The Gravity is a character-driven film that joyfully leaps from genre to genre while remaining true to its characters, thanks to the director's love for complexity and his desire to avoid the typical good vs. bad narrative style of Hollywood films. The film pays tribute to talented individuals who are held back by their upbringing, while also exploring the themes of passing knowledge to the younger generation and the power of community, which can sometimes become dangerous. Director Cédric Ido showcases his love for action films and incorporates incredible action-packed showdowns into the film, taking inspiration from Korean action sequences. However, the action sequences are also grounded in storytelling and serve a purpose in the overall narrative.
Set in inner-city Paris, The Gravity follows a pair of drug-dealing brothers and their peers as they try to live their lives in relative peace, at least by the standards of low-level drug dealers.
Set in inner-city Paris, The Gravity follows a pair of drug-dealing brothers and their peers as they try to live their lives in relative peace, at least by the standards of low-level drug dealers.
- 11/20/2023
- by Zak Wojnar
- ScreenRant
2023 has been a mixed bag for sci-fi movies. We've been treated to some phenomenal sci-fi flicks like The Creator, Biosphere, No One Will Save You, and They Cloned Tyrone, but we've also been forced to sit through films like The Meg 2: The Trench and the disappointing 65. Thankfully, however, the latest addition to the sci-fi genre, The Gravity, is more in line with the former offerings. It's an unnerving and captivating thriller that demands your attention.
From the mind of French screenwriter and filmmaker, Cédric Ido, The Gravity is a fascinating genre-blending film not to miss. It sports a simple story, but the film's well-written and well-acted characters drive the story to its wild final act. It tackles themes of underutilized potential, poverty, and generational dynamics, all while surrounded by an existential (and perhaps extraterrestrial) threat. Set in a Parisian suburb somewhere in the future, The Gravity finds a cosmic event altering the Earth's gravity,...
From the mind of French screenwriter and filmmaker, Cédric Ido, The Gravity is a fascinating genre-blending film not to miss. It sports a simple story, but the film's well-written and well-acted characters drive the story to its wild final act. It tackles themes of underutilized potential, poverty, and generational dynamics, all while surrounded by an existential (and perhaps extraterrestrial) threat. Set in a Parisian suburb somewhere in the future, The Gravity finds a cosmic event altering the Earth's gravity,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Olly Dyche
- MovieWeb
The Gravity is a captivating and unnerving sci-fi crime thriller that demands your attention. Aesthetically stunning, this French-language movie has one of the wildest and best final acts we've seen this year. The film's well-crafted screenplay creates multidimensional protagonists that we instantly root for, driving the narrative forward. While The Gravity attempts to tackle interesting themes such as brotherhood and poverty, it never fully engages with them, and the secondary characters and relationships are underdeveloped, leading to missed potential.
The French sci-fi crime thriller The Gravity, not to be confused with the 2013 Alfonso Cuarón sci-fi flick starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is a captivating and unnerving thriller that demands your attention. The stunning cinematography and the film's anxiety-inducing score create an eerie atmosphere, forcing audiences to anticipate an imminent threat. Its story is simple, but it's the characters and their arcs that drive the narrative. Writers Cédric Ido, Melisa Godet,...
The French sci-fi crime thriller The Gravity, not to be confused with the 2013 Alfonso Cuarón sci-fi flick starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is a captivating and unnerving thriller that demands your attention. The stunning cinematography and the film's anxiety-inducing score create an eerie atmosphere, forcing audiences to anticipate an imminent threat. Its story is simple, but it's the characters and their arcs that drive the narrative. Writers Cédric Ido, Melisa Godet,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Olly Dyche
- MovieWeb
"After the alignment, the world will change forever. Everything will start over."...
- 11/7/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
French-Burkinabé director Cédric Ido's science fiction film The Gravity intertwines Japanese mythology and astronomy to explore the effects of a planetary shift on a Parisian suburb. The film follows a group of teenagers called The Ronins who clash with childhood friends affected by drugs and prison. Amidst the conflict, cosmic changes occur that alter everyone's lives forever. The Gravity combines grounded storylines with sci-fi elements, creating a captivating metaphor and a fully realized cinematic world.
French Burkinabé director Cédric Ido's long-gestating science fiction movie The Gravity finally lands in theaters on November 10, following its successful world premiere at TIFF. The surreal film melds Japanese mythology with a loose take on astronomy to depict the ways a planetary shift affects a small Parisian suburb. In addition to directing, Ido co-wrote the script with Melisa Godet and Jeanne Aptekman, giving it a personal touch that has resonated through its run on the festival circuit.
French Burkinabé director Cédric Ido's long-gestating science fiction movie The Gravity finally lands in theaters on November 10, following its successful world premiere at TIFF. The surreal film melds Japanese mythology with a loose take on astronomy to depict the ways a planetary shift affects a small Parisian suburb. In addition to directing, Ido co-wrote the script with Melisa Godet and Jeanne Aptekman, giving it a personal touch that has resonated through its run on the festival circuit.
- 11/6/2023
- by Tatiana Hullender
- ScreenRant
France TV Distribution has enlisted a raft of major distributors worldwide for “Sugar and Stars,” a movie starring Riadh Belaïche, a social media influencer-turned-actor.
The inspirational drama is based on the true story of Yazid Ichemrahem, an underdog who became a famous pastry chef.
“Sugar and Stars” marks the debut feature of Sébastien Tulard, who has directed several shorts and worked as assistant director on hit French comedies such as Tarek Boudali’s “30 jours max,” Frank Gastambide’s popular show “All the Way Up,” Dany Boon’s “Supercondriaque” and Philippe Lacheau’s “Babysitting.”
The film was penned by Penned by Cédric Ido and based on Ichemrahem’s bestselling autobiographical book “Un rêve d’enfant étoilé.”
The story revolves around Yazid, who spent his childhood moving from one foster home to another while dreaming of becoming a pastry chef. Nothing predestines him for such a career, but Yazid’s fierce...
The inspirational drama is based on the true story of Yazid Ichemrahem, an underdog who became a famous pastry chef.
“Sugar and Stars” marks the debut feature of Sébastien Tulard, who has directed several shorts and worked as assistant director on hit French comedies such as Tarek Boudali’s “30 jours max,” Frank Gastambide’s popular show “All the Way Up,” Dany Boon’s “Supercondriaque” and Philippe Lacheau’s “Babysitting.”
The film was penned by Penned by Cédric Ido and based on Ichemrahem’s bestselling autobiographical book “Un rêve d’enfant étoilé.”
The story revolves around Yazid, who spent his childhood moving from one foster home to another while dreaming of becoming a pastry chef. Nothing predestines him for such a career, but Yazid’s fierce...
- 10/10/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Sundance documentary “Stephen Curry: Underrated” and SXSW television premiere “I’m a Virgo” will open and close Sffilm, the 66th annual San Francisco International Film Festival.
Sffilm unveiled the full lineup for the fest along with the openers and closers. The Bay Area film festival, which screens in theaters across San Francisco as well as Oakland and Berkeley, will host 50 feature film programs (includes Workshop and “mid-lengths”), 46 shorts, and one TV screening (“I’m a Virgo”). Both directors behind “I’m a Virgo” and “Underrated” — Boots Riley and Peter Nicks — grew up in the Bay Area, more specifically in Oakland. Other films from Bay Area filmmakers whose projects will screen include W. Kamau Bell’s “1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed,” Savanah Leaf’s “Earth Mama,” and Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.”
“It is Sffilm Festival season once again and I cannot wait to share this year’s program with local audiences,” Jessie Fairbanks, Sffilm’s director of programming,...
Sffilm unveiled the full lineup for the fest along with the openers and closers. The Bay Area film festival, which screens in theaters across San Francisco as well as Oakland and Berkeley, will host 50 feature film programs (includes Workshop and “mid-lengths”), 46 shorts, and one TV screening (“I’m a Virgo”). Both directors behind “I’m a Virgo” and “Underrated” — Boots Riley and Peter Nicks — grew up in the Bay Area, more specifically in Oakland. Other films from Bay Area filmmakers whose projects will screen include W. Kamau Bell’s “1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed,” Savanah Leaf’s “Earth Mama,” and Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.”
“It is Sffilm Festival season once again and I cannot wait to share this year’s program with local audiences,” Jessie Fairbanks, Sffilm’s director of programming,...
- 3/22/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The planets aligned for self-declared fanboy French Burkinabé director Cédric Ido, to will his long-gestating sci-fi caper – the futuristic and gritty Parisian-set thriller “The Gravity” into being, despite reluctance from the French film biz to dig into funding for genre movies.
The actor-director deftly mixes up Japanese mythology and a mysterious solar system alignment for a surrealistic take in his second feature that upends the status quo of a Parisian suburb slowly getting engulfed in cosmic chaos.
“The Gravity” played last week as part of the lineup of the 5th Joburg Film Festival in South Africa, with Ido telling Variety the biggest challenge was getting buy-in for the colorful project.
” ‘Gravity’s’ a script that I had in mind for such a long time. At the same time, it’s very personal, like many aspects of the relationship between the characters and also the background – being from the suburbs, the banlieue.
The actor-director deftly mixes up Japanese mythology and a mysterious solar system alignment for a surrealistic take in his second feature that upends the status quo of a Parisian suburb slowly getting engulfed in cosmic chaos.
“The Gravity” played last week as part of the lineup of the 5th Joburg Film Festival in South Africa, with Ido telling Variety the biggest challenge was getting buy-in for the colorful project.
” ‘Gravity’s’ a script that I had in mind for such a long time. At the same time, it’s very personal, like many aspects of the relationship between the characters and also the background – being from the suburbs, the banlieue.
- 2/6/2023
- by Thinus Ferreira
- Variety Film + TV
Returning to Johannesburg cinemas for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Joburg Film Festival kicked off its 5th edition with a joyful relaunch on Tuesday night, as local luminaries walked a gold carpet in Nelson Mandela Square in honor of the festival’s slogan, “Our Stories. Our Gold,” and the crowd was serenaded with a soaring performance from South African soprano Zandile Mzazi and singer Thandiswa Mazwai.
The event, which runs Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, bowed with the African premiere of “Xalé” (pictured), from veteran Senegalese director Moussa Sène Absa, a story of female subjugation and self-liberation that opened last year’s BFI Film Festival and was the West African nation’s entry in the 2023 international feature film Oscar race.
The festival wraps with “The Umbrella Men,” by local helmer John Barker (“Wonder Boy for President”), a caper comedy about first-time bank robbers pulling a heist...
The event, which runs Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, bowed with the African premiere of “Xalé” (pictured), from veteran Senegalese director Moussa Sène Absa, a story of female subjugation and self-liberation that opened last year’s BFI Film Festival and was the West African nation’s entry in the 2023 international feature film Oscar race.
The festival wraps with “The Umbrella Men,” by local helmer John Barker (“Wonder Boy for President”), a caper comedy about first-time bank robbers pulling a heist...
- 2/1/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Unifrance and Film at Lincoln Center have unveiled the lineup for the 28th edition of Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, an annual celebration of contemporary French filmmaking. The event will take place March 2–12.
It kicks off with a screening of Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris,” which stars Virginie Efira as a translator named Mia, who survived a mass shooting in a Paris restaurant and is unable to resume life as usual. In an effort to regain a sense of normalcy, Mia returns repeatedly to the site of the shooting, forming bonds with her fellow survivors. Efira is best known for her star turn in Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta.”
“It is a such a pleasure to open this year’s edition with the French critical and box-office hit ‘Revoir Paris’ in the presence of director Alice Winocour and actress Virginie Efira, who just received our French Cinema Award in Paris,” said Daniela Elstner,...
It kicks off with a screening of Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris,” which stars Virginie Efira as a translator named Mia, who survived a mass shooting in a Paris restaurant and is unable to resume life as usual. In an effort to regain a sense of normalcy, Mia returns repeatedly to the site of the shooting, forming bonds with her fellow survivors. Efira is best known for her star turn in Paul Verhoeven’s “Benedetta.”
“It is a such a pleasure to open this year’s edition with the French critical and box-office hit ‘Revoir Paris’ in the presence of director Alice Winocour and actress Virginie Efira, who just received our French Cinema Award in Paris,” said Daniela Elstner,...
- 1/26/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The 30 talents are in the running for the most promising actor and actress awards at the 2023 Cesar awards.
Les Révélations 2023, par Audrey Diwan (Sous-titre Anglais) from Académie des César on Vimeo.
France’s Cesar Academy has joined forces with Happening director Audrey Diwan for a short film honouring the 30 ‘Revelations’, the emerging French talents in the running for the most promising actor and actress awards at this year’s Cesar film awards.
Diwan presented the four-minute short film she wrote and directed at a dinner in Paris on January 16 attended by the Revelations, each of whom chose a mentor to accompany them.
Les Révélations 2023, par Audrey Diwan (Sous-titre Anglais) from Académie des César on Vimeo.
France’s Cesar Academy has joined forces with Happening director Audrey Diwan for a short film honouring the 30 ‘Revelations’, the emerging French talents in the running for the most promising actor and actress awards at this year’s Cesar film awards.
Diwan presented the four-minute short film she wrote and directed at a dinner in Paris on January 16 attended by the Revelations, each of whom chose a mentor to accompany them.
- 1/18/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Planet Alignment: Ito Brings Sci-fi to banlieue Drama
A standard issue banlieue crime pic is mashed up with thinly developed sci-fi elements in The Gravity (La Gravité), a film that, despite its efforts to reinvent genre tropes, nevertheless feels utterly routine. A somewhat ambitious step forward for French-Burkinabé filmmaker Cédric Ido, the film dangles a handful of themes about loyalty and brotherhood among the underclass but never engages with them enough to have something meaningful to say.
Times may change, but the street code of the banlieue of Stains, France remains the same: stay true to your turf and never turn your back on the neighborhood.…...
A standard issue banlieue crime pic is mashed up with thinly developed sci-fi elements in The Gravity (La Gravité), a film that, despite its efforts to reinvent genre tropes, nevertheless feels utterly routine. A somewhat ambitious step forward for French-Burkinabé filmmaker Cédric Ido, the film dangles a handful of themes about loyalty and brotherhood among the underclass but never engages with them enough to have something meaningful to say.
Times may change, but the street code of the banlieue of Stains, France remains the same: stay true to your turf and never turn your back on the neighborhood.…...
- 9/15/2022
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- IONCINEMA.com
Click here to read the full article.
The Oldenburg Film Festival, Germany’s leading fest for independent cinema, has announced its 2022 lineup.
The 29th Oldenburg Festival will kick off Sept. 14 with The Ordinaries, the first feature from German director Sophie Linnenbaum. The meta tragicomedy stars Fine Sendel as Paula, a simple Supporting Character in a repressive three class-society where there are Main Characters, Supporting Characters and the untouchable Outtakes. The Ordinaries premiered at the Munich festival this year, winning Linnebaum and her production team the German Cinema New Talent Award.
Also screening at Oldenburg this year will be Lola Quivoron’s Rodeo, which premiered in Cannes, Colin West’s SXSW sci-fi comedy Linoleum starring Jim Gaffigan and Better Caul Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn; TIFF 2022 title The Gravity from French director Cédric Ido; Andrea Bagney’s Spanish drama Ramona, which prmiered in Karlovy Vary this year; and Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s A Woman...
The Oldenburg Film Festival, Germany’s leading fest for independent cinema, has announced its 2022 lineup.
The 29th Oldenburg Festival will kick off Sept. 14 with The Ordinaries, the first feature from German director Sophie Linnenbaum. The meta tragicomedy stars Fine Sendel as Paula, a simple Supporting Character in a repressive three class-society where there are Main Characters, Supporting Characters and the untouchable Outtakes. The Ordinaries premiered at the Munich festival this year, winning Linnebaum and her production team the German Cinema New Talent Award.
Also screening at Oldenburg this year will be Lola Quivoron’s Rodeo, which premiered in Cannes, Colin West’s SXSW sci-fi comedy Linoleum starring Jim Gaffigan and Better Caul Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn; TIFF 2022 title The Gravity from French director Cédric Ido; Andrea Bagney’s Spanish drama Ramona, which prmiered in Karlovy Vary this year; and Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s A Woman...
- 9/2/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exploring Paris’ working-class suburbs with a fresh set of eyes while reframing the immigrant experience under a more incisive lens, a dynamic generation is blazing new trails in French cinema.
And if artists like “Saint Omer” filmmaker Alice Diop, “Athena” co-writer Ladj Ly, and “The Gravity” writer/director Cedric Ido share little in common but age – interestingly enough, all were born within one or two years of one another – the group’s shared spotlight in Venice and Toronto certainly reflects a rise in opportunity for diverse perspectives.
“Today, we do see renewal,” says Unifrance managing director Daniela Elstner. “There’s an altogether new breath, a young generation looking to change, to dare, and to propose new kinds of films, [and with that] a willingness on the part of festival programmers to welcome these filmmakers into main competitions a little bit faster than before.”
Of course, opportunities tend to compound and build, so before...
And if artists like “Saint Omer” filmmaker Alice Diop, “Athena” co-writer Ladj Ly, and “The Gravity” writer/director Cedric Ido share little in common but age – interestingly enough, all were born within one or two years of one another – the group’s shared spotlight in Venice and Toronto certainly reflects a rise in opportunity for diverse perspectives.
“Today, we do see renewal,” says Unifrance managing director Daniela Elstner. “There’s an altogether new breath, a young generation looking to change, to dare, and to propose new kinds of films, [and with that] a willingness on the part of festival programmers to welcome these filmmakers into main competitions a little bit faster than before.”
Of course, opportunities tend to compound and build, so before...
- 8/31/2022
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
The WhaleWAVELENGTHS - FEATURESConcrete Valley (Antoine Bourges)De Humani Corporis Fabrica (Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor)Dry Ground BurningHorse Opera (Moyra Davey)Pacifiction (Albert Serra)Queens of the Qing Dynasty (Ashley McKenzie)Unrest (Cyril Schäublin)Will-o’-the-Wisp (João Pedro Rodrigues)Wavelenghths - SHORTSAfter Work (Céline Condorelli, Ben Rivers)Bigger on the Inside (Angelo Madsen Minax)Eventide (Sharon Lockhart)F1ghting Looks Different 2 Me Now (Fox Maxy)Fata Morgana (Tacita Dean)Hors-titre (Wiame Haddad)I Thought the World of You (Kurt Walker)Moonrise (Vincent Grenier)The Newest Olds (Pablo Mazzolo)Puerta a Puerta (Jessica Sarah Rinland, Luis Arnías )The Time That Separates Us (Parastoo Anoushahpour)What Rules the Invisible (Tiffany Sia)Gala PRESENTATIONSAlice, Darling (Mary Nighy)Black Ice (Hubert Davis)The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Peter Farrelly)Butcher’s Crossing (Gabe Polsky)The Hummingbird (Francesca Archibugi)Hunt (Jung-jae Lee)A Jazzman’s Blues (Tyler Perry)Kacchey Limbu (Shubham Yogi)Moving On (Paul Weitz)Paris Memories...
- 8/4/2022
- MUBI
“Emily,” a biopic starring Emma Mackey as “Wuthering Heights” writer Emily Brontë, will have its world premiere through Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform program, the festival announced Wednesday.
Platform, which was established in 2015 and is named after the 2000 film by Jia Zhang-ke, screens eight to 12 films from a diverse range of global filmmakers with rising careers. After the screenings, the Platform Prize, an award of 20,000 Cad, is given to one film selected by an international jury. Previous Platform selections include acclaimed films such as “Sound of Metal,” “The Death of Stalin,” “Jackie,” “Moonlight,” “Lady Macbeth” and “High-Rise.”
“Emily,” the directorial debut of English actor Frances O’Connor, will be the opening film for this year’s Platform program. The other nine films selected for Platform are: “Carvão” by Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz, “La Gravité” by French director Cédric Ido, “Hawa” by French “Cuties” director Maïmouna Doucouré, “How to Blow Up...
Platform, which was established in 2015 and is named after the 2000 film by Jia Zhang-ke, screens eight to 12 films from a diverse range of global filmmakers with rising careers. After the screenings, the Platform Prize, an award of 20,000 Cad, is given to one film selected by an international jury. Previous Platform selections include acclaimed films such as “Sound of Metal,” “The Death of Stalin,” “Jackie,” “Moonlight,” “Lady Macbeth” and “High-Rise.”
“Emily,” the directorial debut of English actor Frances O’Connor, will be the opening film for this year’s Platform program. The other nine films selected for Platform are: “Carvão” by Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz, “La Gravité” by French director Cédric Ido, “Hawa” by French “Cuties” director Maïmouna Doucouré, “How to Blow Up...
- 8/3/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Toronto announced the 10 world premieres in its Platform program, a section comprised of first-time feature filmmakers and vets whose voices are emerging in the cinematic landscape.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise.”
Named after Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking second feature, Platform is curated by TIFF Chief Programming Officer Anita Lee; Director, Festival Programming Robyn Citizen; and Senior Manager, Festival Programming Ravi Srinivasan.
“Eclectic in vision, this year’s selection not only represents all World Premieres of exciting, on-the-rise voices from around the world, but it also reflects the very timely and unique perspectives of racialized filmmakers from diasporic communities broadening the canvas,” said Lee.
Of the ten Platform titles making their world premiere at TIFF,...
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, TIFF CEO. “Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise.”
Named after Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking second feature, Platform is curated by TIFF Chief Programming Officer Anita Lee; Director, Festival Programming Robyn Citizen; and Senior Manager, Festival Programming Ravi Srinivasan.
“Eclectic in vision, this year’s selection not only represents all World Premieres of exciting, on-the-rise voices from around the world, but it also reflects the very timely and unique perspectives of racialized filmmakers from diasporic communities broadening the canvas,” said Lee.
Of the ten Platform titles making their world premiere at TIFF,...
- 8/3/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Toronto International Film Festival today revealed the 10 feature films that will make up its Platform section. The festival, which runs September 8 through 18 this year, annually hosts the Platform vertical to shine a light on first-time and veteran filmmakers and their bold directorial visions from around the globe.
The program’s opening night selection is the directorial debut of actor Frances O’Connor, “Emily,” which centers on author Emily Brontë and the years leading up to the publication of her novel “Wuthering Heights.” Notably the selection also includes two Canadian films as well as the latest movie from Maïmouna Doucouré, the director of 2020’s controversial “Cuties.” All 10 films in the program are world premieres.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Now in year seven, it...
The program’s opening night selection is the directorial debut of actor Frances O’Connor, “Emily,” which centers on author Emily Brontë and the years leading up to the publication of her novel “Wuthering Heights.” Notably the selection also includes two Canadian films as well as the latest movie from Maïmouna Doucouré, the director of 2020’s controversial “Cuties.” All 10 films in the program are world premieres.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our Festival,” said Cameron Bailey, the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival. “Now in year seven, it...
- 8/3/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) unveiled the 10 films that will make up the 2022 Platform section, with Frances O’ Connor’s directorial debut, “Emily,” a biopic about “Wuthering Heights” author Emily Brontë, serving as the opening night feature. The “Mansfield Park” actress’ first feature film behind the camera will star Emma Mackey (“Sex Education”) as the storied author.
All 10 films will be making their world premiere at TIFF and include titles from Canada, Iran, France, Switzerland, Brazil and India. Previous films that have debuted in the Platform section include Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture Oscar winner “Moonlight,” Darius Marder’s Best Picture–nominated “Sound of Metal” and Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin.”
Also Read:
TIFF 2022 Lineup: Films From Tyler Perry, Peter Farrelly, Sam Mendes and Catherine Hardwicke to Premiere
Along with “Emily,” other titles include “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” an environmental thriller from Daniel Goldhaber that shares...
All 10 films will be making their world premiere at TIFF and include titles from Canada, Iran, France, Switzerland, Brazil and India. Previous films that have debuted in the Platform section include Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture Oscar winner “Moonlight,” Darius Marder’s Best Picture–nominated “Sound of Metal” and Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin.”
Also Read:
TIFF 2022 Lineup: Films From Tyler Perry, Peter Farrelly, Sam Mendes and Catherine Hardwicke to Premiere
Along with “Emily,” other titles include “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” an environmental thriller from Daniel Goldhaber that shares...
- 8/3/2022
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
The Emily Brontë movie Emily, with Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey playing the author in the movie from writer-director Frances O’Connor and U.S. distributor Bleecker Street, will open the Platform competition sidebar at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
TIFF unveiled 10 features with world premieres for the festival section where international films outside the Hollywood studio orbit compete. This year’s selection includes Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz’s Charcoal, Daniel Goldhaber’s environmental activists thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline and two Canadian titles: Anthony Shim’s Riceboys Sleeps and Stephane Lafleur’s Viking.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our festival. Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement.
An international jury...
The Emily Brontë movie Emily, with Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey playing the author in the movie from writer-director Frances O’Connor and U.S. distributor Bleecker Street, will open the Platform competition sidebar at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
TIFF unveiled 10 features with world premieres for the festival section where international films outside the Hollywood studio orbit compete. This year’s selection includes Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz’s Charcoal, Daniel Goldhaber’s environmental activists thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline and two Canadian titles: Anthony Shim’s Riceboys Sleeps and Stephane Lafleur’s Viking.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our festival. Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement.
An international jury...
- 8/3/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ten features selected for competitive strand championing bold visions.
Frances O’Connor’s feature directorial debut Emily will open 2022 Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform, the competitive section championing bold visions which also includes Hawa from French director Maïmouna Doucouré.
Emily charts the romantic life of Emily Brontë in the lead-up to her classic novel Wuthering Heights. Hawa, the follow-up to Doucouré’s 2020 Sundance and Berlin entry Cuties, centres on a teenage girl who sets off to get adopted by one of the most powerful women in the world.
The 10 Platform selections feature Subtraction from Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi, the...
Frances O’Connor’s feature directorial debut Emily will open 2022 Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Platform, the competitive section championing bold visions which also includes Hawa from French director Maïmouna Doucouré.
Emily charts the romantic life of Emily Brontë in the lead-up to her classic novel Wuthering Heights. Hawa, the follow-up to Doucouré’s 2020 Sundance and Berlin entry Cuties, centres on a teenage girl who sets off to get adopted by one of the most powerful women in the world.
The 10 Platform selections feature Subtraction from Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi, the...
- 8/3/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
France TV Distribution has boarded “Sugar and Stars” (“À la belle étoile”), an inspirational drama based on the true story of an underdog who became a famed pastry chef.
The film marks the feature debut of Sébastien Tulard, who has directed several shorts and worked as assistant director on hit French comedies such as Tarek Boudali’s “30 jours max,” Frank Gastambide’s popular show “All The Way Up,” Dany Boon’s “Supercondriaque” and Philippe Lacheau’s “Babysitting.”
Penned by Cédric Ido, “Sugar and Stars” is based on Yazid Ichemrahem’s autobiographical book “Un rêve d’enfant étoilé.” The story revolves around Yazid, who spends his childhood moving from one foster home to another while dreaming of becoming a pastry chef. Nothing predestines him for such a career, but Yazid’s fierce determination and resourcefulness allow him to thrive in the elitist arena of patisserie. Working for the world’s top chefs from Paris to Monaco,...
The film marks the feature debut of Sébastien Tulard, who has directed several shorts and worked as assistant director on hit French comedies such as Tarek Boudali’s “30 jours max,” Frank Gastambide’s popular show “All The Way Up,” Dany Boon’s “Supercondriaque” and Philippe Lacheau’s “Babysitting.”
Penned by Cédric Ido, “Sugar and Stars” is based on Yazid Ichemrahem’s autobiographical book “Un rêve d’enfant étoilé.” The story revolves around Yazid, who spends his childhood moving from one foster home to another while dreaming of becoming a pastry chef. Nothing predestines him for such a career, but Yazid’s fierce determination and resourcefulness allow him to thrive in the elitist arena of patisserie. Working for the world’s top chefs from Paris to Monaco,...
- 2/2/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
15 projects participated in the online market aimed at finding partners for socially and environmentally-engaged works.
French director Émilie Frèche’s In A Perfect World, about a couple who end up on the wrong side of the law when they help a young illegal migrant, has won the top prize for a fiction film at the debut edition of the French Cinema for Change co-production market.
An initiative of the Paris-based Le Temps Press film festival, the inaugural edition of the co-financing event ran April 7-8, with the aim of finding partners for film, TV and digital projects that raise awareness around environmental and societal issues.
French director Émilie Frèche’s In A Perfect World, about a couple who end up on the wrong side of the law when they help a young illegal migrant, has won the top prize for a fiction film at the debut edition of the French Cinema for Change co-production market.
An initiative of the Paris-based Le Temps Press film festival, the inaugural edition of the co-financing event ran April 7-8, with the aim of finding partners for film, TV and digital projects that raise awareness around environmental and societal issues.
- 4/15/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Closing out a year in which we’ve needed The Criterion Channel more than ever, they’ve now announced their impressive December lineup. Topping the highlights is a trio of Terrence Malick films––Badlands, Days of Heaven, and The New World––along with interviews featuring actors Richard Gere, Sissy Spacek, and Martin Sheen; production designer Jack Fisk; costume designer Jacqueline West; cinematographers Haskell Wexler and John Bailey; and more.
Also in the lineup is an Afrofuturism series, featuring an introduction by programmer Ashley Clark, with work by Lizzie Borden, Shirley Clarke, Souleymane Cissé, John Akomfrah, Terence Nance, and more. There’s also Mariano Llinás’s 14-hour epic La flor, Bill Morrison’s Dawson City: Frozen Time, Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning, plus retrospectives dedicated to Mae West, Cary Grant, Barbra Streisand, and more.
Check out the lineup below and return every Friday for our weekly streaming picks.
Also in the lineup is an Afrofuturism series, featuring an introduction by programmer Ashley Clark, with work by Lizzie Borden, Shirley Clarke, Souleymane Cissé, John Akomfrah, Terence Nance, and more. There’s also Mariano Llinás’s 14-hour epic La flor, Bill Morrison’s Dawson City: Frozen Time, Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You, Jennie Livingston’s Paris Is Burning, plus retrospectives dedicated to Mae West, Cary Grant, Barbra Streisand, and more.
Check out the lineup below and return every Friday for our weekly streaming picks.
- 11/24/2020
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Projects by Sylvie Verheyde, Robert Schwentke, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Wissam Charaf, Berni Goldblat and Cédric Ido will be showcased at the co-production market event in Mulhouse on 26 and 27 November. 220 professionals will descend on Mulhouse tomorrow for the 17th Franco-German Film Meeting (26 and 27 November). Organised by UniFrance, German Films and the Académie Franco-Allemande du Cinéma, in partnership with the Cnc and Ffa, the event will host debates on topics impacting the industry on both sides of the Rhine but also a co-production market with 22 projects to be showcased.One of the most notable of the 12 French...
- 11/25/2019
- Cineuropa - The Best of European Cinema
Exclusive: Eriq Ebouaney and Sandrine Bonnaire to co-star in asylum seeker love story.
MK2 Films has taken on world sales of Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s [pictured] upcoming drama A Season In France.
Eriq Ebouaney and Sandrine Bonnaire have signed to co-star in the film revolving around the relationship between an asylum seeker and a French woman.
Ebouaney – who was recently seen in Bastille Day – plays Abbas, a widower and teacher from the war-torn Central African Republic seeking asylum in France. Awaiting a decision on his application, he works in a food market on the outskirts of Paris to support his two young children.
Bonnaire will play Carole, a French woman who falls in love with Abbas and offers him a home.
Florence Stern of Paris-based Pili Films is producing the film, which is due to shoot in Paris and Northern France this October.
The production marks Haroun’s first feature shot in France after dramas set in...
MK2 Films has taken on world sales of Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s [pictured] upcoming drama A Season In France.
Eriq Ebouaney and Sandrine Bonnaire have signed to co-star in the film revolving around the relationship between an asylum seeker and a French woman.
Ebouaney – who was recently seen in Bastille Day – plays Abbas, a widower and teacher from the war-torn Central African Republic seeking asylum in France. Awaiting a decision on his application, he works in a food market on the outskirts of Paris to support his two young children.
Bonnaire will play Carole, a French woman who falls in love with Abbas and offers him a home.
Florence Stern of Paris-based Pili Films is producing the film, which is due to shoot in Paris and Northern France this October.
The production marks Haroun’s first feature shot in France after dramas set in...
- 7/4/2016
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Film is set in Paris’s African neighbourhood of Chateau d’Eau.
MK2 Films has taken on world sales of Modi Barry and Cédric Ido’s Chateau, set against the backdrop of the hair salons of Paris’s African neighbourhood Chateau d’Eau.
The comedy-drama will recount the trials and tribulations of a group of hair salon hustlers whose fast talk and tall tales see them accidently entwined in the district’s best kept sentimental secret.
“MK2 is thrilled to be on board such an original project set in a community of Paris so rarely brought to the screen and, even more rarely, in such a touching and humanising way and by filmmakers who know the real heart of their subject,” said MK2 Films’s head of sales and acquisition Juliette Schrameck.
The film is produced by One World Films and Srab, an off-shoot of Les Films du Worso, which was created...
MK2 Films has taken on world sales of Modi Barry and Cédric Ido’s Chateau, set against the backdrop of the hair salons of Paris’s African neighbourhood Chateau d’Eau.
The comedy-drama will recount the trials and tribulations of a group of hair salon hustlers whose fast talk and tall tales see them accidently entwined in the district’s best kept sentimental secret.
“MK2 is thrilled to be on board such an original project set in a community of Paris so rarely brought to the screen and, even more rarely, in such a touching and humanising way and by filmmakers who know the real heart of their subject,” said MK2 Films’s head of sales and acquisition Juliette Schrameck.
The film is produced by One World Films and Srab, an off-shoot of Les Films du Worso, which was created...
- 5/18/2016
- ScreenDaily
This year’s Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) is officially over, with awards honors revealed last week. Amongst winners, of most interest to this blog, in the AsiaAfrica competition, a Special Mention went to Souleymane Deme for his role in Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s Grigris, while Special Mention for short films went to Burkinabe filmmaker Cédric Ido, for Twaaga. In the Muhr Arab feature section, the Special Jury Prize went to Moroccan Nabil Ayouch's They Are The Dogs. In the Muhr Arab documentary section, Oscar-shortlisted Egyptian doc The Square won best film, while Salma El Tarzi's won for best director for Underground On The...
- 12/18/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Hany Abu-Assad’s Omar won best film in the Muhr Arab feature competition at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival (Diff), while Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo won best film in the Muhr AsiaAfrica section.
Abu-Assad also won best director in the Arab feature section, while Yasmine Raees won best actress for Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Khan’s Factory Girl. Best actor went to Hassan Badida for Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri’s They Are The Dogs, which also picked up the Special Jury Prize.
Special Mentions went to Mohamed Amin Benamraoui for Adios Carmen and to Moroccan actress Raouia for her roles in Rock The Casbah and Pillow Secrets.
Ilo Ilo was also a multiple prize-winner, adding to an already weighty awards stash, by taking best actress for Yeo Yann Yann’s performance. Best actor in the AsiaAfrica section went to Irrfan Khan for his role in Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, which also won...
Abu-Assad also won best director in the Arab feature section, while Yasmine Raees won best actress for Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Khan’s Factory Girl. Best actor went to Hassan Badida for Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri’s They Are The Dogs, which also picked up the Special Jury Prize.
Special Mentions went to Mohamed Amin Benamraoui for Adios Carmen and to Moroccan actress Raouia for her roles in Rock The Casbah and Pillow Secrets.
Ilo Ilo was also a multiple prize-winner, adding to an already weighty awards stash, by taking best actress for Yeo Yann Yann’s performance. Best actor in the AsiaAfrica section went to Irrfan Khan for his role in Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox, which also won...
- 12/13/2013
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Sandeep Ray won best director award for his short Shirno Bahu (Thin Arms)
Irrfan Khan won best actor award for his role in Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox”. The film also won the writer-director a special mention for screenplay in the Muhr Asia Africa category. The jury was headed by Shekhar Kapoor.
Sandeep Ray’s short film “Shirno Bahu” (Thin Arms) won him the best director award in the Muhr Asia Africa shorts category.
“Shirno Bahu” tells the story of an octogenarian woman who undergoes treatment for a debilitating medical condition. The 10 minute film is in Bengali language.
Actor-producer Sanjay Suri was a part of Arab competition jury.
“The Lunchbox” also won two Asia Pacific Screen Awards recently.
Full list of awards at Dubai International Film Festival:
Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature:
Special Mention: Souleymane Démé for his role in Grigris(France, Chad)
Special Mention: Ritesh Batra for the screenplay of The Lunchbox...
Irrfan Khan won best actor award for his role in Ritesh Batra’s “The Lunchbox”. The film also won the writer-director a special mention for screenplay in the Muhr Asia Africa category. The jury was headed by Shekhar Kapoor.
Sandeep Ray’s short film “Shirno Bahu” (Thin Arms) won him the best director award in the Muhr Asia Africa shorts category.
“Shirno Bahu” tells the story of an octogenarian woman who undergoes treatment for a debilitating medical condition. The 10 minute film is in Bengali language.
Actor-producer Sanjay Suri was a part of Arab competition jury.
“The Lunchbox” also won two Asia Pacific Screen Awards recently.
Full list of awards at Dubai International Film Festival:
Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature:
Special Mention: Souleymane Démé for his role in Grigris(France, Chad)
Special Mention: Ritesh Batra for the screenplay of The Lunchbox...
- 12/13/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Here's a first look via trailer at Burkinabe filmmaker Cédric Ido's upcoming superhero-inspired short film Twaaga (in English, Invincible), made via the Focus Features' Africa First program. For those unfamiliar with the program... launched in 2009, Africa First was created "to foster and develop long-term relationships with some of the most promising up-and-coming filmmakers from continental Africa." The aim is that, through financial support of the program and mentorship provided by the Focus Features Africa First Advisory Board, to bring African filmmakers into an environment that will allow them to grow as filmmakers with an international...
- 9/16/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Continuing on with the series... but first, as always, a recap, for those just joining us. You can obviously skip this part and jump right into the interview below. Announced last fall, the 5 filmmakers selected for the next class (2011) of Focus Features' Africa First program were Oshosheni Hiveluah (from Namibia); Cedric Ido (from Burkina Faso); Mark Middlewick (from South Africa); Akosua Adoma Owusu (from Ghana); and Zelalem Woldemariam (from Ethiopia). For those unfamiliar with the program... launched in 2009, Africa First was created "to foster and develop long-term relationships with some of the most...
- 5/23/2012
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Continuing on with the series... but first, as always, a recap, for those just joining us. You can obviously skip this part and jump right into the interview below. Announced last fall, the 5 filmmakers selected for the next class (2011) of Focus Features' Africa First program were Oshosheni Hiveluah (from Namibia); Cedric Ido (from Burkina Faso); Mark Middlewick (from South Africa); Akosua Adoma Owusu (from Ghana); and Zelalem Woldemariam (from Ethiopia). For those unfamiliar with the program... launched in 2009, Africa First was created "to foster and develop long-term relationships with some of the most...
- 5/21/2012
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Continuing with the series... but first, for those just joining us, or new to the program, a recap as always. Announced last fall, the 5 filmmakers selected for the next class (2011) of Focus Features' Africa First program were Oshosheni Hiveluah (from Namibia); Cedric Ido (from Burkina Faso); Mark Middlewick (from South Africa); Akosua Adoma Owusu (from Ghana); and Zelalem Woldemariam (from Ethiopia). For those unfamiliar with the program... launched in 2009, Africa First was created "to foster and develop long-term relationships with some of the most promising up-and-coming filmmakers from continental...
- 5/17/2012
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Focus Features' Africa First, a program for short films by emerging African filmmakers, has awarded five filmmakers $10,000 each to produce their short films. This is the program's fourth year. The winning filmmakers and the shorts they will direct are: - Oshosheni Hiveluah (Nambia), "100 Bucks" An immersion into the Namibian capital of Windhoek through the progress of a piece of currency. - Cedric Ido (Burkina Faso), "Twaaga" [Invincible] Blending ...
- 10/6/2011
- Indiewire
$10,000 In Financing Goes To Five
New Moviemakers For Their Short Films
New York, October 6th, 2011 . For a fourth consecutive year, Focus Features. Africa First program for short films, the worldwide film company.s initiative earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, has awarded five filmmakers $10,000 apiece, Focus CEO James Schamus announced today.
The uniquely conceived initiative offers eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded the $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and tapping into the resources of the film industry there. Of equal importance, the program brings the filmmakers together with each other and with a renowned group of advisors, major figures in the African film world, for support and mentorship. The short films coming out of the program have been showcased at the Sundance, Toronto, and Berlin Film Festivals; the Film Society of...
New Moviemakers For Their Short Films
New York, October 6th, 2011 . For a fourth consecutive year, Focus Features. Africa First program for short films, the worldwide film company.s initiative earmarked exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence, has awarded five filmmakers $10,000 apiece, Focus CEO James Schamus announced today.
The uniquely conceived initiative offers eligible and participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded the $10,000 in financing for pre-production, production, and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and tapping into the resources of the film industry there. Of equal importance, the program brings the filmmakers together with each other and with a renowned group of advisors, major figures in the African film world, for support and mentorship. The short films coming out of the program have been showcased at the Sundance, Toronto, and Berlin Film Festivals; the Film Society of...
- 10/6/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Focus Features' Africa First short film program announces fourth set of winners. Each filmmaker--of African nationality and residence--will receive $10,000 and will be networked with and mentored by leaders of the African film community. Here are more details on the program. Program director Kisha Cameron-Dingle says: "I’m continually impressed by the range of great young artists we meet through Africa First – each filmmaker has a distinctive vision and voice, and I look forward to learning from them at our summit.” Winners and brief descriptions are below. The winners are: Ms. Oshosheni Hiveluah (from Namibia; 100 Bucks); Mr. Cedric Ido (Burkina Faso; Twaaga [Invincible]); Mr. Mark Middlewick (South Africa; Late Night Security); Ms. Akosua Adoma Owusu (Ghana; Kwaku Anase); and Mr. Zelalem Woldemariam (Ethiopia; Adamet [Listen]). 100 Bucks: an ...
- 10/6/2011
- Thompson on Hollywood
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