Locarno Film Festival artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro has come to Saudi Arabia for the first time to serve on the jury panel for the works-in-progress showcase at the Red Sea Film Festival’s industry section, the Red Sea Souk. A former head of the Venice Critics’ Week, Nazzaro has been tracking Arabic cinema for a while and programming pics that are breaking its mold. He spoke to Variety about the challenges directors from the region face as they try to do new things.
My impression is that Arab directors these days are less beholden to an auteur vision of cinema. Do you agree?
This is something that has been going on for quite some time. The fact is there has been a great change of paradigm within cinema from the Arab world and from the Mena region at large. This is largely because institutions such as the Doha Film Institute...
My impression is that Arab directors these days are less beholden to an auteur vision of cinema. Do you agree?
This is something that has been going on for quite some time. The fact is there has been a great change of paradigm within cinema from the Arab world and from the Mena region at large. This is largely because institutions such as the Doha Film Institute...
- 12/3/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
After the straight horror content of 2018 narrative feature debut “Dachra,” which was released in the U.S. just six months ago, Abdelhamid Bouchnak aims for a more complex, unclassifiable mix of fantasy and drama in “Golden Butterfly.” . But its thematic ambition and visual panache further advance the writer-director as a significant emerging talent in the region.
A head-on opening sequence finds two bound and bloodied men being tortured, then executed, apparent rough justice for crimes we only learn about much later. Likely as not connected to this scene is protagonist Moaz (Mohamed Souissi), a hulking 30-ish cop who storms around his apartment like his default emotion is “Wanting to punch something.” Unsurprisingly, then, he soon learns he’s being suspended from duty for being “too angry these days,” a mild way of describing God knows what professional misconduct.
That news doesn’t improve his mood, natch. But he’s distracted...
A head-on opening sequence finds two bound and bloodied men being tortured, then executed, apparent rough justice for crimes we only learn about much later. Likely as not connected to this scene is protagonist Moaz (Mohamed Souissi), a hulking 30-ish cop who storms around his apartment like his default emotion is “Wanting to punch something.” Unsurprisingly, then, he soon learns he’s being suspended from duty for being “too angry these days,” a mild way of describing God knows what professional misconduct.
That news doesn’t improve his mood, natch. But he’s distracted...
- 12/15/2021
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Keep track of all the submissions for best international feature at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...
Entries for the 2022 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.
Scroll down for profiles of each Oscar entry
The 94th Academy Awards will take place on March 27, 2022 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. This is the first time since 2018 that the ceremony will take place in March, having moved to avoid conflicting with the Winter Olympics.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US with a predominantly non-English dialogue...
- 10/15/2021
- by Ben Dalton¬Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Hela Ayed, Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali, Bilel Slatnia | Written and Directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak
The feature debut of writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak, Dachra is a Tunisian folk horror that has broken box-office records in its native North Africa. Impressively acted and chillingly atmospheric, it represents a formidable calling card.
Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali and Bilel Slatnia play Yasmine, Walid and Bilel, three journalism students who are tasked with reporting an exclusive story. When they hear rumours of a woman called Mongia (Hela Ayed), who was found mutilated 25 years ago and locked away in an asylum, they decide to investigate her story, but an interview in her cell doesn’t go as planned. Adopting a different tack, they travel to the spot where she was supposedly found and encounter an isolated country village, full of silent women and a suspiciously large amount of meat. Encouraged to stay overnight by a jovial,...
The feature debut of writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak, Dachra is a Tunisian folk horror that has broken box-office records in its native North Africa. Impressively acted and chillingly atmospheric, it represents a formidable calling card.
Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali and Bilel Slatnia play Yasmine, Walid and Bilel, three journalism students who are tasked with reporting an exclusive story. When they hear rumours of a woman called Mongia (Hela Ayed), who was found mutilated 25 years ago and locked away in an asylum, they decide to investigate her story, but an interview in her cell doesn’t go as planned. Adopting a different tack, they travel to the spot where she was supposedly found and encounter an isolated country village, full of silent women and a suspiciously large amount of meat. Encouraged to stay overnight by a jovial,...
- 7/8/2021
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
Dachra marks multiple firsts at once. It’s the feature debut by writer/director Abdelhamid Bouchnak. More notably, Dachra earns the distinction of Tunisia’s first horror movie, and what an entrance into the realm of genre film. Bouchnak’s debut wears its influences on its sleeves but fully embraces the darkness to bring a new cultural tale of gruesome, dread-filled horror. […]...
- 7/7/2021
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
On-screen texts bookending “Dachra” claim this thriller is “inspired by true events,” and that “in North Africa hundreds of children are victims of acts of witchcraft.” Nonetheless, one might be forgiven for assuming this purported first-ever Tunisian foray into horror cinema is drawn less from local crimes or superstitions than from the familiar genre tropes of “The Blair Witch Project,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and umpteen other long-standing fan favorites.
Originality may indeed be scarce in writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s debut narrative feature. Yet this gory goulash of city slickers, creepy yokels, editorial jolts and cannibalism largely transcends its derivative basic elements, thanks to his astute, richly atmospheric handling. Dekanalog is releasing the film to U.S. theaters and virtual cinemas on July 9, nearly three years after its festival premiere — during which time “Dachra” became Tunisia’s biggest homegrown box office hit in a quarter century. That impact is unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere,...
Originality may indeed be scarce in writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s debut narrative feature. Yet this gory goulash of city slickers, creepy yokels, editorial jolts and cannibalism largely transcends its derivative basic elements, thanks to his astute, richly atmospheric handling. Dekanalog is releasing the film to U.S. theaters and virtual cinemas on July 9, nearly three years after its festival premiere — during which time “Dachra” became Tunisia’s biggest homegrown box office hit in a quarter century. That impact is unlikely to be duplicated elsewhere,...
- 7/7/2021
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
A film by Abdelhamid Bouchnak Dachra The acclaimed Tunisian horror thriller haunts U.S. cinemas on Friday, July 9th Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, …
The post Dachra // Acclaimed horror thriller hits cinemas nationwide next week! appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Dachra // Acclaimed horror thriller hits cinemas nationwide next week! appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 7/1/2021
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Heading to theaters on July 9th, we have the brand new trailer for Dachra!
"Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, Dachra begins with a simple classroom assignment and spins through double plot twists into high-tension cannibal sorcery.
Sent off with a documentary video assignment, three journalism students decide to interview Mongia, seeking new clues about the cold case. Intrigued and perturbed by the deranged woman’s story, the trio take their camera to the scene of the crime deep in the woods, led by the headstrong young investigator Yassmine (scream queen par excellence Yassmine Dimassi).
Soon they are welcomed to a secluded, hushed village where goats have free rein and raw meat hangs drying in the wind. Captured with...
"Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, Dachra begins with a simple classroom assignment and spins through double plot twists into high-tension cannibal sorcery.
Sent off with a documentary video assignment, three journalism students decide to interview Mongia, seeking new clues about the cold case. Intrigued and perturbed by the deranged woman’s story, the trio take their camera to the scene of the crime deep in the woods, led by the headstrong young investigator Yassmine (scream queen par excellence Yassmine Dimassi).
Soon they are welcomed to a secluded, hushed village where goats have free rein and raw meat hangs drying in the wind. Captured with...
- 6/28/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, the Tunisian horror movie Dachra is headed to U.S. theaters on July 9, and the official trailer has been debuted by Dekanalog today. Preview the witchcraft-infused nightmare mayhem below! “Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside […]...
- 6/28/2021
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
New Poster for Dachra: "Grisly, frightening, and stuffed with howling thrills, the new Tunisian horror film Dachra won over both Frightfest and the Venice Film Festival and is finally making its stateside debut. Equal parts Midsommar and The Blair Witch Project, Dachra begins with a simple classroom assignment and spins through double plot twists into high-tension cannibal sorcery.
Sent off with a documentary video assignment, three journalism students decide to interview Mongia, seeking new clues about the cold case. Intrigued and perturbed by the deranged woman’s story, the trio take their camera to the scene of the crime deep in the woods, led by the headstrong young investigator Yassmine (scream queen par excellence Yassmine Dimassi).
Soon they are welcomed to a secluded, hushed village where goats have free rein and raw meat hangs drying in the wind. Captured with a minimalist color palette in Hatem Nechi’s eerie...
Sent off with a documentary video assignment, three journalism students decide to interview Mongia, seeking new clues about the cold case. Intrigued and perturbed by the deranged woman’s story, the trio take their camera to the scene of the crime deep in the woods, led by the headstrong young investigator Yassmine (scream queen par excellence Yassmine Dimassi).
Soon they are welcomed to a secluded, hushed village where goats have free rein and raw meat hangs drying in the wind. Captured with a minimalist color palette in Hatem Nechi’s eerie...
- 6/23/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Dekanalog Acquires Dachra: "Fresh off their national theatrical launch of Quentin Dupieux's acclaimed absurdist comedy Keep An Eye Out (Au Poste!), Gotham-based distributor Dekanalog has added three acclaimed festival favorites to their bustling 2021 slate, including the acclaimed horror thriller Dachra from writer/director Abdelhamid Bouchnak, per an announcement this morning at Deadline.
The acquisitions, which also include Paul Negoescu's Two Lottery Tickets and Mariam Ghani's What We Left Unfinished, join a stacked 2021 lineup for Dekanalog that currently includes theatrical and digital releases of Grímur Hákonarson's TIFF darling The County, Ena Sendijarević's Rotterdam Tiger Award-winning Take Me Somewhere Nice, and Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese's Sundance-winning This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection - Lesotho's first-ever submission to The Academy Awards.
Dachra, which is based on a terrifying true story and made waves at the world's largest genre film festivals, follows a group of students who become...
The acquisitions, which also include Paul Negoescu's Two Lottery Tickets and Mariam Ghani's What We Left Unfinished, join a stacked 2021 lineup for Dekanalog that currently includes theatrical and digital releases of Grímur Hákonarson's TIFF darling The County, Ena Sendijarević's Rotterdam Tiger Award-winning Take Me Somewhere Nice, and Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese's Sundance-winning This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection - Lesotho's first-ever submission to The Academy Awards.
Dachra, which is based on a terrifying true story and made waves at the world's largest genre film festivals, follows a group of students who become...
- 3/23/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Exclusive: Gotham-based distributor Dekanalog has secured rights to a trio of titles off the festival circuit and is lining up theatrical releases for this year.
The pics are: Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s Dachra; Paul Negoescu’s Two Lottery Tickets, and Mariam Ghani’s What We Left Unfinished.
Dachra won the coveted ‘scariest film’ award at Overlook Film Festival. It is based on a true story and follows a group of students who become trapped in an isolated village while trying to solve a 25-year-old murder case.
Two Lottery Tickets sees a trio of miscreants embark on a madcap quest to retrieve a winning lottery ticket after losing it in a mugging. The film screened at Zurich and was a box office hit in its native Romania.
What We Left Unfinished is a documentary telling the real-life tale of five unfinished films from the Afghan Communist period, spanning 1978 through 1991, and a tight-knit...
The pics are: Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s Dachra; Paul Negoescu’s Two Lottery Tickets, and Mariam Ghani’s What We Left Unfinished.
Dachra won the coveted ‘scariest film’ award at Overlook Film Festival. It is based on a true story and follows a group of students who become trapped in an isolated village while trying to solve a 25-year-old murder case.
Two Lottery Tickets sees a trio of miscreants embark on a madcap quest to retrieve a winning lottery ticket after losing it in a mugging. The film screened at Zurich and was a box office hit in its native Romania.
What We Left Unfinished is a documentary telling the real-life tale of five unfinished films from the Afghan Communist period, spanning 1978 through 1991, and a tight-knit...
- 3/22/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Film is a contemporary reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
UK distribution outfit Blue Finch has boarded UK and Ireland distribution on Larry Fessenden’s horror Depraved.
The company is planning a winter release on the title, which recently had its UK premiere at horror festival FrightFest. It has also played festivals including Fantasia and Sydney.
Genre sales outfit Yellow Veil Pictures handles rights and struck the deal with Blue Finch.
Depraved is a contemporary re-imaging of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, centring on a field surgeon (played by David Call) who creates a man out of body parts in a makeshift lab in Brooklyn.
UK distribution outfit Blue Finch has boarded UK and Ireland distribution on Larry Fessenden’s horror Depraved.
The company is planning a winter release on the title, which recently had its UK premiere at horror festival FrightFest. It has also played festivals including Fantasia and Sydney.
Genre sales outfit Yellow Veil Pictures handles rights and struck the deal with Blue Finch.
Depraved is a contemporary re-imaging of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, centring on a field surgeon (played by David Call) who creates a man out of body parts in a makeshift lab in Brooklyn.
- 9/3/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Hela Ayed, Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali, Bilel Slatnia | Written and Directed by Abdelhamid Bouchnak
The feature debut of writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak, Dachra is a Tunisian folk horror that has broken box-office records in its native North Africa. Impressively acted and chillingly atmospheric, it represents a formidable calling card.
Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali and Bilel Slatnia play Yasmine, Walid and Bilel, three journalism students who are tasked with reporting an exclusive story. When they hear rumours of a woman called Mongia (Hela Ayed), who was found mutilated 25 years ago and locked away in an asylum, they decide to investigate her story, but an interview in her cell doesn’t go as planned. Adopting a different tack, they travel to the spot where she was supposedly found and encounter an isolated country village, full of silent women and a suspiciously large amount of meat. Encouraged to stay overnight by a jovial,...
The feature debut of writer-director Abdelhamid Bouchnak, Dachra is a Tunisian folk horror that has broken box-office records in its native North Africa. Impressively acted and chillingly atmospheric, it represents a formidable calling card.
Yassmine Dimassi, Aziz Jabali and Bilel Slatnia play Yasmine, Walid and Bilel, three journalism students who are tasked with reporting an exclusive story. When they hear rumours of a woman called Mongia (Hela Ayed), who was found mutilated 25 years ago and locked away in an asylum, they decide to investigate her story, but an interview in her cell doesn’t go as planned. Adopting a different tack, they travel to the spot where she was supposedly found and encounter an isolated country village, full of silent women and a suspiciously large amount of meat. Encouraged to stay overnight by a jovial,...
- 8/23/2019
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
This year marks the festival’s 20th anniversary.
This year’s FrightFest, the annual UK genre festival, has unveiled a line-up that features 20 world premieres including films from the Soska Sisters (American Mary) and Tom Paton (Black Site).
The Soska Sisters, Jen and Sylvia, are screening their second feature Rabid, their re-imagining of David Cronenberg’s 1977 film. Paton’s Stairs is a sci-fi horror about a special ops squad that find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell.
Also screening are Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by André Øvredal’s, and Crawl,...
This year’s FrightFest, the annual UK genre festival, has unveiled a line-up that features 20 world premieres including films from the Soska Sisters (American Mary) and Tom Paton (Black Site).
The Soska Sisters, Jen and Sylvia, are screening their second feature Rabid, their re-imagining of David Cronenberg’s 1977 film. Paton’s Stairs is a sci-fi horror about a special ops squad that find themselves trapped on a never-ending stairwell.
Also screening are Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, produced by Guillermo del Toro and directed by André Øvredal’s, and Crawl,...
- 7/4/2019
- by Tofe Ayeni
- ScreenDaily
Daily Dead was proud to once again sponsor and experience this year's Overlook Film Festival, which took place in the historic (and quite possibly haunted) confines of New Orleans. And with another year of immersive events, essential screenings, and live performances in the books, the Overlook Film Festival's 2019 audience and juried awards have been announced, and we've been provided with the full list to share with Daily Dead readers.
Press Release: - The Overlook Film Festival 2019 has come to an end on Sunday, June 2nd after bringing four days of horror films, immersive games, Vr exhibitions, panels and workshops in New Orleans. The festival reached an audience of over 3000 people and hosted over 60 filmmakers, actors, and producers including Elijah Wood, Robert Rodriguez, Mick Garris, Chelsea Stardust, and Paul Scheer over the weekend.
The Overlook Features Jury; Rolling Stone’s Film/TV editor David Fear; writer, director and fashion photographer Carter Smith...
Press Release: - The Overlook Film Festival 2019 has come to an end on Sunday, June 2nd after bringing four days of horror films, immersive games, Vr exhibitions, panels and workshops in New Orleans. The festival reached an audience of over 3000 people and hosted over 60 filmmakers, actors, and producers including Elijah Wood, Robert Rodriguez, Mick Garris, Chelsea Stardust, and Paul Scheer over the weekend.
The Overlook Features Jury; Rolling Stone’s Film/TV editor David Fear; writer, director and fashion photographer Carter Smith...
- 6/5/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Jim Jarmusch’s zombie pic The Dead Don’t Die, which will open the Cannes Film Festival next month, is set to make its U.S. premiere at the Overlook Film Festival, which kicks off May 30 and continues through June 2 in New Orleans. The news was announced today when the horror-centric fest unveiled third festival lineup.
In addition to the 41 films, the fest will feature television presentations, immersive presentations, virtual reality, interactive events, and live performances. This includes their closing night film The Lodge, a sneak preview of the forthcoming Universal Pictures horror Ma starring Octavia Spencer and a screening of DC Universe’s new series Swamp Thing. Robert Rodriguez will also be on hand to hold an educational master class on independent filmmaking before presenting his latest micro-budget independent effort Red 11 and a special screening of the ’90s sci-fi horror The Faculty.
“We’re so proud to unleash this terrifying lineup on audiences.
In addition to the 41 films, the fest will feature television presentations, immersive presentations, virtual reality, interactive events, and live performances. This includes their closing night film The Lodge, a sneak preview of the forthcoming Universal Pictures horror Ma starring Octavia Spencer and a screening of DC Universe’s new series Swamp Thing. Robert Rodriguez will also be on hand to hold an educational master class on independent filmmaking before presenting his latest micro-budget independent effort Red 11 and a special screening of the ’90s sci-fi horror The Faculty.
“We’re so proud to unleash this terrifying lineup on audiences.
- 4/26/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
After Jim Jarmusch’s zombie comedy “The Dead Don’t Die” enjoys a snazzy red carpet premiere as the opening night selection of the Cannes Film Festival, its next stop will bring it to diehard genre fans. The movie will make its U.S. premiere as the opening night selection of The Overlook Festival, the New Orleans horror film festival that returns to the French Quarter for the second time on May 30.
The Focus Features release finds Jarmusch bringing his distinctive deadpan approach to supernatural circumstances for the second time, following 2013’s wistful vampire tale “Only Lovers Left Alive.” For “The Dead Don’t Die,” the auteur mainstay appears to be tipping his hat to George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” with the tale of small town characters facing the sudden threat of the undead. The cast includes Adam Driver and Bill Murray as police officers alongside Tilda Swinton...
The Focus Features release finds Jarmusch bringing his distinctive deadpan approach to supernatural circumstances for the second time, following 2013’s wistful vampire tale “Only Lovers Left Alive.” For “The Dead Don’t Die,” the auteur mainstay appears to be tipping his hat to George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” with the tale of small town characters facing the sudden threat of the undead. The cast includes Adam Driver and Bill Murray as police officers alongside Tilda Swinton...
- 4/26/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The North African nation of Tunisia finally makes its entrance onto the world genre film scene with Abdelhamid Bouchnak's moody chiller, Dachra. Borrowing liberally from cinematic folk horror traditions, Dachra takes on a not entirely unfamilar journey into a heart of rural darkness with a unique setting that will leave fans of oddball horror from far off lands satisfied and eager to see more of this not often glimpsed corner of the world. The story begins with a university journalism class tasked with creating an exclusive report, our leads choose to explore an apocryphal story about an alleged witch who'd been found on the side of the road and shipped off to an asylum. One member of the group, Bilel (Bilel Slatnia), tells the group that...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/26/2018
- Screen Anarchy
The final wave of programming for Fantastic Fest has been unveiled and the lineup features Jonah Hill’s directorial debut MID90S, the U.S. premiere of David Robert Mitchell’s La noir Under the Silver Lake starring Andrew Garfield and the fest’s closing night pic, Drew Goddard’s star-studded Bad Times at the El Royale.
As the bookend to this year’s fest, El Royale stars Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, and Cynthia Erivo in a mystery thriller about seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, that meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption — before everything goes to hell.
Fantastic Fest will also feature Karyn Kusama’s noir thriller Destroyer starring Nicole Kidman and the North American Premiere of Terry Gilliam’s long-awaited...
As the bookend to this year’s fest, El Royale stars Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, and Cynthia Erivo in a mystery thriller about seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, that meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption — before everything goes to hell.
Fantastic Fest will also feature Karyn Kusama’s noir thriller Destroyer starring Nicole Kidman and the North American Premiere of Terry Gilliam’s long-awaited...
- 9/13/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
A trio of childish, squabbling, blockheaded journalism students stumble onto a backwoods village compound full of human bones, intestines drying on the wash line and malodorous boiling pots, all without catching on that they could be in serious danger until the final — too late, my friend — reels of Dachra. The characters are irritating, the look is cheap and the plot is reheated from other movies, but it has to be admitted that Dachra delivers its unsavory thrills.
The strange thing is that this is a Tunisian horror film, a genre almost never seen. First-time director, screenwriter and editor Abdelhamid Bouchnak ...
The strange thing is that this is a Tunisian horror film, a genre almost never seen. First-time director, screenwriter and editor Abdelhamid Bouchnak ...
A trio of childish, squabbling, blockheaded journalism students stumble onto a backwoods village compound full of human bones, intestines drying on the wash line and malodorous boiling pots, all without catching on that they could be in serious danger until the final — too late, my friend — reels of Dachra. The characters are irritating, the look is cheap and the plot is reheated from other movies, but it has to be admitted that Dachra delivers its unsavory thrills.
The strange thing is that this is a Tunisian horror film, a genre almost never seen. First-time director, screenwriter and editor Abdelhamid Bouchnak ...
The strange thing is that this is a Tunisian horror film, a genre almost never seen. First-time director, screenwriter and editor Abdelhamid Bouchnak ...
Tunisian first-time director Abdelhamid Bouchnak is at the Venice Film Festival with “Dachra,” one of the first horror films to come out of the Arab world, which closed the independently-run Critics’ Week section on Friday. It combines elements of American chillers such as “The Blair Witch Project” with visuals and tropes that are instead specific to Arabic cinema, and tackles the topic of witchcraft as a motive for murders, a practice that still exists in parts of North Africa. Bouchnak, who studied filmmaking in his country and in Montreal, spoke to Variety about the challenges of going the genre rout for his debut which Celluloid Dreams is selling internationally.
“Dachra” is the first horror film out of Tunisia and a very rare case of a horror film out of the Arab world at large. Do you feel like a pioneer? What drew you to this genre?
It’s a choice...
“Dachra” is the first horror film out of Tunisia and a very rare case of a horror film out of the Arab world at large. Do you feel like a pioneer? What drew you to this genre?
It’s a choice...
- 9/8/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
After its strong presence earlier this year in Berlin and Cannes, Arab cinema is represented at Venice by six titles hailing from Syria, Palestine, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, which all reflect the region’s politics albeit in very different ways.
Though there are no Arab pics competing for the Golden Lion in Venice — unlike Cannes, where Lebanese director Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” and Egyptian-Austrian first-time filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky’s “Yomeddine” competed for the Palme d’Or — there are two Arab entries vying for prizes in the Lido’s Horizons section dedicated to more cutting-edge works: France-born Syrian first-time feature helmer Soudade Kaadan’s drama “The Day I Lost My Shadow,” and “Tel Aviv on Fire,” a high-concept comedy by Palestinian director Sameh Zoabi, who studied at Columbia U., plus four other films spread across other sections.
Set in war-torn Damascus in 2012, “The Day I Lost My Shadow” is about...
Though there are no Arab pics competing for the Golden Lion in Venice — unlike Cannes, where Lebanese director Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” and Egyptian-Austrian first-time filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky’s “Yomeddine” competed for the Palme d’Or — there are two Arab entries vying for prizes in the Lido’s Horizons section dedicated to more cutting-edge works: France-born Syrian first-time feature helmer Soudade Kaadan’s drama “The Day I Lost My Shadow,” and “Tel Aviv on Fire,” a high-concept comedy by Palestinian director Sameh Zoabi, who studied at Columbia U., plus four other films spread across other sections.
Set in war-torn Damascus in 2012, “The Day I Lost My Shadow” is about...
- 9/5/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Next Friday, September 7th, the Tunisian horror film Dachra, the debut feature by Abdelhamid Bouchnak, will have its World Premiere in Venice. We are proud to share the trailer for Bouchnak's horror film with you, one of the first ever genre titles to come out of Tunisia and North Africa. We think it does a really good job of setting the mood at first before it switches gears and hits with rapid fire images of horror and blood. There certainly does appear to be no shortage of horror which is encouraging. And is it us or does look to be a very ‘hands on’ kind of horror film. Clutching, grabbing and gripping hands sure do show up a lot in this trailer. Have a...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/1/2018
- Screen Anarchy
Tunisian horror tale to close Venice Critics’ Week.
Celluloid Dreams has acquired international rights to Tunisian director Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s horror picture Dachra ahead of its world premiere as the closing night film of Venice Critics’ Week, running Aug 29 to Sept 8 this year.
Set against the backdrop of contemporary Tunisia, the feature revolves around female journalism student Yasmin and two male classmates who set out on a university assignment to solve the cold case of Mongia, a woman found mutilated 25 years ago and now imprisoned in an asylum, suspected of witchcraft.
As they pursue their investigation, the three friends stumble...
Celluloid Dreams has acquired international rights to Tunisian director Abdelhamid Bouchnak’s horror picture Dachra ahead of its world premiere as the closing night film of Venice Critics’ Week, running Aug 29 to Sept 8 this year.
Set against the backdrop of contemporary Tunisia, the feature revolves around female journalism student Yasmin and two male classmates who set out on a university assignment to solve the cold case of Mongia, a woman found mutilated 25 years ago and now imprisoned in an asylum, suspected of witchcraft.
As they pursue their investigation, the three friends stumble...
- 8/21/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Indian Film ‘Tumbbad’ to Open and Tunisian Film ‘Dachra’ to Close Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ WeekHorror-fantasy ‘Tumbbad’ has become the first Indian film to open the prestigious Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week on August 9. Horror film Dachra is the first Tunisian film to close.
The segment, which will run parallel to the 75th edition of the main festival, features nine films by first time directors from across the globe. The section’s artistic director, Giona Nazzaro, called the 19th-century-set film, co-directed by Rai Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad, “a thrilling rollercoster ride”.
Tumbbad the first Indian film ever to open the Venice International Film Critics’ Week, is a thrilling rollercoaster ride that questions the roots of human greed while providing entertainment of the purest kind.
“Fantasy, action, frights, and scares: Tumbbad has it all,” Nazzaro said in a statement, shared by the film’s producers.
Both Tumbbad and...
The segment, which will run parallel to the 75th edition of the main festival, features nine films by first time directors from across the globe. The section’s artistic director, Giona Nazzaro, called the 19th-century-set film, co-directed by Rai Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad, “a thrilling rollercoster ride”.
Tumbbad the first Indian film ever to open the Venice International Film Critics’ Week, is a thrilling rollercoaster ride that questions the roots of human greed while providing entertainment of the purest kind.
“Fantasy, action, frights, and scares: Tumbbad has it all,” Nazzaro said in a statement, shared by the film’s producers.
Both Tumbbad and...
- 7/30/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Non-FictionThe programme for the 2018 edition of the Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, and includes new films from Tsai Ming-liang, Frederick Wiseman, Sergei Loznitsa, Olivier Assayas, the Coen Brothers, and many more.COMPETITIONFirst Man (Damien Chazelle)The Mountain (Rick Alverson)Non-Fiction (Olivier Assayas)The Sisters Brothers (Jacques Audiard)The Ballad of Buster ScruggsVox Lux (Brady Corbet)Roma (Alfonso Cuarón)22 July (Paul Greengrass)Suspiria (Luca Guadagnino)Werk ohne autor (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)The Nightingale (Jennifer Kent)The Favourite (Yorgos Lanthimos)Peterloo (Mike Leigh)Capri-revolution (Mario Martone)What You Gonna Do When the World's On Fire? (Roberto Minervini)Sunset (László Nemes)Frères ennemis (David Oeloffen)Where Life is Born (Carlos Reygadas)At Eternity's Gate (Julian Schnabel)Acusada (Gonzalo Tobal)Killing (Shinya Tsukamoto)Out Of COMPETITIONFeaturesThe Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles)They'll Love Me When I'm Dead (Morgan Neville)L'amica geniale (Saverio Costanzo)Il diario di angela - noi...
- 7/25/2018
- MUBI
The National Union of Italian Film Critics has revealed its picks for the Venice Critics’ Week section it organizes parallel to the Venice Film Festival. Seven debut features have been set this year in competition for the Audience Award. Each will also be eligible for the Lion of the Future Luigi De Laurentiis Award that’s handed out at the main prize ceremony and goes to a first film from across all sections. It comes with a $100K purse.
Opening the section out of competition this year is Indian fantasy pic Tumbbad from Eros International and directors Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad, while closing duties belong to Tunisian horror movie Dachra from Abdelhamid Bouchnak. Other highlights include Sudanese comedy A Kasha; Syrian war documentary Still Recording; Montenegro’s first entry You Have The Night; and experimental horror pic M, the debut by Finnish pop star Anna Eriksson that’s...
Opening the section out of competition this year is Indian fantasy pic Tumbbad from Eros International and directors Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad, while closing duties belong to Tunisian horror movie Dachra from Abdelhamid Bouchnak. Other highlights include Sudanese comedy A Kasha; Syrian war documentary Still Recording; Montenegro’s first entry You Have The Night; and experimental horror pic M, the debut by Finnish pop star Anna Eriksson that’s...
- 7/23/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Indian fantasy film Tumbbad to kick off independent strand.
The line-up for the 2018 edition of the Venice Film Festival’s independent strand Critics’ Week (Aug 29 – Sept 8) has been revealed.
Organised by the National Union of Italian Film Critics, the selection is curated by the general delegate of the Venice Critics’ Week Giona A. Nazzaro with the selection committee comprised of Luigi Abiusi, Alberto Anile, Beatrice Fiorentino and Massimo Tria.
This year’s opening film is Indian fantasy film Tumbbad, described by the festival as a “parable about greed that travels at the speed of an Emilio Salgari’s story shot...
The line-up for the 2018 edition of the Venice Film Festival’s independent strand Critics’ Week (Aug 29 – Sept 8) has been revealed.
Organised by the National Union of Italian Film Critics, the selection is curated by the general delegate of the Venice Critics’ Week Giona A. Nazzaro with the selection committee comprised of Luigi Abiusi, Alberto Anile, Beatrice Fiorentino and Massimo Tria.
This year’s opening film is Indian fantasy film Tumbbad, described by the festival as a “parable about greed that travels at the speed of an Emilio Salgari’s story shot...
- 7/23/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The 33rd Venice International Critics' Week unveiled its lineup, featuring a selection of rich, young, global talent. The event is an independent section of the Venice Film Festival, organized by the Italian National Film Critics Union.
Critics' Week will open with Indian fantasy film Tumbbad by Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad.
Tunisian horror film Dachra by Abdelhamid Bouchnak will close out the week.
The competition will feature seven world premieres including The Roundup by Hajooj Kuka, where the Sudanese civil war is seen as a comedy of errors and disguise; and Still Recording, a documentary of the horrors of the ...
Critics' Week will open with Indian fantasy film Tumbbad by Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad.
Tunisian horror film Dachra by Abdelhamid Bouchnak will close out the week.
The competition will feature seven world premieres including The Roundup by Hajooj Kuka, where the Sudanese civil war is seen as a comedy of errors and disguise; and Still Recording, a documentary of the horrors of the ...
- 7/23/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 33rd Venice International Critics' Week unveiled its lineup, featuring a selection of rich, young, global talent. The event is an independent section of the Venice Film Festival, organized by the Italian National Film Critics Union.
Critics' Week will open with Indian fantasy film Tumbbad by Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad.
Tunisian horror film Dachra by Abdelhamid Bouchnak will close out the week.
The competition will feature seven world premieres including The Roundup by Hajooj Kuka, where the Sudanese civil war is seen as a comedy of errors and disguise; and Still Recording, a documentary of the horrors of the ...
Critics' Week will open with Indian fantasy film Tumbbad by Rahi Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad.
Tunisian horror film Dachra by Abdelhamid Bouchnak will close out the week.
The competition will feature seven world premieres including The Roundup by Hajooj Kuka, where the Sudanese civil war is seen as a comedy of errors and disguise; and Still Recording, a documentary of the horrors of the ...
- 7/23/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Indian fantasy “Tumbbad” will open the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, which unveiled its lineup Monday of nine first works by international filmmakers, all of them world premieres.
The section’s artistic director, Giona Nazzaro, described the 19th-century-set “Tumbbad,” co-directed by Rai Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad, as a fast-paced parable about greed and “a visionary fantasy film, rich in visual inventions, special effects and blood.” The Hindi-language epic, produced by Mumbai-based Little Town Films, is being screened out of competition, and is sold internationally by Eros International.
The films in the competition lineup include Sudanese director’s Hajooj Kuka’s “A Kasha” (“The Roundup”), a comedy of errors set during Sudan’s civil war, which has been a standout on the co-production platforms circuit; German director Andreas Goldstein’s “Adam & Evelyn,” a coming-of-age story set in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall; Franco-Swiss directorial...
The section’s artistic director, Giona Nazzaro, described the 19th-century-set “Tumbbad,” co-directed by Rai Anil Barve and Adesh Prasad, as a fast-paced parable about greed and “a visionary fantasy film, rich in visual inventions, special effects and blood.” The Hindi-language epic, produced by Mumbai-based Little Town Films, is being screened out of competition, and is sold internationally by Eros International.
The films in the competition lineup include Sudanese director’s Hajooj Kuka’s “A Kasha” (“The Roundup”), a comedy of errors set during Sudan’s civil war, which has been a standout on the co-production platforms circuit; German director Andreas Goldstein’s “Adam & Evelyn,” a coming-of-age story set in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall; Franco-Swiss directorial...
- 7/23/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
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