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"Haunting and deeply disturbing." Yellow Veil Pictures has revealed an official US trailer for an indie crime thriller titled Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation from Tunisia, made by filmmaker Youssef Chebbi. The film premiered at last year's Cannes Directors' Fortnight, with stops at the Toronto Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, and Beyond Fest. The story begins when the body of a caretaker is found in the middle of a construction site in the gardens of Carthage, a new district where modern buildings are juxtaposed with abandoned sites. Set amongst derelict, half-finished apartment complexes of a former regime, the discovery of a mysterious body reveals a puzzling repetition of events. As the investigation progresses, a network of violence & corruption is uncovered throughout the city. Starring Fatma Oussaifi, Mohamed Houcine Grayaa, and Aymen Ben Hmida. Don't write off this international thriller, it looks like it has some very unsettling mysteries to compel viewers.

A selection at Cannes Director’s Fortnight, Toronto International Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, and Beyond Fest, Youssef Chebbi’s supernatural noir Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation is coming to theaters next week. Courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures, the film will open at NYC’s Roxy Cinemas and LA’s American Cinematheque Los Feliz & Lumiere Music Hall before arriving digitally on August 22. Ahead of the release, the new trailer and poster have now arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “Set amongst derelict, half-finished apartment complexes of a former regime, the discovery of a mysterious burnt body by two police officers reveals a puzzling repetition of events. As the investigation progresses, a network of violence and corruption is uncovered throughout the city.”

Starring Fatma Oussaifi, Mohamed Houcine Grayaa, and Aymen Ben Hmida, see the trailer below.

Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation opens on August 18 in theaters and arrives digitally on August 22.

The post...

The Blue Caftan by Moroccan director and Cannes 2023 Jury member Maryam Touzani has topped the nominations in the seventh edition of the Critics Awards for Arab Films.

The portrait of marriage and stifled sexuality, starring Saleh Bakri and Lubna Azabal has been nominated in seven categories including best film, actor, actress, director, screenplay, cinematography and music.

The film world premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard in 2022 and went on to be Morocco’s best international film submission for the 2023 Academy Awards making it as far as the first long list.

The Critics Awards for Arab Films are overseen by the Arab Cinema Centre and judged by 193 critics from 72 countries. The winners will be announced at a ceremony during Cannes.

To qualify for consideration, films need to have premiered at international film festivals outside of the Arab world in 2022; involve at least one Arab world production company, and be feature-length.

Other...

Three categories have been added to this year’s awards.

Moroccan filmmaker Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan leads the nominations in the 7th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which has added categories for best editing, cinematography and music.

The Arabic-language drama, in which a woman and her closeted gay husband hire a young apprentice at their caftan store, secured seven nominations – every category except editing and documentary. The film premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year and was Morocco’s submission for the international feature film Oscar, making the shortlist but not final nominations.

A strong showing...

Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Ashkal,” following its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The murder mystery is the second feature from Tunisian director Youssef Chebbi and had its world premiere earlier this year at Cannes as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section. Yellow Veil Pictures plans to release the film theatrically in 2023.

“Ashkal” is set amongst derelict, half-finished apartment complexes of a former regime, where a mysterious burnt body is discovered by two police officers. The corpse reveals a puzzling repetition of events. As the investigation progresses, a network of violence and corruption is uncovered throughout the city. Fatma Oussaifi and Mohamed Houcine Grayaa star in the picture.

“In ‘Ashkal,’ Youssef Chebbi creates images that stick in your mind long after the credits roll, creating an unforgettable, unshakeable cinematic experience,” Joe Yanick, co-founder of Yellow Veil Pictures, said in a statement. “It’s...