“Tehran Taboo” doesn't hold anything back, save for the fact that it is animated. In Ali Soozandeh's wild rotoscoped debut feature, he depicts the increasingly entangled stories of three people in Tehran. Pari (Elmira Rafizadeh), a street-savvy but jaded sex worker demands a divorce and an education for her mute son. Sara (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), a soft-spoken pregnant woman seeks work despite her husband's strict orders to stay at home “for the baby's sake.” Finally, Babak (Arash Marandi), a struggling musician, is flung into an absurd search to replicate an unbroken hymen for his one-night stand. In the trio's search for propriety in Tehran's underbelly, the three find that their worlds, strangely, overlap more than they initially thought.
Their growing kinship is made clear at the turning point of the film, when Sara joins her neighbor, Pari, at her veranda. Perhaps, in a different world, they wouldn't have met at all.
Their growing kinship is made clear at the turning point of the film, when Sara joins her neighbor, Pari, at her veranda. Perhaps, in a different world, they wouldn't have met at all.
- 4/15/2024
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
It’s official: Donald Trump — or at least a fictionalized version of him — is heading to Cannes.
The prestigious French film festival unveiled its 2024 official film selection Thursday in Paris, and Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice was among the titles revealed for the event’s main competition.
The biographical drama stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and explores his career as an aspiring real estate tycoon in the New York City of the 1970s and 1980s. The film is described as a mentor-protégé narrative that documents the start of an American dynasty and tackles themes including power, corruption and deception. It delves into the relationship between Trump and Roy Cohn, the New York City prosecutor oft-remembered for working with Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.
The movie’s official logline reads: “The Apprentice is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire. It charts a young...
The prestigious French film festival unveiled its 2024 official film selection Thursday in Paris, and Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice was among the titles revealed for the event’s main competition.
The biographical drama stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and explores his career as an aspiring real estate tycoon in the New York City of the 1970s and 1980s. The film is described as a mentor-protégé narrative that documents the start of an American dynasty and tackles themes including power, corruption and deception. It delves into the relationship between Trump and Roy Cohn, the New York City prosecutor oft-remembered for working with Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.
The movie’s official logline reads: “The Apprentice is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire. It charts a young...
- 4/11/2024
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Zar Amir Ebrahimi as Shayda and and Selina Zahednia as Mona in Shayda Photo credit: Jane Zhang. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) flees her abusive husband in Iran, along with her six-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia), and goes into hiding at an international women’s shelter in Australia, in the moving, semi-autobiographical Australian drama Shayda.
Set in the 1990s, Shayda is partly based on writer/director Noora Niasari’s own childhood experiences, when her mother fled Iran. Zar Amir Ebrahimi gives a charismatic, emotionally moving performance as Shayda, in a touching, emotionally-powerful drama that follows the mother’s and daughter’s journey. Young Selina Zahednia is a charmer as cute, mischievous Mona, effectively portraying her growth in understanding and maturity as they stay in the shelter. The drama premiered at Sundance in 2023, where it won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition, and it...
Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) flees her abusive husband in Iran, along with her six-year-old daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia), and goes into hiding at an international women’s shelter in Australia, in the moving, semi-autobiographical Australian drama Shayda.
Set in the 1990s, Shayda is partly based on writer/director Noora Niasari’s own childhood experiences, when her mother fled Iran. Zar Amir Ebrahimi gives a charismatic, emotionally moving performance as Shayda, in a touching, emotionally-powerful drama that follows the mother’s and daughter’s journey. Young Selina Zahednia is a charmer as cute, mischievous Mona, effectively portraying her growth in understanding and maturity as they stay in the shelter. The drama premiered at Sundance in 2023, where it won the Audience Award in the World Cinema Dramatic competition, and it...
- 3/22/2024
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Bye-bye Bunya
Australian TV producer Bunya Entertainment says that Sophia Zachariou will step down as co-managing director, after a five-year stint. Bunya Entertainment is one part the Bunya Group of companies and was established by Zachariou, David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin in 2019.
Zachariou is currently in post-production on “The Office” (Amazon) and “Ladies in Black” (ABC) and will deliver these series before she departs the company. Other productions from Bunya Entertainment include the six x half-hour sketch comedy series “The Moth Effect” (Amazon) and the comedy series “Nice Shorts.”
In 2020 Zachariou also created the Bunya Talent Indigenous Hub, in partnership with Netflix and Screen Australia, which funded and developed 10 First Nations writers and directors to further develop their TV projects. The Hub was later extended to include a partnership with Safc, Screen Nt and Screen Nsw.
Jowsey and Simpkin will continue as co-MDs of Bunya Entertainment. The separate Bunya Group entities,...
Australian TV producer Bunya Entertainment says that Sophia Zachariou will step down as co-managing director, after a five-year stint. Bunya Entertainment is one part the Bunya Group of companies and was established by Zachariou, David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin in 2019.
Zachariou is currently in post-production on “The Office” (Amazon) and “Ladies in Black” (ABC) and will deliver these series before she departs the company. Other productions from Bunya Entertainment include the six x half-hour sketch comedy series “The Moth Effect” (Amazon) and the comedy series “Nice Shorts.”
In 2020 Zachariou also created the Bunya Talent Indigenous Hub, in partnership with Netflix and Screen Australia, which funded and developed 10 First Nations writers and directors to further develop their TV projects. The Hub was later extended to include a partnership with Safc, Screen Nt and Screen Nsw.
Jowsey and Simpkin will continue as co-MDs of Bunya Entertainment. The separate Bunya Group entities,...
- 3/19/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Italy, where debate over violence against women is currently raging, is celebrating International Women’s Day by becoming the first country to theatrically release “Tatami,” a female empowerment thriller about an Iranian judo fighter that made a splash in Venice and marks the first collaboration by Iranian and Israeli filmmakers.
Italy’s Bim Distribuzione is bowing “Tatami” – which is co-helmed by Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider) and Israeli director Guy Nattiv – on 90 local movie screens on Friday as an International Women’s Day special preview at a discounted €3.50 ($3.80) ticket price. The film will officially release locally on April 4.
“Tatami” reconstructs the tale of a young judo champion named Leila, played by Arienne Mandi, who Iranian authorities wanted to force to withdraw from a competition in order to keep her from competing against an Israeli athlete.
In an interview with Variety, Ebrahimi, who also stars, said that depicting the...
Italy’s Bim Distribuzione is bowing “Tatami” – which is co-helmed by Iranian actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider) and Israeli director Guy Nattiv – on 90 local movie screens on Friday as an International Women’s Day special preview at a discounted €3.50 ($3.80) ticket price. The film will officially release locally on April 4.
“Tatami” reconstructs the tale of a young judo champion named Leila, played by Arienne Mandi, who Iranian authorities wanted to force to withdraw from a competition in order to keep her from competing against an Israeli athlete.
In an interview with Variety, Ebrahimi, who also stars, said that depicting the...
- 3/8/2024
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
My Rep and Me is a recurring Culture Shift feature in which reps and clients from the same historically marginalized background sit down to discuss the chemistry and business advantages of their special connection, in order to underscore the importance and benefits of diverse representation.
UTA partner Keya Khayatian and actress-filmmaker Zar Amir Ebrahimi are both from Iran but left the country under somewhat traumatic circumstances: Khayatian as a child with his parents fleeing the Islamic Revolution and Ebrahimi in 2008 when she ran afoul of the conservative regime and faced blacklisting and imprisonment. Now based in France, the latter has rebuilt her career and in 2022 became the first Iranian performer to win best actress at Cannes with her role as a journalist investigating a serial killer targeting sex workers in Holy Spider.
It was at the 2023 Sundance premiere of Ebrahimi’s latest film, Shayda, in which she plays an immigrant...
UTA partner Keya Khayatian and actress-filmmaker Zar Amir Ebrahimi are both from Iran but left the country under somewhat traumatic circumstances: Khayatian as a child with his parents fleeing the Islamic Revolution and Ebrahimi in 2008 when she ran afoul of the conservative regime and faced blacklisting and imprisonment. Now based in France, the latter has rebuilt her career and in 2022 became the first Iranian performer to win best actress at Cannes with her role as a journalist investigating a serial killer targeting sex workers in Holy Spider.
It was at the 2023 Sundance premiere of Ebrahimi’s latest film, Shayda, in which she plays an immigrant...
- 3/2/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Two well-reviewed indies are taking a bow in limited release in the shadow of Dune, A24’s Problemista by Julio Torres, and Shayda from Sony Pictures Classics, the feature debut of Noora Niasari.
Torres, the comedian, actor and writer, in his directorial debut, stars with Tilda Swinton as Problemista gets its release at last after being bumped from August due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. He also penned the screenplay, and produced alongside Fruit Tree’s Dave McCary, Ali Herting and Emma Stone. Premiered at SXSW last year, see Deadline review, and sits at 91% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
This surreal comedy adventure amid the treacherous worlds of New York City and the U.S. Immigration system follows Torres’ Alejandro, an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador trying to land a spot at Hasbro’s incubator program. When he’s fired from the cryogenic center where he tends...
Torres, the comedian, actor and writer, in his directorial debut, stars with Tilda Swinton as Problemista gets its release at last after being bumped from August due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. He also penned the screenplay, and produced alongside Fruit Tree’s Dave McCary, Ali Herting and Emma Stone. Premiered at SXSW last year, see Deadline review, and sits at 91% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
This surreal comedy adventure amid the treacherous worlds of New York City and the U.S. Immigration system follows Torres’ Alejandro, an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador trying to land a spot at Hasbro’s incubator program. When he’s fired from the cryogenic center where he tends...
- 3/1/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
“Do you know what they would do to you in Iran?” he asks, and it’s as if she’s supposed to feel lucky.
We meet Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) as she’s touring an Australian airport with her young daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia). The seven-year-old needs to learn where to go, who to talk to, what to do if she finds herself there without her mother. They never talk, in so many words, about the possibility of her being abducted, but viewers will see Shayda’s fear. That’s about to get worse as – despite the fact that the pair have moved into a women’s shelter – a court decides that, for the meantime at least, the man they are afraid of should have unsupervised alone time with the child.
He is Hossein (Osamah Sami), and he comes bearing gifts, showering his kid with affection as such men are wont to do.
We meet Shayda (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) as she’s touring an Australian airport with her young daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia). The seven-year-old needs to learn where to go, who to talk to, what to do if she finds herself there without her mother. They never talk, in so many words, about the possibility of her being abducted, but viewers will see Shayda’s fear. That’s about to get worse as – despite the fact that the pair have moved into a women’s shelter – a court decides that, for the meantime at least, the man they are afraid of should have unsupervised alone time with the child.
He is Hossein (Osamah Sami), and he comes bearing gifts, showering his kid with affection as such men are wont to do.
- 2/29/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Noora Niasari was editing “Shayda” when the world changed — again — for Iranians.
It was September 2022, and Mahsa Amini had just died in police custody, igniting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran. Halfway around the world, Iranian-born filmmaker Niasari struggled to concentrate on completing her film, which she hoped would offer a portrait of female defiance very much in line with the burgeoning movement. She would finish the film that fall and dedicate it to “my mother and the brave women of Iran.”
Since its Sundance 2023 premiere (where it won an audience award and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics), it has screened at roughly 50 festivals and earned a DGA Award nomination. Last year, Australia picked it as its Best International Feature Film submission.
Set in 1995 during the lead-up to the Persian New Year, “Shayda” marks Niasari’s feature debut. She previously directed a string of shorts films that,...
It was September 2022, and Mahsa Amini had just died in police custody, igniting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran. Halfway around the world, Iranian-born filmmaker Niasari struggled to concentrate on completing her film, which she hoped would offer a portrait of female defiance very much in line with the burgeoning movement. She would finish the film that fall and dedicate it to “my mother and the brave women of Iran.”
Since its Sundance 2023 premiere (where it won an audience award and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics), it has screened at roughly 50 festivals and earned a DGA Award nomination. Last year, Australia picked it as its Best International Feature Film submission.
Set in 1995 during the lead-up to the Persian New Year, “Shayda” marks Niasari’s feature debut. She previously directed a string of shorts films that,...
- 2/28/2024
- by Soheil Rezayazdi
- Indiewire
Tatami, the groundbreaking Iranian drama co-directed by Oscar winner Guy Nattiv (Golda) and Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi, has been picked up by XYZ Films for North America, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Based on real-life stories, the Farsi-language drama sees Arienne Mandi play Leila, an Iranian female judo athlete who travels to a world championship with her coach, played by Ebrahimi. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, or she will be branded a traitor of the state.
With her own freedom as well as her family’s at stake, she’s faced with an impossible choice: comply with the Iranian regime as her coach implores her to do, or fight on for the gold.
Tatami is the first feature film to have Iranian and Israeli filmmakers as co-directors. Nattiv directed the 2023 film Golda,...
Based on real-life stories, the Farsi-language drama sees Arienne Mandi play Leila, an Iranian female judo athlete who travels to a world championship with her coach, played by Ebrahimi. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, or she will be branded a traitor of the state.
With her own freedom as well as her family’s at stake, she’s faced with an impossible choice: comply with the Iranian regime as her coach implores her to do, or fight on for the gold.
Tatami is the first feature film to have Iranian and Israeli filmmakers as co-directors. Nattiv directed the 2023 film Golda,...
- 2/17/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: As Netflix’s The Night Agent gears up to begin production on Season 2, a new list of recruits joining Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan and Amanda Warren is being released.
Berto Colon, Louis Herthum (Westworld) and Arienne Mandi (Tatami) are set as series regulars with Brittany Snow and Teddy Sears joining in recurring roles.
Colon plays Solomon, a former Marine turned right-hand man/fixer for a powerful businessman; Herthum plays Jacob Monroe, an international businessman with powerful global connections that he uses to obtain valuable information; and Mandi plays Noor, a low-level aide in the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York who is looking to leverage her access to top secret information into a better life for her and her family.
Snow plays Alice, Peter’s (Basso) partner...
Berto Colon, Louis Herthum (Westworld) and Arienne Mandi (Tatami) are set as series regulars with Brittany Snow and Teddy Sears joining in recurring roles.
Colon plays Solomon, a former Marine turned right-hand man/fixer for a powerful businessman; Herthum plays Jacob Monroe, an international businessman with powerful global connections that he uses to obtain valuable information; and Mandi plays Noor, a low-level aide in the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York who is looking to leverage her access to top secret information into a better life for her and her family.
Snow plays Alice, Peter’s (Basso) partner...
- 1/11/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Ali Abbasi brought her on as a casting director and as fate would have it Zar Amir Ebrahimi would go onto land the role that was originally not meant for her and win the Best Actress award (see here) at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022. Holy Spider would catapult the actress to international recognition but as we learned, Ebrahimi was already making inroads onto significant contributions that premiered in 2023 with Shayda (a Sundance selection and Audience Award winner) and Venice preemed Tatami (a film that allowed her to cut her teeth as a director alongside Guy Nattiv).…...
- 12/30/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Rotten Tomatoes and the Academy Awards don’t often go hand in hand. In fact, the Rt scores of Best Picture nominees/winners are a mixed bag. “Parasite” won Best Picture with a Rt score of 99% while “Green Book” emerged victorious with a score of just 77%. The site dishes out percentage scores to movie’s based on the film’s collection of critical reviews. The higher the score, the better the movie. Supposedly.
But, that’s not how it always work in tandem with the Oscars. For instance, “Black Panther,” “BlacKkKlansman,” and “Roma” all scored 96% but lost Best Picture to “Green Book.” Perhaps, if the Oscars listened to Rotten Tomatoes more, things would go a little more smoothly? Probably not but, just for fun, let’s pretend that Rotten Tomatoes are in charge of this year’s Academy Awards.
With that in mind, here are the 10 Best Picture nominees the...
But, that’s not how it always work in tandem with the Oscars. For instance, “Black Panther,” “BlacKkKlansman,” and “Roma” all scored 96% but lost Best Picture to “Green Book.” Perhaps, if the Oscars listened to Rotten Tomatoes more, things would go a little more smoothly? Probably not but, just for fun, let’s pretend that Rotten Tomatoes are in charge of this year’s Academy Awards.
With that in mind, here are the 10 Best Picture nominees the...
- 12/27/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Sundance audience award winner received one-week awards-qualifying run earlier this month.
Sony Pictures Classics has set a March 1, 2024, release date for Noora Niasari’s Australian Oscar submission Shayda.
The film will open in New York and Los Angeles and expand nationwide in the following weeks. It received a one-week awards-qualifying run earlier this month.
Shayda premiered in Sundance where it won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
The Origma 45 production centres on the titular Iranian woman living in Australia, who finds refuge in a women’s shelter with her six-year-old daughter, Mona, when she learns a court...
Sony Pictures Classics has set a March 1, 2024, release date for Noora Niasari’s Australian Oscar submission Shayda.
The film will open in New York and Los Angeles and expand nationwide in the following weeks. It received a one-week awards-qualifying run earlier this month.
Shayda premiered in Sundance where it won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.
The Origma 45 production centres on the titular Iranian woman living in Australia, who finds refuge in a women’s shelter with her six-year-old daughter, Mona, when she learns a court...
- 12/18/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Danger is never very far away in Noora Niasari’s confident debut, a deeply personal tribute to a generation torn between tradition and modernity. Focusing on the title character, Shayda hangs on a vulnerable but powerful performance from Holy Spider’s Zar Amir Ebrahimi as an Iranian divorcée hiding out from her abusive ex, who may or may not be planning to smuggle their daughter Mona (Selina Zahednia) back to Iran.
This fear is played out in the jittery opening sequence, set in 1995, when Shayda and Joyce (Leah Purcell), a social worker of sorts, scope out an airport with Mona in tow. Both women impress upon Mona what to do if she should ever end up there against her will, noting repeatedly that blue uniforms equate with safety. Back at the women’s shelter, a shared hostel in a fiercely secret suburban location, Shayda wonders how she got to this...
This fear is played out in the jittery opening sequence, set in 1995, when Shayda and Joyce (Leah Purcell), a social worker of sorts, scope out an airport with Mona in tow. Both women impress upon Mona what to do if she should ever end up there against her will, noting repeatedly that blue uniforms equate with safety. Back at the women’s shelter, a shared hostel in a fiercely secret suburban location, Shayda wonders how she got to this...
- 12/16/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
A 5-year-old Iranian child and her mother find refuge in an Australian women’s shelter while on the run from an abusive ex in Noora Niasari’s Shayda. It’s a very personal story for Niasari because she was that little girl, played in the film by new discovery Selina Zahednia, with Zar Amir Ebrahimi starring as her mom, Shayda. Niasari knew it was a risk to make her debut with a project so close to her heart. “There’s a really deep challenge when making work about one’s trauma,” she says. Produced by Cate Blanchett’s Dirty Films, the film is Australia’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film.
Deadline: What made you want to tell this deeply personal story based on your own childhood? The whole experience must have been very emotional and difficult.
Noora Niasari: Yeah, absolutely. I lived in the women’s shelter...
Deadline: What made you want to tell this deeply personal story based on your own childhood? The whole experience must have been very emotional and difficult.
Noora Niasari: Yeah, absolutely. I lived in the women’s shelter...
- 12/11/2023
- by David Morgan
- Deadline Film + TV
The Australian drama premiered at Cannes and stars Cate Blanchett.
Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy leads the nominations for the 2024 Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards with 12 nods, closely followed by horror Talk To Me with 11 nominations.
The New Boy is up for best film, actress for Cate Blanchett and actor for newcomer Aswan Reid while Australian Indigenous filmmaker Thornton is nominated for best director, screenplay and cinematography.
The film is set in 1940s Australia and stars Blanchett (who also serves as a producer) as a nun who takes in a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy. It...
Warwick Thornton’s The New Boy leads the nominations for the 2024 Aacta (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) Awards with 12 nods, closely followed by horror Talk To Me with 11 nominations.
The New Boy is up for best film, actress for Cate Blanchett and actor for newcomer Aswan Reid while Australian Indigenous filmmaker Thornton is nominated for best director, screenplay and cinematography.
The film is set in 1940s Australia and stars Blanchett (who also serves as a producer) as a nun who takes in a nine-year-old Aboriginal orphan boy. It...
- 12/11/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
For Iranian-Australian filmmaker Noora Niasari, her debut feature Shayda has served as an authentic and honest exploration into her own personal childhood trauma. The film, which is being released by Sony Pictures Classics and won the World Cinema Dramatic Competition Audience Award in Sundance earlier this year, is Australia’s Oscar submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
The film follows Shayda, a brave Iranian mother who finds refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her 6-year-old daughter. Over Persian New Year, they take solace in Nowruz rituals and new beginnings, but when her estranged husband re-enters their lives, Shayda’s path to freedom is jeopardized.
It’s anchored by a heart-rendering performance by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the best actress award in Cannes last year for her role in Holy Spider. Niasari writes, directs and produces with Dirty Films’ Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini.
Related:...
The film follows Shayda, a brave Iranian mother who finds refuge in an Australian women’s shelter with her 6-year-old daughter. Over Persian New Year, they take solace in Nowruz rituals and new beginnings, but when her estranged husband re-enters their lives, Shayda’s path to freedom is jeopardized.
It’s anchored by a heart-rendering performance by Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the best actress award in Cannes last year for her role in Holy Spider. Niasari writes, directs and produces with Dirty Films’ Cate Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini.
Related:...
- 12/9/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Noora Niasari’s debut Shayda––and Australia’s submission for Best International Feature at next year’s Oscars––is quite literally a lifetime in the making. Largely inspired by traumatic events from her own childhood as an Iranian immigrant in Australia, Niasari has repeatedly expressed that she still has a difficult time speaking about her film, the events depicted continuing to touch a raw nerve even as she’s separated from them by decades. And while the resulting work is too narrative-focused to ever be described as a pure “memory piece,” it’s littered with highly specific, lived-in details that appear to be directly lifted from her own experiences.
The prominence of a Simba Happy Meal toy as a recurring factor in the plot, for example, feels like an inclusion only afforded relevance because the director was a child when first bearing witness to similar events. Of course a...
The prominence of a Simba Happy Meal toy as a recurring factor in the plot, for example, feels like an inclusion only afforded relevance because the director was a child when first bearing witness to similar events. Of course a...
- 12/1/2023
- by Alistair Ryder
- The Film Stage
Sebastian Stan is playing young Donald Trump in a movie titled “The Apprentice” from Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi (“Holy Spider”), Variety can confirm.
The cast also includes “Succession” Emmy winner Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn and “Borat 2” and “Bodies Bodies Bodies” actor Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump. According to the logline, “‘The Student’ is an exploration of power and ambition set in a world of corruption and deceit. It’s a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of an American dynasty. Filled with larger than life characters, it reveals the moral and human cost of a culture defined by winners and losers.”
Gabriel Sherman, author of “The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News – and Divided a Country,” will write the film about Trump. His novel inspired the Showtime miniseries “The Loudest Voice,” which starred Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes. “The Student...
The cast also includes “Succession” Emmy winner Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn and “Borat 2” and “Bodies Bodies Bodies” actor Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump. According to the logline, “‘The Student’ is an exploration of power and ambition set in a world of corruption and deceit. It’s a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of an American dynasty. Filled with larger than life characters, it reveals the moral and human cost of a culture defined by winners and losers.”
Gabriel Sherman, author of “The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News – and Divided a Country,” will write the film about Trump. His novel inspired the Showtime miniseries “The Loudest Voice,” which starred Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes. “The Student...
- 11/29/2023
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Here’s one you probably didn’t see coming: Sebastian Stan, the Emmy and Golden Globe nominee known for his work in the MCU and the acclaimed Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, has been tapped for the role of a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice, a new film from Cannes prize-winning Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider).
Also aboard the film in major roles are Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Strong (Succession) and Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). Production commenced this week.
Billed as an exploration of power and ambition, set in a world of corruption and deceit, The Apprentice will examine Trump’s efforts to build his real estate business in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, also digging into his relationship with infamous attorney Roy Cohn. It’s a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of a major American dynasty.
Also aboard the film in major roles are Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Strong (Succession) and Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). Production commenced this week.
Billed as an exploration of power and ambition, set in a world of corruption and deceit, The Apprentice will examine Trump’s efforts to build his real estate business in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, also digging into his relationship with infamous attorney Roy Cohn. It’s a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of a major American dynasty.
- 11/29/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The 20th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival has announced its selection, opening with Richard Linklater’s comedy Hit Man.
The event, running from November 24 to December 24, will unfold two months after the devastating earthquake in the nearby Atlas Mountains in September, which killed more than 2,000 people.
The management team has decided to push on with the event to support Marrakech, which suffered very little damage and relies heavily on tourism for its livelihood.
Hit Man will play as part of the festival’s six picture red carpet Gala selection which also includes Matteo Garrone’s Italian Oscar entry Me Captain and Michel Franco’s Memory.
Previously announced high-profile guests due to attend this year include Martin Scorsese, who will act as a mentor to emerging filmmakers attending the industry-focused Atlas Workshops, and Jessica Chastain as president of the jury.
She will be joined by Iranian actress and director Zar Amir,...
The event, running from November 24 to December 24, will unfold two months after the devastating earthquake in the nearby Atlas Mountains in September, which killed more than 2,000 people.
The management team has decided to push on with the event to support Marrakech, which suffered very little damage and relies heavily on tourism for its livelihood.
Hit Man will play as part of the festival’s six picture red carpet Gala selection which also includes Matteo Garrone’s Italian Oscar entry Me Captain and Michel Franco’s Memory.
Previously announced high-profile guests due to attend this year include Martin Scorsese, who will act as a mentor to emerging filmmakers attending the industry-focused Atlas Workshops, and Jessica Chastain as president of the jury.
She will be joined by Iranian actress and director Zar Amir,...
- 11/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
At a moment of war and deep division in the Middle East, a film co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian is already a victory in and of itself. But the gripping sports drama Tatami, which follows a female judo champ whose career is severely jeopardized by Iran’s government during an international tournament, is more than just a promising collaboration between two filmmakers hailing from opposing sides of the conflict.
Set during one nail-biting day at the world championship in Tbilisi, Tatami — whose title refers to the mat where judoka fighters engage in combat — is both a riveting story of an athlete trying to achieve gold for the first time, and a searing political thriller where Iranian women are subjected to persecution, intimidation and possibly kidnapping at the hands of their country’s far-reaching authoritarian regime. Vibrantly helmed and performed, with co-director and Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi...
Set during one nail-biting day at the world championship in Tbilisi, Tatami — whose title refers to the mat where judoka fighters engage in combat — is both a riveting story of an athlete trying to achieve gold for the first time, and a searing political thriller where Iranian women are subjected to persecution, intimidation and possibly kidnapping at the hands of their country’s far-reaching authoritarian regime. Vibrantly helmed and performed, with co-director and Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi...
- 10/22/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After making a splash on the Croisette in 2017 with his debut feature Until The Birds Return (Un Certain Regard selection), Karim Moussaoui is finally at work on his sophomore project — which began production today. The Cineuropa folks report that that thesps Sammy Lechea and Zar Amir Ebrahimi will topline The Vanishing with Hamid Amirouche, Idir Chender, Nadia Kaci and Nassima Benchicou added on as supporting players. Production will take place over the next two months – moving from Marseille to Tunisia. Les Films Pelléas’ David Thion and Philippe Martin are producing. The project will likely tempt Locarno and Venice programmers next year.…...
- 10/16/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Tatami, the groundbreaking Iranian drama co-directed by Oscar-winner Guy Nattiv (Golda, Skin) and Cannes best actress winner Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Shayda, Holy Spider), has landed a number of major international territory deals following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
WestEnd Films has closed sales on the feature — the first to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker — for Italy (Bim Distribuzione), France (Metropolitan), Portugal (Nos), Benelux (Cineart), Greece (Cinobo), Scandinavia (Mislabel), Spain (Vertigo), Germany and Switzerland (Wild Bunch), and Israel (United King). Discussions are undergoing for North America, the U.K. and all remaining territories. Range are co-repping North America with Westend.
Based on real-life stories, Tatami follows Iranian female judokas Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi), who travel to the Judo World Championship intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic...
WestEnd Films has closed sales on the feature — the first to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker — for Italy (Bim Distribuzione), France (Metropolitan), Portugal (Nos), Benelux (Cineart), Greece (Cinobo), Scandinavia (Mislabel), Spain (Vertigo), Germany and Switzerland (Wild Bunch), and Israel (United King). Discussions are undergoing for North America, the U.K. and all remaining territories. Range are co-repping North America with Westend.
Based on real-life stories, Tatami follows Iranian female judokas Leila (Arienne Mandi) and her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi), who travel to the Judo World Championship intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the competition, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic...
- 10/5/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A pair of noteworthy Cannes titles in Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest and Tran Anh Hung’s The Pot-au-Feu, some Locarno items such as Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World but with a major slew of Venice-preemed films are part of the 21 newly added titles to be considered for a whole bunch of prizes for the upcoming European Film Awards. The European Film Academy have now set their 4600 members with a batch of 40 films competing for various prizes at the ceremony that will be set for December 9th in Berlin. Here are the added films:
Animal – Sofia Exarchou (Greece/Austria/Bulgaria/Romania/Cyprus)
Blaga’s Lessons – Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany)
Club Zero – Jessica Hausner (Austria/UK/Germany/France/Denmark/Qatar)
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World – Radu Jude (Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia)
Excursion – Una Gunjak (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia...
Animal – Sofia Exarchou (Greece/Austria/Bulgaria/Romania/Cyprus)
Blaga’s Lessons – Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany)
Club Zero – Jessica Hausner (Austria/UK/Germany/France/Denmark/Qatar)
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World – Radu Jude (Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia)
Excursion – Una Gunjak (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia...
- 9/27/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
40 feature films now selected for Academy’s 2023 shortlist.
The European Film Academy has added a further 21 features to its shortlist for the 2023 European Film Awards, including Cannes premieres The Zone of Interest and Club Zero and Venice competition titles The Green Border and Io Capitano.
The shortlist for the European Film Awards now comprises 40 features. The first 19 titles titles in the running for the 2023 European Film Awards were unveiled in August and included Anatomy Of A Fall, How To Have Sex, The Old Oak and Firebrand.
The European Film Academy said that more than 40% of all selected films are directed by women.
The European Film Academy has added a further 21 features to its shortlist for the 2023 European Film Awards, including Cannes premieres The Zone of Interest and Club Zero and Venice competition titles The Green Border and Io Capitano.
The shortlist for the European Film Awards now comprises 40 features. The first 19 titles titles in the running for the 2023 European Film Awards were unveiled in August and included Anatomy Of A Fall, How To Have Sex, The Old Oak and Firebrand.
The European Film Academy said that more than 40% of all selected films are directed by women.
- 9/27/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Dissident Iranian film professionals are calling on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to consider an alternative film to represent Iran in 2024 Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category rather than the one submitted this week as the country’s official entry.
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
Iran’s government-controlled Farabi Cinema Foundation said Tuesday that it had selected Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian as the country’s submission to the 96th Academy Awards.
The announcement comes just days after the first anniversary of the beginning of the Woman Life Freedom protests, provoked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16, 2022, after her police detention for not wearing her veil correctly.
More than 500 protestors have been killed by Iranian security forces over the past year and thousands have been injured. A number of directors including Jafar Panahi, Mohammad Rasoulof and most recently Saeed Roustayi have wound up in jail in a related...
- 9/20/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
by Cláudio Alves
"Shayda" is coming to US theaters on December 1st from Sony Pictures Classics.
Though I've hardly been running after Oscar contenders while at TIFF – apologies if that's what you wanted out of this coverage – the Best International Film race remains at the forefront of my mind. With new daily announcements, the festival's an excellent opportunity to catch some titles that could be hard to track down later in the season. So, a lot of my scheduling has been built around productions that might end up in that race or have already been confirmed for the 96th Academy Awards. Not all of the experiences are positive, but a few of them are revelatory.
Such is the case of Noora Niasari's feature debut, Shayda, representing Australia. If you thought Zar Amir Ebrahimi was remarkable in last year's Holy Spider, wait to see what she does here…...
"Shayda" is coming to US theaters on December 1st from Sony Pictures Classics.
Though I've hardly been running after Oscar contenders while at TIFF – apologies if that's what you wanted out of this coverage – the Best International Film race remains at the forefront of my mind. With new daily announcements, the festival's an excellent opportunity to catch some titles that could be hard to track down later in the season. So, a lot of my scheduling has been built around productions that might end up in that race or have already been confirmed for the 96th Academy Awards. Not all of the experiences are positive, but a few of them are revelatory.
Such is the case of Noora Niasari's feature debut, Shayda, representing Australia. If you thought Zar Amir Ebrahimi was remarkable in last year's Holy Spider, wait to see what she does here…...
- 9/16/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Shayda
Section: Centerpiece
Director: Noora Niasari
Screenwriter: Noora Niasari
Logline: Noora Niasari’s fiction debut stars Zar Amir Ebrahimi as a survivor of domestic violence who wants to make a fresh start for herself and her daughter in Australia.
Panelists: Noora Niasari (director)
First Screening: September 13, 2:30 p.m. Est, TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Key Quote: ““Shayda is a love letter to mothers and daughters. It’s about an Iranian mother and daughter who are starting a new life in an Australian women’s refuge, and it’s really a story of finding freedom, independence, and writing your own destiny. It’s actually inspired by personal experience. I was five years old when I lived in a women’s shelter with my mom, so this story has really lived inside me since then.” – Noora Niasari.
Click above to watch the panel video.
Section: Centerpiece
Director: Noora Niasari
Screenwriter: Noora Niasari
Logline: Noora Niasari’s fiction debut stars Zar Amir Ebrahimi as a survivor of domestic violence who wants to make a fresh start for herself and her daughter in Australia.
Panelists: Noora Niasari (director)
First Screening: September 13, 2:30 p.m. Est, TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Key Quote: ““Shayda is a love letter to mothers and daughters. It’s about an Iranian mother and daughter who are starting a new life in an Australian women’s refuge, and it’s really a story of finding freedom, independence, and writing your own destiny. It’s actually inspired by personal experience. I was five years old when I lived in a women’s shelter with my mom, so this story has really lived inside me since then.” – Noora Niasari.
Click above to watch the panel video.
- 9/15/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/8/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/8/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/6/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Billed as the first feature film to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker, “Tatami” goes all in with a lean and tense narrative that is part sport movie, part political thriller — with both parts equally neatly realized. Directed by Guy Nattiv and “Holy Spider” lead actor Zar Amir Ebrahimi (who also stars), from a screenplay by Nattiv and Elham Erfani, the film is set during the Judo World Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, in which Iranian judo fighter Leila (Arienne Mandi) starts to perform better than anyone except perhaps her coach Maryam (Amir Ebrahimi) expected.
Leila’s success is a problem for the Iranian government since it means that she may go on to face an Israeli fighter in the final. The regime sees it as humiliating for Iran to potentially lose to Israel, so decides to eliminate any possibility of this happening by ordering Leila to either withdraw under a pretext,...
Leila’s success is a problem for the Iranian government since it means that she may go on to face an Israeli fighter in the final. The regime sees it as humiliating for Iran to potentially lose to Israel, so decides to eliminate any possibility of this happening by ordering Leila to either withdraw under a pretext,...
- 9/3/2023
- by Catherine Bray
- Variety Film + TV
Venice Film Festival’s red carpet swapped glamour for politics on Saturday, hosting a flash mob in solidarity with the Iranian people, fighting against repression, as well as filmmakers who are being oppressed – and arrested – because of their work.
Such as “Leila’s Brothers” director Saeed Roustaee, recently sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film in Cannes. He has also been banned from making movies.
“Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to embed his complex social critiques so deep into the fabric of sprawling modern stories that he hasn’t upset the regime. Not yet, at least,” ominously wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge following its premiere at the French fest.
Roustaee also made “Life and a Day” and thriller “Just 6.5,” which was shown in Venice.
Elham Erfani, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi and guests attend the Flash Mob in Solidarity With Iranian People.
Such as “Leila’s Brothers” director Saeed Roustaee, recently sentenced to six months in prison for showing the film in Cannes. He has also been banned from making movies.
“Born in 1989, Roustaee represents a new generation of Iranian auteurs, and one who’s sly enough to embed his complex social critiques so deep into the fabric of sprawling modern stories that he hasn’t upset the regime. Not yet, at least,” ominously wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge following its premiere at the French fest.
Roustaee also made “Life and a Day” and thriller “Just 6.5,” which was shown in Venice.
Elham Erfani, Zahra Amir Ebrahimi and guests attend the Flash Mob in Solidarity With Iranian People.
- 9/2/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Jane Campion, Damien Chazelle, Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv joined a flash mob on the Venice Film Festival’s red carpet on Saturday in support of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran.
They were among around 100 filmmakers, artists and pro-democracy activists joining the flashmob, which took place ahead of tonight’s gala screening of Maestro.
The group carried placards with portraits of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly, sparked the protests.
There were also banners for Leila’s Brothers director Roustayi, who it emerged last month had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Saeed Roustee had previously participated at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 in the Orizzonti section with Just 6.5 (Metri Shesho Nim).
The arrests are believed to...
They were among around 100 filmmakers, artists and pro-democracy activists joining the flashmob, which took place ahead of tonight’s gala screening of Maestro.
The group carried placards with portraits of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody last September, after she was arrested for not wearing her veil correctly, sparked the protests.
There were also banners for Leila’s Brothers director Roustayi, who it emerged last month had been sentenced to six months in prison on charges of “anti-regime propaganda activity” for screening the family drama in Cannes in 2022.
Saeed Roustee had previously participated at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 in the Orizzonti section with Just 6.5 (Metri Shesho Nim).
The arrests are believed to...
- 9/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“Holy Spider” breakout Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv are set to make history with “Tatami,” the first feature co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker.
Premiering in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section, “Tatami” shows Iranian female judo fighter Leila (played by “The L Word: Generation Q” star Arienne Mandi) heading to the world championships with her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi). Soon, they receive an ultimatum: in order to avoid squaring off against an Israeli opponent, Leila should immediately fake an injury and drop out.
“Can you imagine how many threats I have received after ‘Holy Spider,’ accusing me of ‘working with Jews’? We are not even allowed to call someone Israeli. It’s always ‘the occupying regime,’” Ebrahimi says.
Fearing for their safety, they decided to shoot in secret.
“We didn’t want anyone to know about it. We shot in Tbilisi in Georgia, two hours away from...
Premiering in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section, “Tatami” shows Iranian female judo fighter Leila (played by “The L Word: Generation Q” star Arienne Mandi) heading to the world championships with her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi). Soon, they receive an ultimatum: in order to avoid squaring off against an Israeli opponent, Leila should immediately fake an injury and drop out.
“Can you imagine how many threats I have received after ‘Holy Spider,’ accusing me of ‘working with Jews’? We are not even allowed to call someone Israeli. It’s always ‘the occupying regime,’” Ebrahimi says.
Fearing for their safety, they decided to shoot in secret.
“We didn’t want anyone to know about it. We shot in Tbilisi in Georgia, two hours away from...
- 9/2/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 9/1/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
The death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022, would shake Iran to its core. In what proved to be a tinder box moment and led to what experts have asserted was the greatest challenge to the hard-line Iranian government since the 1979 revolution, the 22-year-old died in Tehran, having allegedly been beaten by the police after she’d been arrested for not wearing the mandatory hijab.
The news sparked widespread protests across the country as thousands took to the streets over the following weeks and months to demand an end to the hijab rule and for wider social freedoms, particularly for women. The brutal crackdown by authorities that followed resulted in more than 500 reportedly killed by security forces and tens of thousands detained.
Amini’s death would also shake up the production of Tatami, then underway in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, just over 200 miles from the Iranian border. The film, receiving...
The news sparked widespread protests across the country as thousands took to the streets over the following weeks and months to demand an end to the hijab rule and for wider social freedoms, particularly for women. The brutal crackdown by authorities that followed resulted in more than 500 reportedly killed by security forces and tens of thousands detained.
Amini’s death would also shake up the production of Tatami, then underway in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, just over 200 miles from the Iranian border. The film, receiving...
- 8/31/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 8/30/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...
- 8/30/2023
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Australia has selected Shayda, from Iranian-Australian debut writer and director Noora Niasari, as its submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar race.
The drama, which counts Cate Blanchett among its executive producers and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North America among other markets, world premiered at Sundance in January where it won the World Cinema Audience Award.
It went on to open the Melbourne International Film Festival and was the closing-night screening at Locarno. It is next set for TIFF and will be released in Oz on October 5 via Madman.
The story follows a young Iranian mother and her 6-year-old daughter who find refuge in an Australian women’s shelter during the two weeks of Iranian New Year (Nowruz), which is celebrated as a time of renewal and rebirth. Aided by the strong community of women at the shelter, they seek their freedom in this new world of possibilities,...
The drama, which counts Cate Blanchett among its executive producers and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North America among other markets, world premiered at Sundance in January where it won the World Cinema Audience Award.
It went on to open the Melbourne International Film Festival and was the closing-night screening at Locarno. It is next set for TIFF and will be released in Oz on October 5 via Madman.
The story follows a young Iranian mother and her 6-year-old daughter who find refuge in an Australian women’s shelter during the two weeks of Iranian New Year (Nowruz), which is celebrated as a time of renewal and rebirth. Aided by the strong community of women at the shelter, they seek their freedom in this new world of possibilities,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The 80th Venice Film Festival gets underway in earnest Wednesday and the landmark edition will be unlike any other, taking place as it does against the backdrop of two Hollywood strikes.
The build-up to the festival has been dominated by talk of which stars will make it to the event and which will stay at home. It hasn’t been as challenging for organizers as the Covid editions, but it’s surely up there in recent memory.
As we revealed Friday, the outlook for U.S. celebrity attendance is patchy, with a handful of big names set to appear and do the usual press obligations. Others have decided to stay away to avoid the accusation of strike breaking or simply “bad optics.” Expect media to be dominated by strike talk, especially on any American films.
Despite initial anxiety about...
The build-up to the festival has been dominated by talk of which stars will make it to the event and which will stay at home. It hasn’t been as challenging for organizers as the Covid editions, but it’s surely up there in recent memory.
As we revealed Friday, the outlook for U.S. celebrity attendance is patchy, with a handful of big names set to appear and do the usual press obligations. Others have decided to stay away to avoid the accusation of strike breaking or simply “bad optics.” Expect media to be dominated by strike talk, especially on any American films.
Despite initial anxiety about...
- 8/30/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman and Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The upcoming Venice Film Festival has announced it will hold a flash mob on the red carpet in solidarity with the women and men of Iran “who are fighting for their freedom and against the ongoing repression” and also “the filmmakers and artists who have been arrested or imprisoned,” the fest said in a statement on Friday.
Festival organizers specified that the flash mob is partly in reaction to the conviction earlier this month in Iran of director Saeed Roustaee (pictured), who was sentenced to six months in prison for showing his latest film “Leila’s Brothers” at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and banned from making movies. Roustaee had been in the Venice Horizons section in 2019 with the film “Just 6.5.”
Venice also held a red carpet flash mob last year in solidarity with then incarcerated auteur Jafar Panahi.
Directors, artists and other personalities present at the Lido on Sept.
Festival organizers specified that the flash mob is partly in reaction to the conviction earlier this month in Iran of director Saeed Roustaee (pictured), who was sentenced to six months in prison for showing his latest film “Leila’s Brothers” at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and banned from making movies. Roustaee had been in the Venice Horizons section in 2019 with the film “Just 6.5.”
Venice also held a red carpet flash mob last year in solidarity with then incarcerated auteur Jafar Panahi.
Directors, artists and other personalities present at the Lido on Sept.
- 8/25/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Critical Zone.International Competition(Jury: Lambert Wilson, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Lesli Klainberg, Charlotte Wells, Matthijs Wouter Knol)Golden Leopard: Critical Zone (Ali Ahmadzadeh)Special Jury Prize: Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Radu Jude)Best Direction: Stepne (Maryna Vroda)Best Performance: Dimitra Vlagopoulou (Animal)Best Performance: Renée Soutendijk (Sweet Dreams)Special Mention: Nuit Obscure - Au Revoir Ici, N'importe Où (Sylvain George)Filmmakers Of The PresentGolden Leopard: Dreaming & Dying (Nelson Yeo)Best Emerging Director: Katharina Huber (A Good Place)Special Jury Prize: Camping Du Lac (Éléonore Saintagnan)Best Performance: Clara Schwinning (A Good Place)Best Performance: Isold Halldórudóttir and Stavros Zafeiris (Touched)Special Mentions: Excursions (Una Gunjak), Negu Hurbilak (Colective Negu)First Feature(Jury: Omar El Zohairy, Devika Girish, Isabel Sandoval)First Feature Award: Dreaming & Dying (Nelson Yeo)Pardi Di Domani(Jury: Ewa Puszczyńska, Matthew Rankin, Amos Sussigan)Best...
- 8/12/2023
- MUBI
The hype is real: Ali Ahmadzadeh’s “Critical Zone” (“Mantagheye bohrani”) has picked up the top Golden Leopard at Locarno.
It has been a bumpy ride for the film, set in Tehran over the course of one lonely night and described by the fest as “a hymn to freedom and resistance.”
As reported by Variety, Iranian authorities have been pressuring Ahmadzadeh to pull it from the Swiss festival – arguing it was shot without permission – and with the director himself banned from leaving the country.
“Instead of actors, I worked with real people. In most situations, we had to hide the camera or find complicated tricks to work around the limitations. Making this film was a big rebellion. Showing it means an even bigger victory for us,” said Ahmadzadeh in a statement, with Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro calling for his release.
“It means a lot. Not only for Ali,...
It has been a bumpy ride for the film, set in Tehran over the course of one lonely night and described by the fest as “a hymn to freedom and resistance.”
As reported by Variety, Iranian authorities have been pressuring Ahmadzadeh to pull it from the Swiss festival – arguing it was shot without permission – and with the director himself banned from leaving the country.
“Instead of actors, I worked with real people. In most situations, we had to hide the camera or find complicated tricks to work around the limitations. Making this film was a big rebellion. Showing it means an even bigger victory for us,” said Ahmadzadeh in a statement, with Locarno’s artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro calling for his release.
“It means a lot. Not only for Ali,...
- 8/12/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Iranian filmmaker Ali Ahmadzadeh clinched the Golden Leopard in the main international competition of the 76th Locarno Film Festival with his latest feature Critical Zone (Mantagheye Bohrani).
Ahmadzadeh was not in attendance to receive the award as he is currently banned from leaving his native Iran. Last month, the country’s authorities summoned Ahmadzadeh to the Ministry of Security, where he was pressured to pull Critical Zone from Locarno’s official competition. The film’s international sales agent Luxbox Paris and the producer, Sina Ataeian Dena, also said they had received threatening emails and messages demanding the film be pulled from the fest.
The pic, described as “a hymn to freedom and resistance in Iran,” was shot without permission from authorities before recent protests started. The plot follows a man who drives through Tehran’s underworld with his dog, dealing drugs and healing troubled souls. Born in Tehran in 1986, Critical Zone...
Ahmadzadeh was not in attendance to receive the award as he is currently banned from leaving his native Iran. Last month, the country’s authorities summoned Ahmadzadeh to the Ministry of Security, where he was pressured to pull Critical Zone from Locarno’s official competition. The film’s international sales agent Luxbox Paris and the producer, Sina Ataeian Dena, also said they had received threatening emails and messages demanding the film be pulled from the fest.
The pic, described as “a hymn to freedom and resistance in Iran,” was shot without permission from authorities before recent protests started. The plot follows a man who drives through Tehran’s underworld with his dog, dealing drugs and healing troubled souls. Born in Tehran in 1986, Critical Zone...
- 8/12/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Howdy, Insider crew. It’s the traditionally quiet summer season in TV and film land but European festivals, big-ticket M&a and Middle Eastern politics have ensured it’s stayed noisy. Jesse Whittock guiding you through. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.
Lionsgate Buys eOne
First out of the Gate: Sometimes, you’ve just gotta sell up and move on. Hasbro confirmed its week the news Nellie Andreeva and Mike Fleming Jr told you about in July — Lionsgate is the company buying the toy giant’s entertainment subsidiary eOne. Lionsgate had been competing with the likes of Fremantle and Cvc Capital Partners but has won out with a $500M deal for eOne TV and film divisions, whose key titles include Yellowjackets and The Woman King. Hasbro bought indie giant eOne for $4B back in 2019, prompting sarcastic remarks about the financial loss in our comments section and from market watchers.
Lionsgate Buys eOne
First out of the Gate: Sometimes, you’ve just gotta sell up and move on. Hasbro confirmed its week the news Nellie Andreeva and Mike Fleming Jr told you about in July — Lionsgate is the company buying the toy giant’s entertainment subsidiary eOne. Lionsgate had been competing with the likes of Fremantle and Cvc Capital Partners but has won out with a $500M deal for eOne TV and film divisions, whose key titles include Yellowjackets and The Woman King. Hasbro bought indie giant eOne for $4B back in 2019, prompting sarcastic remarks about the financial loss in our comments section and from market watchers.
- 8/4/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
As the first major international film festival mounted following SAG-aftrta’s decision to join the WGA in strike action against the studios, there was much speculation about how the Locarno Film Festival would adapt its lineup.
The fest lost its opening-night centerpiece at short notice, with UK actor-producer Riz Ahmed pulling out of an appearance during which he was set to receive Locarno’s Davide Campari lifetime achievement award. Fellow lifetime award recipient Stellan Skarsgård also pulled out of his festival engagements.
Instead, the fest pulled into motion Wednesday evening with a subdued opening-night ceremony. Proceedings began with the festival’s outgoing president, Marco Solari, opening the event for the last time following a 23-year tenure. He was followed onstage by artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro, who, despite Ahmed’s absence, pushed on with the Davide Campari lifetime achievement award presentation, handing the gong to director Yann Mounir Demange. The...
The fest lost its opening-night centerpiece at short notice, with UK actor-producer Riz Ahmed pulling out of an appearance during which he was set to receive Locarno’s Davide Campari lifetime achievement award. Fellow lifetime award recipient Stellan Skarsgård also pulled out of his festival engagements.
Instead, the fest pulled into motion Wednesday evening with a subdued opening-night ceremony. Proceedings began with the festival’s outgoing president, Marco Solari, opening the event for the last time following a 23-year tenure. He was followed onstage by artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro, who, despite Ahmed’s absence, pushed on with the Davide Campari lifetime achievement award presentation, handing the gong to director Yann Mounir Demange. The...
- 8/2/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who is an executive producer on Noora Niasari’s debut film Shayda, will not be attending the pic’s August 12 closing-night screening at the Locarno Film Festival out of support for the SAG-AFTRA strike. Niasari and star Zar Amir Ebrahimi will attend the movie’s play at the Swiss fest.
“As executive producer I couldn’t be more proud of Shayda, the remarkable debut feature from Iranian-Australian Noora Niasari, starring the extraordinary Zar Amir Ebrahimi,” Blanchett said in a statement to Deadline. “I celebrate the work of the whole filmmaking team and am thrilled that the film can be seen at the closing night of the glorious Locarno Festival next week.”
She added: “As a dedicated member of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Actors’ Council, I have made the difficult but necessary decision not to attend at this crucial time. Dirty Films wholeheartedly supports Noora Niasari’s resonant,...
“As executive producer I couldn’t be more proud of Shayda, the remarkable debut feature from Iranian-Australian Noora Niasari, starring the extraordinary Zar Amir Ebrahimi,” Blanchett said in a statement to Deadline. “I celebrate the work of the whole filmmaking team and am thrilled that the film can be seen at the closing night of the glorious Locarno Festival next week.”
She added: “As a dedicated member of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Actors’ Council, I have made the difficult but necessary decision not to attend at this crucial time. Dirty Films wholeheartedly supports Noora Niasari’s resonant,...
- 8/2/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
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