4/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
French public broadcaster France Televisions has commissioned a raft of new scripted shows, including “Lucky Luke,” an adaptation of the cult graphic novel, and “Rallye 82,” a 1982-set female-led racing show.
“Lucky Luke” is an adventure comedy directed by Benjamin Rocher and penned by Mathieu Leblanc and Thomas Mansuy, based on the “Lucky Luke” comicbook. The eight-part half-hour series is produced by Geraldine Gendre and Lionel Uzan at Federation Studios, and co-produced by Rémi Préchac and Julien Vallespi at Un pour tous productions, and Alban Lenoir at Homerun. Lenoir, the French star of Netflix’s action thriller series “Lost Bullet,” will play Lucky Luke.
“Rallye 82,” directed by Julien Lacombe (“Missions”), takes place during the racing championship in 1982, where Michele Mouton, the only female pilot, beats the odds and wins the race. The script was penned by Lacombe and Haiga Jappain. Producers are Raphael Rocher and Eric Laroche at Empreinte Digitale.
The...
“Lucky Luke” is an adventure comedy directed by Benjamin Rocher and penned by Mathieu Leblanc and Thomas Mansuy, based on the “Lucky Luke” comicbook. The eight-part half-hour series is produced by Geraldine Gendre and Lionel Uzan at Federation Studios, and co-produced by Rémi Préchac and Julien Vallespi at Un pour tous productions, and Alban Lenoir at Homerun. Lenoir, the French star of Netflix’s action thriller series “Lost Bullet,” will play Lucky Luke.
“Rallye 82,” directed by Julien Lacombe (“Missions”), takes place during the racing championship in 1982, where Michele Mouton, the only female pilot, beats the odds and wins the race. The script was penned by Lacombe and Haiga Jappain. Producers are Raphael Rocher and Eric Laroche at Empreinte Digitale.
The...
- 3/21/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
“Mongrel,” a Taiwan-set drama film that has done the round of project markets, will appear at the International Film Festival Rotterdam as a work in progress.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
In addition to the screening of 15 minutes of footage, Taiwan-based Singaporean director Chiang Wei Liang has confirmed the film’s cast as being headed by Thai actor Wanlop Rungkumjad alongside Taiwanese female actor Lu Yi-ching and rapper Hong Yu-hong from Taiwanese hip-hop group Nine One One. Other key cast include Atchara Suwan (“By the Time It Gets Dark”), and Guo Shu-wei in his debut role.
Set in the mountains of Taiwan, the film follows Rungkumjad’s character Oom, an undocumented migrant and on-demand caregiver for rural families, who struggles to preserve his humanity as he cares for the elderly and disabled.
The project, which represents Chiang’s debut feature film, was previously developed at TorinoFilmLab ScriptLab, Talents Tokyo and the Cannes Residence, where it received the Cnc Development Award.
- 1/18/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Six film projects currently at development stage have been selected to take part in a workshop session as part of mylab+@Jogja next month. The six share a common characteristic of Indonesian co-production and a recurring theme of luminescence.
“This theme underscores the importance of having the distinctive light of Asian cinema arise from its own characteristics. The participants reflect the new hope of Asian cinema with a fresh and authentic perspective. With this kind of program I really hope Asian films continue to shine by their own characters and beauty throughout the world,” said Ifa Isfansyah, producer, director and festival director of the Jogja-netpac Asian Film Festival.
Selected from over 60 applications, the six include a mix of youth on the directing side and experience on the producing side
They include: “A Ballad of Long Hair” with director-scriptwriter Giovanni Rustanto, producer Annisa Adjam and co-producer Fran Borgia; “Carpet” (aka “Karpet”) (Malaysia) with director Mien.
“This theme underscores the importance of having the distinctive light of Asian cinema arise from its own characteristics. The participants reflect the new hope of Asian cinema with a fresh and authentic perspective. With this kind of program I really hope Asian films continue to shine by their own characters and beauty throughout the world,” said Ifa Isfansyah, producer, director and festival director of the Jogja-netpac Asian Film Festival.
Selected from over 60 applications, the six include a mix of youth on the directing side and experience on the producing side
They include: “A Ballad of Long Hair” with director-scriptwriter Giovanni Rustanto, producer Annisa Adjam and co-producer Fran Borgia; “Carpet” (aka “Karpet”) (Malaysia) with director Mien.
- 10/26/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Kino Lorber has snatched up North American rights to Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, the mesmerizing first feature from Vietnamese director Pham Thien An, which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes this year, where it won the Camera d’Or for best directorial debut.
The film fulfills the promise shown in Pham’s acclaimed shorts, including 2019 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight winner Stay Awake, Be Ready, which was the inspiration for Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.
The film follows Thien (Le Phong Vu), a prodigal son with little direction in his life who, after his sister-in-law dies in a freak motorcycle accident, is tasked with delivering her body, and his 5-year-old nephew Dao, who miraculously survived the crash, back to their countryside hometown. Thus begins a journey across the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, a journey back into Thien’s own past and a search for his long-missing older brother,...
The film fulfills the promise shown in Pham’s acclaimed shorts, including 2019 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight winner Stay Awake, Be Ready, which was the inspiration for Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.
The film follows Thien (Le Phong Vu), a prodigal son with little direction in his life who, after his sister-in-law dies in a freak motorcycle accident, is tasked with delivering her body, and his 5-year-old nephew Dao, who miraculously survived the crash, back to their countryside hometown. Thus begins a journey across the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, a journey back into Thien’s own past and a search for his long-missing older brother,...
- 7/6/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Malaysia’s Rajendran brothers, producer Kumanavannan and director Gogularaajan, are angry and have a divinity-tinged story to tell.
Tamil and Malay-language project “Depth of Darkness” (“Kaali”) comes to India’s Film Bazaar co-production market from Busan, where in October, it won the development award at incubator program Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab), an initiative supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca).
“Depth of Darkness” is set in the 1960s, in a secluded Malaysian oil palm plantation which borders a thick forest. Kaali, an innocent, young wife and plantation worker of the Tamil diaspora community yearns to be a mother but is unable to conceive. This subjects her to the oppression of her own society and family. A series of tragic events lead Kaali to realize the...
Tamil and Malay-language project “Depth of Darkness” (“Kaali”) comes to India’s Film Bazaar co-production market from Busan, where in October, it won the development award at incubator program Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab), an initiative supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas), the Singapore Film Commission (Sfc), the Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp) and Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca).
“Depth of Darkness” is set in the 1960s, in a secluded Malaysian oil palm plantation which borders a thick forest. Kaali, an innocent, young wife and plantation worker of the Tamil diaspora community yearns to be a mother but is unable to conceive. This subjects her to the oppression of her own society and family. A series of tragic events lead Kaali to realize the...
- 11/20/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap will be serving as directing mentor along with fellow filmmakers Anthony Chen, Ifa Isfansyah, Joko Anwar and Ho Yuhang, for the ongoing Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab) initiative at the Busan International Film Festival.
The directing mentors will work with the filmmakers of mylab and participate in conversations and exchanges on cinema and filmmaking, reports Variety.
An incubator programme for scriptwriters, directors, producers to work on developing scripts and film projects under lectures and the guidance of regional and international experts in scriptwriting, directing, producing, distribution, and markets and festivals, mylab focuses on projects at an early stage of development, with a team of scriptwriter, director and/or producer attached, targeted at regional or international audiences.
According to Variety, the programme is supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas). Other partners include Singapore Film Commission, Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp...
The directing mentors will work with the filmmakers of mylab and participate in conversations and exchanges on cinema and filmmaking, reports Variety.
An incubator programme for scriptwriters, directors, producers to work on developing scripts and film projects under lectures and the guidance of regional and international experts in scriptwriting, directing, producing, distribution, and markets and festivals, mylab focuses on projects at an early stage of development, with a team of scriptwriter, director and/or producer attached, targeted at regional or international audiences.
According to Variety, the programme is supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas). Other partners include Singapore Film Commission, Film Development Council of the Philippines (Fdcp...
- 10/6/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Celebrated filmmakers Anthony Chen (“Wet Season”), Anurag Kashyap (“Dobaaraa”), Ifa Isfansyah (“Losmen Bu Broto”), Joko Anwar (“Impetigore”) and Ho Yuhang (“The Ghost Bride”) are serving as directing mentors for the ongoing Malaysian Development Lab for Fiction Feature Films (mylab) initiative at the Busan International Film Festival.
The directing mentors will work with the filmmakers of mylab and participate in depth conversations and exchanges on cinema and filmmaking.
An incubator program for scriptwriters, directors, producers to work on developing scripts and film projects under lectures and the guidance of regional and international experts in scriptwriting, directing, producing, distribution, and markets and festivals, mylab focuses on projects at an early stage of development, with a team of scriptwriter, director and/or producer attached, targeted at regional or international audiences.
The program is supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas). Other partners include Singapore Film Commission, Film Development Council of the Philippines...
The directing mentors will work with the filmmakers of mylab and participate in depth conversations and exchanges on cinema and filmmaking.
An incubator program for scriptwriters, directors, producers to work on developing scripts and film projects under lectures and the guidance of regional and international experts in scriptwriting, directing, producing, distribution, and markets and festivals, mylab focuses on projects at an early stage of development, with a team of scriptwriter, director and/or producer attached, targeted at regional or international audiences.
The program is supported by the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas). Other partners include Singapore Film Commission, Film Development Council of the Philippines...
- 10/6/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Fresh off a standing ovation for auteur Lav Diaz’s “When the Waves Are Gone” at the Venice Film Festival, the Philippines’ Epicmedia Productions has revealed a global co-production slate.
Next up is Swiss co-production “Electric Child” by Simon Jacquemet (“The Innocent”), which was presented at the Venice Production Bridge last year. The story revolves around a couple whose child develops an unusual illness. While the mother and baby drift into their own world, the computer-science professor father develops a pact with an A.I. character on a virtual island to save his child. The project, which is starting production imminently, is supported by the Film Location Incentive Fund of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, the Zurich Film Foundation, Filmstiftung Nrw and TV channels Srf and Arte.
Truong Minh Quy (“The Tree House”) is in preproduction on “Viet and Nam,” which follows...
Next up is Swiss co-production “Electric Child” by Simon Jacquemet (“The Innocent”), which was presented at the Venice Production Bridge last year. The story revolves around a couple whose child develops an unusual illness. While the mother and baby drift into their own world, the computer-science professor father develops a pact with an A.I. character on a virtual island to save his child. The project, which is starting production imminently, is supported by the Film Location Incentive Fund of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, the Zurich Film Foundation, Filmstiftung Nrw and TV channels Srf and Arte.
Truong Minh Quy (“The Tree House”) is in preproduction on “Viet and Nam,” which follows...
- 9/6/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Gregoire Melin’s Kinology, the banner behind “Annette,” has boarded “Queens,” Yasmine Benkiran’s feature debut, which will make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
The uplifting Moroccan movie will unspool on closing night of Critics Week. Kinology represents the film in international markets.
The sprawling, colorful adventure film opens in Casablanca, where a trio of rebellious female outlaws – a mother, her daughter and a young girl – drive through the Atlas desert to reach the Atlantic coast with local police forces on their trail.
Benkiran said her film “celebrates freedom and the power of imagination,” as well as conveying the need for women to free themselves from patriarchal traditions in contemporary Moroccan society.
The up-and-coming French-Moroccan director said she aspired to make a film with depth that blended genre with local mythology to tell this story.
Benkiran said she grew up in Morocco, where she would only get...
The uplifting Moroccan movie will unspool on closing night of Critics Week. Kinology represents the film in international markets.
The sprawling, colorful adventure film opens in Casablanca, where a trio of rebellious female outlaws – a mother, her daughter and a young girl – drive through the Atlas desert to reach the Atlantic coast with local police forces on their trail.
Benkiran said her film “celebrates freedom and the power of imagination,” as well as conveying the need for women to free themselves from patriarchal traditions in contemporary Moroccan society.
The up-and-coming French-Moroccan director said she aspired to make a film with depth that blended genre with local mythology to tell this story.
Benkiran said she grew up in Morocco, where she would only get...
- 9/1/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Ruben Ostlund to serve as creative consultant on feature documentary Broadcast, which is pitched this week at Cph:Dox’s Forum.
Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck, directors of the short film hit Ten Meter Tower, are unveiling plans for their first joint feature film, Broadcast, at Cph:dox’s Forum this week.
Danielson and Van Aertryck, who are collaborators at Ruben Ostlund and Erik Hemmendorff’s Plattform Produktion in Sweden, will look at the camera’s power and influence on human behaviour.
Broadcast will be a unique documentary project using lots of raw archive footage yet aiming to be “a completely cinematic experience.
Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck, directors of the short film hit Ten Meter Tower, are unveiling plans for their first joint feature film, Broadcast, at Cph:dox’s Forum this week.
Danielson and Van Aertryck, who are collaborators at Ruben Ostlund and Erik Hemmendorff’s Plattform Produktion in Sweden, will look at the camera’s power and influence on human behaviour.
Broadcast will be a unique documentary project using lots of raw archive footage yet aiming to be “a completely cinematic experience.
- 3/25/2019
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
I just returned from the NexT International (Short) Film Festival (April 6th-10, 2011) in Bucharest, Romania, a city largely unknown to tourists. Time to take out the history book as this nation is unique. The Runaway (4,000 Euro prize) and Silent River were 2 of my favorite winners as judged by the illustrious jury Marian Masone (Associate Director of Programming, Special Programs and Director of Festivals for the Film Society of Lincoln Center), Christian Guinot (organizer of the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival), Anne Garber (executive producer of the short film magazine KurzSchluss for Zdf/Arte), Marie Dubas (former short film producer…...
- 4/21/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
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