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Magnolia Pictures International has acquired worldwide sales rights – including U.S. sales rights – to suspense-drama “Hesitation Wound” from Turkish writer-director Selman Nacar. The film will world premiere in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section.

The film follows Canan (Tülin Özen), a criminal lawyer who divides her time between the courthouse and her mother’s hospital bed at night, who has to make a moral choice that will affect the lives of her mother, the judge, and her murder suspect client – whose defense is turning in his favor.

The cast also includes Ogulcan Arman Uslu, Gülçin Kültür Şahin, Vedat Erincin and Erdem Senocak. The film is produced by Burak Cevik (Fol Sinema), Diloy Gülün (Karma Films), Selman Nacar (Kuyu Film), and co-produced by Trt (Turkey), Bkm Mutfak (Turkey), Sev Yapim (Turkey), Nephilim Producciones (Spain), Point Film (Romania) and Arizona Films (France).

Lorna Lee Torres, head of international sales at Magnolia and Austin Kennedy,...

"Help me find her, Peyami." Netflix has revealed an official trailer for a Turkish series titled The Tailor, or just Terzi in Turkish, streaming on Netflix this May. Another localized offering from Netflix as part of their deal within many different countries right now. Terzi tells the story of Peyami, a young and famous tailor who inherited talent and a business from his grandfather. Peyami begins to sew a wedding dress for his best friend's fiance – but all three have dark secrets that will soon upend their lives. Of course, as usual. Starring Çağatay Ulusoy, Salih Bademci, Şifanur Gül, Olgun Şimşek, Ece Sükan, Zeynep Özyurt Tarhan, Murat Kilic, Celile Toyon, Vedat Erincin, and Lila Gürmen. Looks like an intensely melodramatic series, with perilous secrets sewn right into the tapestry of the story involving multiple generations, lovers, affairs, and more. Instead of watching this, I'd recommend watching Mark Rylance in The Outfit as a tailor.

Two’s Company: Dag’s Extraordinary Debut Perversely Compelling

Like Feo Aladag’s 2010 harrowing debut, When We Leave, Austrian-Kurdish director Umat Dag’s first film, Kuma, examines the strict traditions and cultural values of a Turkish immigrant community for a compelling story with an expertly scripted scenario and excellent lead performances. Every family has secrets, and there’s a doozy at the center of one immigrant family’s nuclear dynamic that’s rather insidiously revealed to us. And once that hooks us in, we slowly begin to learn others. An excellent portrait of the family as the ultimate microcosm of crippling dysfunction by way of its particular set of mores and traditions, this is a beautifully rendered portrait of profound repression.

Nineteen year-old Ayse (Begum Akkaya), a Turkish peasant girl, has just been married to the handsome young Hasan (Murathan Muslu), and is all set to be whisked off to...

When a 19-year-old village girl, Ayse (Begüm Akkaya) is recruited to become the second wife -- a.k.a. kuma -- of Mustafa (Vedat Erincin), we have no idea why she accepts the proposition other than the inherent desire to abide by cultural norms and traditions. Mustafa is a white-haired Turkish gentleman who resides with his Muslim family in Vienna. The presumed purpose of this second marriage is for Ayse to take control of the household once Mustafa's ailing first wife, Fatma (Nihal Koldas), dies. Oddly enough, Fatma supports this situation 100%, going as far as preparing the sofa bed on which her husband will deflower and eventually impregnate Ayse. What confuses matters is that Ayse’s wedding is initially passed off as a marriage to Mustafa's more age-appropriate son, Hasan (Murathan Muslu). Admittedly, I had to rewind the DVD at least once to figure out that Ayse was not sleeping...

Following up the initial announcement of titles, the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival revealed it will open with the period drama Les Adieux à la reine (Farewell My Queen) today. From director Benoît Jacquot, the drama stars Inglourious Basterds lead Diane Kruger, as well as Léa Seydoux who broke-out in Midnight in Paris and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol this year. Based on, Chantal Thomas’ novel we have the first stills of the film (from Lumiere via The Playlist) that follows the “first few days of the French Revolution from the perspective of the servants at Versailles.”

Kruger, who plays Marie Antoinette here, has only appeared in one big film following her post-Basterds role with Unknown, but I look forward to her future work, especially with this film. I thought Seydoux was great as an action villain in Ghotocol and excited to see her career rise. Check out the stills below,...

The Berlinale's announced today that 20 films are now lined up for its Panorama program. All in all, around 50 titles will make up the main program, Panorama Special and Panorama Dokumente.

10+10 by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wang Toon, Wu Nien-Jen, Sylvia Chang, Chen Guo-Fu, Wei Te-Sheng, Chung Meng-Hung, Chang Tso-Chi, Arvin Chen, Yang Ya-Che and others, Taiwan — see a full report from the Taipei Film Commission: "Funded by the Golden Horse Film Festival and the Republic of China Centenary Foundation, 10+10 [is] a movie comprised of 20 short films by 10 renowned and 10 emerging Taiwanese filmmakers."

Death For Sale by Faouzi Bensaïdi, France

With Fehd Benchemsi, Fouad Labiad, Mouhcine Malzi, Imane Elmechrafi, Faouzi Bensaïdi

Die Wand (The Wall) by Julian Roman Pölsler, Austria/Germany

With Martina Gedeck — Synopsis from The Match Factory: "(1.) The wall is a highly unusual exploration of solitude and survival. (2.) It is the story of a woman who is separated from the...

Officials from the 61st Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled the Competition program for this year’s event. It includes 22 films, 16 of which will be competing for the awards.

In addition there will be two special screenings: In solidarity with the convicted Iranian director Jafar Panahi, his film “Offside” will be presented on Feb. 11, the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Also, the European premiere of Werner Herzog’s 3-D documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” will be shown as a special screening in the Berlinale Palast.

The winner of the Golden Bear will be announced at the festival awards ceremony on Feb. 19.

The following is the complete Berlinale Competition program.

“A Torinói Ló” (“The Turin Horse”) Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland

Directed by Béla Tarr

With János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos

World premiere

“Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland” (“Almanya”) Germany

By Yasemin Samdereli – debut film

With Vedat Erincin, Fahri Yardin, Aylin Tezel,...

The Kevin Spacey/Jeremy Irons/Demi Moore financial drama joins 22 films in total, 16 of which will be competing for the Silver Bear. Unknown, the new Liam Neeson thriller with January Jones, will premiere Out of Competition at next month’s 61st Berlin Film Festival. That’s only fitting considering the Warner Bros movie was shot there. The 14 new films announced today join the 8 previously announced, including Opening Film True Grit and Coriolanus. Berlin Film Festival will run between February 10-20. The festival will also be staging 2 special screenings. Jafar Panahi’s Offside will be shown on February 11 out of solidarity of the jailed Iranian director. And Werner Herzog will premiere his 3D documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams about prehistoric cave painting. In Competition A Torinói Ló (The Turin Horse) Hungary/France/Germany/Switzerland By Béla Tarr (Satantango, Werckmeister Harmonies) With János Derzsi, Erika Bók, Mihály Kormos World premiere Almanya -...