An adopted woman travels from France to South Korea in search of her roots in Davy Chou’s star-making second film
The Cambodian-French film-maker Davy Chou, a longtime champion of “lost” Cambodian cinema, made a splash in Cannes in 2016 with his dramatic feature debut, Diamond Island, a prize winner in the international critics’ week strand. For the lead role in his follow-up feature, Return to Seoul, about an adoptee who travels from France to Korea in search of her roots, he turned to Korean-born visual artist Park Ji-min, who had moved to France as a child but had no acting experience. An intense period of collaboration followed, and the result is this remarkably intimate and very affecting drama – an episodic odyssey (inspired by script consultant Laure Badufle) spanning the best part of a decade. It became Cambodia’s entry for this year’s 95th Academy Awards, and confirms both Chou...
The Cambodian-French film-maker Davy Chou, a longtime champion of “lost” Cambodian cinema, made a splash in Cannes in 2016 with his dramatic feature debut, Diamond Island, a prize winner in the international critics’ week strand. For the lead role in his follow-up feature, Return to Seoul, about an adoptee who travels from France to Korea in search of her roots, he turned to Korean-born visual artist Park Ji-min, who had moved to France as a child but had no acting experience. An intense period of collaboration followed, and the result is this remarkably intimate and very affecting drama – an episodic odyssey (inspired by script consultant Laure Badufle) spanning the best part of a decade. It became Cambodia’s entry for this year’s 95th Academy Awards, and confirms both Chou...
- 5/7/2023
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
In 2011, French-Cambodian director Davy Chou was preparing to travel to the Busan International Film Festival to screen his feature debut, Golden Slumbers, when one of his closest friends called to say, “You’re going to South Korea? I’m coming with you.”
The friend was a young woman around Chou’s age — they were both in their 20s at the time — who was born in South Korea but had been adopted by a French couple and raised in Paris. Two days into their trip, she texted her Korean birth father and arranged a meeting, inviting Chou to tag along.
“She said she had met him briefly twice before, and it had not gone well. I said, ‘Sure, let’s go,'” Chou remembers.
“The day after, I was sitting with her at a table, facing her father and her grandma, and I was just shocked, watching something that I never imagined I would see,...
The friend was a young woman around Chou’s age — they were both in their 20s at the time — who was born in South Korea but had been adopted by a French couple and raised in Paris. Two days into their trip, she texted her Korean birth father and arranged a meeting, inviting Chou to tag along.
“She said she had met him briefly twice before, and it had not gone well. I said, ‘Sure, let’s go,'” Chou remembers.
“The day after, I was sitting with her at a table, facing her father and her grandma, and I was just shocked, watching something that I never imagined I would see,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los perros, premiering in Critics' Week this year, is the second feature film by Marcela Said.When this year’s Cannes slate was announced, an absence that many immediately noted in the competition slate was that of Claire Denis’ latest project: Un beau soleil intérieur, an adaptation of Roland Barthes's 1977 text A Lover's Discourse: Fragments. Leaving aside why her last feature, Bastards, was shunted to the Un Certain Regard section in 2013, the fact that one of the world’s greatest living filmmakers was again denied a competition slot was baffling, to say the least. Except that the film will be at Cannes, premiering alongside new films by Philippe Garrel, Bruno Dumont, and Abel Ferrara no less; it just won’t be in what’s known as the Official Selection. Specifically, Denis will be opening the Director’s Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs), a separate, parallel festival completely independent from what...
- 5/17/2017
- MUBI
Selected projects include works from producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong.
Leading Thai producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and award-winning filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong have been selected to present projects at this year’s Thai Pitch in Cannes.
Organised by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, the event will take place May 22-23 at the Thai Pavilion in the International Village. Producer and film festival programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon is coordinating the event.
Soros Sukhum is producing artist and filmmaker Taiki Sakpisit’s first feature film The Edge Of Daybreak, about a former army general who is forced to confront the past through a series of intensive sessions of electroshock therapy.
Sukhum’s recent producing credits include Anocha Suwichakornpong’s By The Time It Gets Dark, Davy Chou’s Diamond Island and Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye[pictured], the latter two projects as a co-producer.
Prachya Pinkaew, best known as director of worldwide action hit Ong...
Leading Thai producers Soros Sukhum and Prachya Pinkaew and award-winning filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong have been selected to present projects at this year’s Thai Pitch in Cannes.
Organised by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, the event will take place May 22-23 at the Thai Pavilion in the International Village. Producer and film festival programmer Raymond Phathanavirangoon is coordinating the event.
Soros Sukhum is producing artist and filmmaker Taiki Sakpisit’s first feature film The Edge Of Daybreak, about a former army general who is forced to confront the past through a series of intensive sessions of electroshock therapy.
Sukhum’s recent producing credits include Anocha Suwichakornpong’s By The Time It Gets Dark, Davy Chou’s Diamond Island and Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye[pictured], the latter two projects as a co-producer.
Prachya Pinkaew, best known as director of worldwide action hit Ong...
- 5/1/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
One of the best festivals during the first half of the year is The Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s New Directors/New Films, which kicks off its 46th year this March, running from the 15th to the 26th. With last year’s line-up including some of the year’s best films, including Cameraperson, The Fits, Kaili Blues, Neon Bull, Weiner, and more, we can expect many more discoveries this year.
Opening with Patti Cake$ and closing with Person to Person, in between will be one of our favorite films from Sundance as the centerpiece, Beach Rats. Also among the line-up is a handful of other festival favorites, including The Dreamed Path, The Giant, Menashe, and Lady Macbeth.
“Authenticity is an elusive thing these days, and without it we risk ruin. This is particularly true in cinema,” says Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief...
Opening with Patti Cake$ and closing with Person to Person, in between will be one of our favorite films from Sundance as the centerpiece, Beach Rats. Also among the line-up is a handful of other festival favorites, including The Dreamed Path, The Giant, Menashe, and Lady Macbeth.
“Authenticity is an elusive thing these days, and without it we risk ruin. This is particularly true in cinema,” says Rajendra Roy, the Celeste Bartos Chief...
- 2/15/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center has today announces their complete lineup for the 46th annual New Directors/New Films (Nd/Nf), running March 15 – 26. Dedicated to the discovery of new works by emerging and dynamic filmmaking talent, this year’s festival will screen 29 features and nine short films. This year’s lineup boasts nine North American premieres, seven U.S. premieres, and two world premieres, with features and shorts from 32 countries across five continents.
The opening, centerpiece, and closing night selections showcase three exciting new voices in American independent cinema that all recently debuted at Sundance: Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$” is the opening night pick, while Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” is the centerpiece selection and Dustin Guy Defa will close the festival with “Person to Person.” Other standouts include “Menashe,” “My Happy Family,” “Quest” and “The Wound.”
Read More: The Sundance Rebel:...
The opening, centerpiece, and closing night selections showcase three exciting new voices in American independent cinema that all recently debuted at Sundance: Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$” is the opening night pick, while Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” is the centerpiece selection and Dustin Guy Defa will close the festival with “Person to Person.” Other standouts include “Menashe,” “My Happy Family,” “Quest” and “The Wound.”
Read More: The Sundance Rebel:...
- 2/15/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The curtain fell on India’s biggest Film Festival, Jio Mami 18th Mumbai Film Festival with Star on Thursday, 27th October, 2016. The ceremony took place at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir, Bandra. World-renowned filmmakers, talent and Bollywood stars walked the red carpet to celebrate the end of Mumbai’s very own film festival’s latest edition.
Sonam Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Abhay Deol, Kabir Khan, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi, Rahul Bose, Kunal Kapoor, Zoya Akhtar, Ayan Mukerji, Vishal Bharadwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Shakun Batra, Konkona Sensharma, Rajkumar Hirani, Richa Chadda, Neha Sharma and others walked the red carpet at the closing ceremony along with Jio Mami with Star Co-chairperson Kiran Rao, Festival Director Anupama Chopra. Shweta Tripathi and Vicky Kaushal hosted the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Nita M. Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation & Co-Chair, Mami Board of Trustees said, “It has been an incredible week of cinema at the Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival.
Sonam Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Abhay Deol, Kabir Khan, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi, Rahul Bose, Kunal Kapoor, Zoya Akhtar, Ayan Mukerji, Vishal Bharadwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Shakun Batra, Konkona Sensharma, Rajkumar Hirani, Richa Chadda, Neha Sharma and others walked the red carpet at the closing ceremony along with Jio Mami with Star Co-chairperson Kiran Rao, Festival Director Anupama Chopra. Shweta Tripathi and Vicky Kaushal hosted the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Mrs. Nita M. Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation & Co-Chair, Mami Board of Trustees said, “It has been an incredible week of cinema at the Jio Mami Mumbai Film Festival.
- 10/30/2016
- by Trupti Kantilal
- Bollyspice
Other winners included Ralitza Petrova’s Godless and The Narrow Path, directed by Satish Babusenan and Santosh Babusenan.
Davy Chou’s Diamond Island won the Golden Gateway Award in Mumbai Film Festival’s international competition, while Haobam Paban Kumar’ Lady Of The Lake scooped the same honour in India Gold.
Diamond Island, a co-production between Cambodia, France and three other countries, received its world premiere in Critics Week at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and premiered in Cambodia this week. Lady Of The Lake, a Manipuri-language drama about fishermen being driven from their homes, recently premiered at Busan.
Other winners in Mumbai’s international competition included Bulgarian filmmaker Ralitza Petrova’s Godless, which took the Silver Gateway Award, and Mexican director Natalia Almada’s Everything Else, which took the Jury Grand Prize. Special mentions went to Alba, directed by Ecuador’s Macarena Arias, and UK-Peruvian drama When Two Worlds Collide.
In the India...
Davy Chou’s Diamond Island won the Golden Gateway Award in Mumbai Film Festival’s international competition, while Haobam Paban Kumar’ Lady Of The Lake scooped the same honour in India Gold.
Diamond Island, a co-production between Cambodia, France and three other countries, received its world premiere in Critics Week at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and premiered in Cambodia this week. Lady Of The Lake, a Manipuri-language drama about fishermen being driven from their homes, recently premiered at Busan.
Other winners in Mumbai’s international competition included Bulgarian filmmaker Ralitza Petrova’s Godless, which took the Silver Gateway Award, and Mexican director Natalia Almada’s Everything Else, which took the Jury Grand Prize. Special mentions went to Alba, directed by Ecuador’s Macarena Arias, and UK-Peruvian drama When Two Worlds Collide.
In the India...
- 10/28/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
White Building also among winners at Busan’s Asian Film Market.
Indonesian director and Busan regular Edwin (Postcards From The Zoo) picked up the Asian Project Market (Apm)’s top Busan Award with his Love And Vengeance.
Sponsored by Busan Metropolitan City, the award comes with a $15,000 cash prize.
Based on a bestselling novel, Love And Vengeance follows a man trying to deal with life and love after being traumatized into impotency by violent events he witnessed at the age of 12.
The film is currently in pre-production. Meiske Taurisia, Lorna Tee and Muhammad Zaidy are attached as producers.
Neang Kavich’s Cambodia-France co-production White Building picked up the Cj Entertainment Award of $10,000 - which also gives the Korean company a first-look option, and the Arte International Prize, with €6,000 ($6,650).
White Building, which has Diamond Island director Davy Chou attached as a producer, tells the stories of three teenage boys and their neighbors in an inner-city tenement building in Cambodia...
Indonesian director and Busan regular Edwin (Postcards From The Zoo) picked up the Asian Project Market (Apm)’s top Busan Award with his Love And Vengeance.
Sponsored by Busan Metropolitan City, the award comes with a $15,000 cash prize.
Based on a bestselling novel, Love And Vengeance follows a man trying to deal with life and love after being traumatized into impotency by violent events he witnessed at the age of 12.
The film is currently in pre-production. Meiske Taurisia, Lorna Tee and Muhammad Zaidy are attached as producers.
Neang Kavich’s Cambodia-France co-production White Building picked up the Cj Entertainment Award of $10,000 - which also gives the Korean company a first-look option, and the Arte International Prize, with €6,000 ($6,650).
White Building, which has Diamond Island director Davy Chou attached as a producer, tells the stories of three teenage boys and their neighbors in an inner-city tenement building in Cambodia...
- 10/11/2016
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Miguel Gomes [pictured] and Reha Erdem to head international competition and India Gold juries, respectively; fest also unveils line-up and Jia Zhangke award.
Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes (Arabian Nights) is heading the jury for the international competition at this year’s Mumbai Film Festival, while Turkish director Reha Erdem will preside over the jury for the India Gold section.
Gomes will be joined by filmmakers Tala Hadid and Anurag Kashyap, producer Christine Vachon and Hot Docs president Chris McDonald. Titles selected for the International Competition for first-time filmmakers include Israeli filmmaker Elite Zexer’s Sand Storm and Diamond Island, from French-Cambodian filmmaker Davy Chou (see full line-up below).
Erdem recently won the Special Orizzonti Jury Prize at Venice for Big Big World. He will be joined on the India Gold jury by composer Mychael Danna (Life Of Pi), Hong Kong director Yonfan (Peony Pavilion), Polish director Tomasz Wasilewski (United States Of Love) and critic Stephanie Zacharek.
The festival...
Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes (Arabian Nights) is heading the jury for the international competition at this year’s Mumbai Film Festival, while Turkish director Reha Erdem will preside over the jury for the India Gold section.
Gomes will be joined by filmmakers Tala Hadid and Anurag Kashyap, producer Christine Vachon and Hot Docs president Chris McDonald. Titles selected for the International Competition for first-time filmmakers include Israeli filmmaker Elite Zexer’s Sand Storm and Diamond Island, from French-Cambodian filmmaker Davy Chou (see full line-up below).
Erdem recently won the Special Orizzonti Jury Prize at Venice for Big Big World. He will be joined on the India Gold jury by composer Mychael Danna (Life Of Pi), Hong Kong director Yonfan (Peony Pavilion), Polish director Tomasz Wasilewski (United States Of Love) and critic Stephanie Zacharek.
The festival...
- 9/30/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Halfway through the Cannes Film Festival, buzz is hearing about “Jackie”, now in post-production, an account of the days of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963, directed by Pablo Larraín whose Directors’ Fortnight contender “Neruda” is receiving raves here. Another hot Directors’ Fortnight film “Mean Dreams” with Bill Paxton is praised by one important film buyer as “Mud” meets “Cold in July” in a tense coming-of-age drama about a 15-year-old boy. And Sony Pictures Classics has snatched U.S. rights to the German Competition comedy, “Toni Erdmann”.
This year in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition Section, there are no first time film directors, only established masters, some praised and some panned. However, Cannes Official Un Certain Regard specifically shows emerging filmmakers who are considered to be the next generation of master auteurs of cinema. Out of its 17 films, seven were first features from Romania, France, Israel, USA, Argentina, Finland and the Netherlands. Three of the seven are by women: Stéphanie Di Giusto’s “La Danseuse” (“The Dancer”) is about Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères at the turn of the 20th century and an inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec and the Lumière Brothers.
Maha Haj From Israel debuted on the first day with “Personal Affairs”, about an old couple in Nazareth and their son and daughter who live on the other side of the border. Other first films are the much-anticipated “The Red Turtle”, a dialogue-free animated feature from Studio Ghibli but made in France and directed by Dutch-born, London-based animator Michael Dudok de Wit, the Finnish-German-Swedish “The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki” and Bogdan Mirica’s “Dogs”. The debut So. Korean film, “Train to Busan”, showed in the Official Midnight Screening section and featured a zombie-virus breaking out in South Korea, and a couple of passengers struggling to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan – enough to make me want to stop traveling.
“Fool Moon” by France’s Gregoire Leprinr-Foret had a Special Screening within the Official selection and received mixed reviews. In Critics Week, three of ten films selected and judged bycritics as the best films of the year thus far are first features: K. Rajapal’s drama “A Yellow Bird” from Singapore and France about a Singaporean Indian man trying to reconnect with his estranged family after he is released from prison, Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s “Albüm” from Turkey, France and Romania (See the trailer here) and Alessandro Comidin’s “Happy Times Will Come Soon” from Italy. The Acid sidebar of eight very independent features has two first films.
Also noticeable this year is the high number of films co-financed by the Doha Film Institute. Asgaard Farhadi's " The Salesman" will have its world premiere in the Festival’s Official Competition where it competes for the coveted Palme d’Or. “The Salesman” is about a couple who is forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building. It is one of two Iranian films this year. The other, “Inversion” will play in Un Certain Regard.” Newly established Doha Film Institute lent financial support to two films showing in Un Certain Regard section – “Apprentice” (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and debut feature “Dogs” (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar). Directors’ Fortnight is screens “Divines” (Morocco, France, Qatar) and three Dfi grantee films compete for top honors in the Critics Week: “Mimosas” (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; “Tramontane” (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and “Diamond Island” (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou touted as poetic and beautiful, a part of what might be a Cambodian New Wave. This New Wave from Cambodia is being helped along by the Doha Film Institute whose CEO, Fatma Al Remaihi says:
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim.”
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature “Wolf and Sheep”, in Directors’ Fortnight, is about Sadat herself, who lives in Kabul and Denmark. It takes place in the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up and where young boys and girls are shepherds. International coproductions are the engine driving the film business today and this one, a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan coproduction is a prime example. Sadat was spotted previously when her 2011 short “Vice Versa One” screened at Directors’ Fortnight and was invited to develop “Wolf And Sheep” at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010, which mentors emerging talent. Virginie Devesa of the international sales company Alpha Violet picked up the film here in Cannes. Alpha Violet is also selling ”A Yellow Bird” in Critics’ Week and is representing “Luxembourg”, the newest film by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, whose first film “The Tribe” played in Sundance and other top fests.
This year in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition Section, there are no first time film directors, only established masters, some praised and some panned. However, Cannes Official Un Certain Regard specifically shows emerging filmmakers who are considered to be the next generation of master auteurs of cinema. Out of its 17 films, seven were first features from Romania, France, Israel, USA, Argentina, Finland and the Netherlands. Three of the seven are by women: Stéphanie Di Giusto’s “La Danseuse” (“The Dancer”) is about Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères at the turn of the 20th century and an inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec and the Lumière Brothers.
Maha Haj From Israel debuted on the first day with “Personal Affairs”, about an old couple in Nazareth and their son and daughter who live on the other side of the border. Other first films are the much-anticipated “The Red Turtle”, a dialogue-free animated feature from Studio Ghibli but made in France and directed by Dutch-born, London-based animator Michael Dudok de Wit, the Finnish-German-Swedish “The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki” and Bogdan Mirica’s “Dogs”. The debut So. Korean film, “Train to Busan”, showed in the Official Midnight Screening section and featured a zombie-virus breaking out in South Korea, and a couple of passengers struggling to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan – enough to make me want to stop traveling.
“Fool Moon” by France’s Gregoire Leprinr-Foret had a Special Screening within the Official selection and received mixed reviews. In Critics Week, three of ten films selected and judged bycritics as the best films of the year thus far are first features: K. Rajapal’s drama “A Yellow Bird” from Singapore and France about a Singaporean Indian man trying to reconnect with his estranged family after he is released from prison, Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s “Albüm” from Turkey, France and Romania (See the trailer here) and Alessandro Comidin’s “Happy Times Will Come Soon” from Italy. The Acid sidebar of eight very independent features has two first films.
Also noticeable this year is the high number of films co-financed by the Doha Film Institute. Asgaard Farhadi's " The Salesman" will have its world premiere in the Festival’s Official Competition where it competes for the coveted Palme d’Or. “The Salesman” is about a couple who is forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building. It is one of two Iranian films this year. The other, “Inversion” will play in Un Certain Regard.” Newly established Doha Film Institute lent financial support to two films showing in Un Certain Regard section – “Apprentice” (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and debut feature “Dogs” (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar). Directors’ Fortnight is screens “Divines” (Morocco, France, Qatar) and three Dfi grantee films compete for top honors in the Critics Week: “Mimosas” (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; “Tramontane” (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and “Diamond Island” (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou touted as poetic and beautiful, a part of what might be a Cambodian New Wave. This New Wave from Cambodia is being helped along by the Doha Film Institute whose CEO, Fatma Al Remaihi says:
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim.”
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature “Wolf and Sheep”, in Directors’ Fortnight, is about Sadat herself, who lives in Kabul and Denmark. It takes place in the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up and where young boys and girls are shepherds. International coproductions are the engine driving the film business today and this one, a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan coproduction is a prime example. Sadat was spotted previously when her 2011 short “Vice Versa One” screened at Directors’ Fortnight and was invited to develop “Wolf And Sheep” at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010, which mentors emerging talent. Virginie Devesa of the international sales company Alpha Violet picked up the film here in Cannes. Alpha Violet is also selling ”A Yellow Bird” in Critics’ Week and is representing “Luxembourg”, the newest film by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, whose first film “The Tribe” played in Sundance and other top fests.
- 5/27/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Other winners included Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s Albüm and Wregas Bhanuteja’s Penjak.
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
- 5/20/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Other winners included Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s Albüm and Wregas Bhanuteja’s Penjak.
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
Oliver Laxe’s Mimosas has won the Nespresso Grand Prize at the 55th Critics’ Week – the Cannes Film Festival sidebar devoted to first and second features.
Review: Mimosas
The story follows a caravan escorting a dying sheikh across the Atlas Mountains to fulfil his dying wish.
France-born, Spain-based Laxe won the €15,000 ($17,000) prize, which has previously been awarded to Guillermo del Toro, Gaspar Noe and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu among others.
The film, which was shot in Morocco and took part in Qumra 2016, is Laxe’s second film after You Are All Captains, which screened in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010, winning the Fipresci prize
Mimosas is a Spain-Morocco-France-Qatar co-production and is sold by Luxbox.
Albüm, from Turkish filmmaker Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, won the France 4 Visionary Award, which rewards “outstanding creativity and innovation”.
The black comedy centres on an Antalya-based couple who fake a pregnancy to keep their...
- 5/20/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
"The Salesman" written and directed by celebrated filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, and co-financed by the Doha Film Institute, had its world premiere in the official competition of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Six other films supported by the Doha Film Institute Grants program have been screening in key sections at the prestigious global film event.
"The Salesman" is produced by Memento Films Production and Asghar Farhadi Production, in coproduction with Arte France Cinéma and in association with Doha Film Institute, Memento Films Distribution and Arte France. Amazon and Cohen Media Group have recently picked up North American rights.
Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life. "The Salesman" stars Shahab Hosseini ("A Separation") and Taraneh Alidoosti ("About Elly"). Farhadi won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for "A Separation" and the Best Actress Award at Cannes 2013 for his last film "The Past."
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “We are delighted that seven films supported by the Institute have been officially selected at Cannes this year. The selection of 'The Salesman' in the Festival’s official competition section is an achievement we are all very excited about, as it adds to our pride in partnering with international productions that set new benchmarks in excellence in filmmaking. Asghar Farhadi is one of the most recognized filmmakers working today, someone we have long admired for his talent and commitment to making films that tackle strong subject matters with enduring humanity.
“I would like to thank the entire team behind the film for sharing their vision with us and making us a part of their incredible journey, and wish them the very best. This has been a passion project for all involved and we look forward to audiences discovering this latest masterpiece”.
Among the six Dfi grantee films, two have been selected to the Un Certain Regard section - "Apprentice" (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and "Dogs" (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar) by Bogdan Florian Mirica.
Showcased in the Directors’ Fortnight is "Divines" (Morocco, France, Qatar), directed by Houda Benyamina. The remaining three Dfi grantee films will compete for top honours in the Critics Week including: "Mimosas" (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; "Tramontane" (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and "Diamond Island" (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou.
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. We are committed to celebrating high-calibre talents, both emerging and established, to contribute to a growing roster of quality world cinema. Through our Dfi Grantee program, we are underling our commitment to support emerging talent and create a body of work that reflects the cinematic ambitions of the next generation. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim,” added Al Remaihi.
As part of Qatar’s presence in Cannes, the Doha Film Institute is also presenting a special Made in Qatar showcase of short films at the Cannes’ Short Film Corner, a section of the festival dedicated to showcasing films from more than 90 countries to thousands of accredited industry guests, festival selectors and short film industry specialists.
The line-up includes winners of the Best Documentary Film and Best Narrative Film at Ajyal 2015, "The Palm Tree" by Jassim al Remaihi and "Asfoora" by Mayar Hamdan respectively, "Good as New" by Jasser Alagha, "Yellow Nights" by Abdullah Al Mulla, "The Notebook" by Amna Al-Binali, "Light Sounds" by Karem Kamel, "Veganize it" by Khalid Salim, "To My Mother" by Amina Ahmed Al Bloshi and "Inside Out" by Fahad Al-Obaidly.
Since premiering at Ajyal in 2015 the Miq package screened at Clermont Ferrand and Berlinale, and is also scheduled to screen in Sarajevo and several other festivals on the international circuit later this year.
"The Salesman" is produced by Memento Films Production and Asghar Farhadi Production, in coproduction with Arte France Cinéma and in association with Doha Film Institute, Memento Films Distribution and Arte France. Amazon and Cohen Media Group have recently picked up North American rights.
Forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building, Emad and Rana move into a new flat in the center of Tehran. An incident linked to the previous tenant will dramatically change the young couple’s life. "The Salesman" stars Shahab Hosseini ("A Separation") and Taraneh Alidoosti ("About Elly"). Farhadi won the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for "A Separation" and the Best Actress Award at Cannes 2013 for his last film "The Past."
Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha Film Institute, said: “We are delighted that seven films supported by the Institute have been officially selected at Cannes this year. The selection of 'The Salesman' in the Festival’s official competition section is an achievement we are all very excited about, as it adds to our pride in partnering with international productions that set new benchmarks in excellence in filmmaking. Asghar Farhadi is one of the most recognized filmmakers working today, someone we have long admired for his talent and commitment to making films that tackle strong subject matters with enduring humanity.
“I would like to thank the entire team behind the film for sharing their vision with us and making us a part of their incredible journey, and wish them the very best. This has been a passion project for all involved and we look forward to audiences discovering this latest masterpiece”.
Among the six Dfi grantee films, two have been selected to the Un Certain Regard section - "Apprentice" (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and "Dogs" (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar) by Bogdan Florian Mirica.
Showcased in the Directors’ Fortnight is "Divines" (Morocco, France, Qatar), directed by Houda Benyamina. The remaining three Dfi grantee films will compete for top honours in the Critics Week including: "Mimosas" (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; "Tramontane" (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and "Diamond Island" (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou.
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. We are committed to celebrating high-calibre talents, both emerging and established, to contribute to a growing roster of quality world cinema. Through our Dfi Grantee program, we are underling our commitment to support emerging talent and create a body of work that reflects the cinematic ambitions of the next generation. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim,” added Al Remaihi.
As part of Qatar’s presence in Cannes, the Doha Film Institute is also presenting a special Made in Qatar showcase of short films at the Cannes’ Short Film Corner, a section of the festival dedicated to showcasing films from more than 90 countries to thousands of accredited industry guests, festival selectors and short film industry specialists.
The line-up includes winners of the Best Documentary Film and Best Narrative Film at Ajyal 2015, "The Palm Tree" by Jassim al Remaihi and "Asfoora" by Mayar Hamdan respectively, "Good as New" by Jasser Alagha, "Yellow Nights" by Abdullah Al Mulla, "The Notebook" by Amna Al-Binali, "Light Sounds" by Karem Kamel, "Veganize it" by Khalid Salim, "To My Mother" by Amina Ahmed Al Bloshi and "Inside Out" by Fahad Al-Obaidly.
Since premiering at Ajyal in 2015 the Miq package screened at Clermont Ferrand and Berlinale, and is also scheduled to screen in Sarajevo and several other festivals on the international circuit later this year.
- 5/19/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Qatari Institution funds 26 projects from 14 countries.
The Doha Film Institute has announced the latest recipients of its grants programme.
Six of the grantees premiere in Cannes this year: Apprentice and Dogs premiere in Cannes, Divines, in Directors’ Fortnight and Diamond Island, Mimosas and Tramontane in Critics’ Week.
The Dfi also backed Asghar Farhadi’s Palme d’Or contender The Salesman but not as part of grants programme.
“I think it’s testament to the strength of our grants programme, the exciting new filmmakers emerging from our region and beyond, and the high quality of the films we are pleased to be able to support,” said said Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute.
A total of 26 projects from 14 countries – comprising 13 narrative features, six documentaries, three experimental or essay works and four short films – received funding for development, production or post-production in the spring 2016 funding round.
“The number of established film-makers applying has increased following the opening...
The Doha Film Institute has announced the latest recipients of its grants programme.
Six of the grantees premiere in Cannes this year: Apprentice and Dogs premiere in Cannes, Divines, in Directors’ Fortnight and Diamond Island, Mimosas and Tramontane in Critics’ Week.
The Dfi also backed Asghar Farhadi’s Palme d’Or contender The Salesman but not as part of grants programme.
“I think it’s testament to the strength of our grants programme, the exciting new filmmakers emerging from our region and beyond, and the high quality of the films we are pleased to be able to support,” said said Fatma Al Remaihi, CEO of the Doha Film Institute.
A total of 26 projects from 14 countries – comprising 13 narrative features, six documentaries, three experimental or essay works and four short films – received funding for development, production or post-production in the spring 2016 funding round.
“The number of established film-makers applying has increased following the opening...
- 5/14/2016
- ScreenDaily
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