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Al cineasta español le acompañarán figuras como Mark Strong, Gia Coppola y Lali Espósito. © Getty Images

El Festival de San Sebastián ha puesto cara a su jurado oficial para la 73ª edición, ese grupo de elegidos que decidirá qué película se lleva a casa la codiciada Concha de Oro. Y al frente no estará cualquiera, sino J.A. Bayona, director de Lo imposible, Un monstruo viene a verme y del fenómeno La sociedad de la nieve, que conquistó Donostia en 2023 con el Premio del Público. Recordemos que Bayona formó parte del jurado de la 77ª edición del Festival de Cannes, que acabó entregando la Palma de Oro a Anora, de Sean Baker.

The San Sebastian film festival (September 19-27) has added nine titles to its official selection, including the world premieres of Joachim Lafosse’s Six Days In Spring and Juliette Binoche’s directing debut In-i In Motion.

Six Days In Spring is among seven new competition titles, and stars Eye Haïdara as a desperate woman who borrows her ex in-laws’ house on the French Riviera to spend a few days’ holiday with her children. Lafosse was previously in San Sebastian with The White Knights (2015) and A Silence (2023), and in competition at Venice in 2006 for Private Property.

Other world premieres in competition...

San Sebastian has added nine titles to its official selection, including new features by Edward Berger and Claire Denis.

Berger will screen Ballad of a Small Player, a UK production starring Colin Farrell as a high-stakes gambler in Macao whose past and debts start to catch up with him. The film also stars Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, and Alex Jennings.

Denis will screen Le Cri des Gardes / The Fence. The film, which is based on Bernard-Marie Koltès’ play Combat de nègre et de chiens, stars Isaach de Bankolé, Matt Dillon, Mia McKenna-Bruce, and Tom Blyth.

The Argentinian actress, screenwriter, and director Dolores Fonzi will compete in the official selection with her second work as a director. Starring herself alongside Camila Plaate and Laura Paredes, Belén recreates a true story in which Fonzi plays a lawyer from Tucumán as she leads the fight to free a woman imprisoned for having a miscarriage.

Tras los títulos ya confirmados en la Sección Oficial, el Festival añade ahora siete nuevas películas a concurso.

© Ssiff

El Festival Internacional de Cine de San Sebastián, que se celebrará del 19 al 27 de septiembre, continúa configurando la Sección Oficial de su 73.ª edición.

Hasta ahora, ya estaban confirmadas las películas Deux pianos, de Arnaud Desplechin; Maspalomas, de Jose Mari Goenaga y Aitor Arregi; Historias del buen valle, de José Luis Guerin; Franz, de Agnieszka Holland; Las corrientes, de Milagros Mumenthaler; Los tigres, de Alberto Rodríguez; Los domingos, de Alauda Ruiz de Azúa; Sai / Sai: Disaster, de Yutaro Seki y Kentaro Hirase; y Couture, de Alice Winocour.

Pues bien, a este prometedor listado se incorporan ahora los nuevos trabajos de Edward Berger, Claire Denis, Dolores Fonzi, Joachim Lafosse, Olmo Omerzu, Xiaoyu Qin y James Vanderbilt, que competirán también por la ansiada Concha de Oro.

Te Puede Interesar Netflix fija la fecha...

Hungarian-Romanian writer-director Cristina Grosan and Slovenian writer-director Olmo Omerzu kicked off the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Industry Section on Sunday with a wide-ranging discussion exploring how they have navigated the complex path from first feature to creating a sustainable career.

“Don’t doubt yourself,” said Grosan, whose sophomore feature Ordinary Failures premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2022. “It’s important to doubt yourself less and work hard and do the things you want to do as early as possible in your career.”

Grosan spoke about working across her first two feature films almost in parallel due to the pandemic stalling her debut feature film Things Worth Waiting For. That Hungarian coming-of-age drama, which eventually traveled to more than 25 international film festivals (including the Sarajevo International Film Festival), was about a young woman who discovers a dead body while moving out of her student apartment.

“We shot it...

The trailer has debuted for Ondřej Provazní’s psychological drama “Broken Voices,” which has its world premiere in the main competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Salaud Morisset is handling the film’s world sales rights.

The film is set in early 1990s in the Czech Republic. Thirteen-year-old Karolína earns a place in a world-famous girls’ choir, joining her older sister and other driven young talents. Her voice soon catches the attention of the admired and enigmatic choirmaster Machá. Being singled out feels like a triumph, until she begins to understand the unsetting price of that privilege. Inspired by the Bambini di Praga case, the film explores the fragile line where innocence collides with abusive power.

François Morisset, CEO of Salaud Morisset, said the film was “a gripping psychological drama that kept us on edge with its palpable tension, while offering a sensitive and intimate portrait of young women...

It’s been more than half a century since the Czech New Wave heralded the arrival of a fresh cinematic movement in the former Czechoslovakia. Today’s rising talents — from diverse backgrounds, working across a range of styles and media — showcase an industry that’s increasingly embracing the world.

Here are 10 Czech Talents to Watch (in alphabetical order):

Michal Blaško

Working between the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Blaško landed on the international radar when his short film “Atlantis, 2003” premiered at Cannes’ Cinefondation, before launching his feature debut “Victim” in Venice’s Horizons strand. He’s currently teaming up again with “Victim” scribe Jakub Medvecký on the coming-of-age drama series “Cowgirl.”

Kristina Dufková

The Prague-born animator made a splash with her well-received debut feature “Living Large,” which premiered in competition at Annecy en route to a lengthy festival run and a spot on the Oscar shortlist for Best Animated Film.

Salaud Morisset has acquired world sales rights to Ondřej Provazní’s psychological drama “Broken Voices,” which has its world premiere in the main competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

The film follows 13-year-old Karolína, a gifted novice singer, who is given the chance to become a member of a world-famous girls’ choir, taking her place alongside her older sister and her other rivals in the ensemble. Karolína’s talent has caught the attention of the formidable and much-admired choirmaster whose attention is wanted by all the young singers. What will be the price Karolína has to pay to become his favorite?

François Morisset, CEO of Salaud Morisset, said the film was “a gripping psychological drama that kept us on edge with its palpable tension, while offering a sensitive and intimate portrait of young women navigating the bubbled and competitive world of girls’ choirs, driven by abusive authority. It’s a timeless topic,...

Samantha Morton is the latest addition to Ruben Ostlund’s The Entertainment System Is Down, with further key cast to be announced in the coming weeks.

Morton will play a significant part, after “she brought something to that role that was very convincing” in the audition process, according to the film’s producer Erik Hemmendorff.

“She’s a genuine person. What she’s going to do is fantastic,” Hemmendorff told Screen.

Morton joins previously announced cast Keanu Reeves, Kirsten Dunst and Daniel Bruhl. The film is set on a long-haul flight where the entertainment system fails and passengers are forced...

Norwegian actress Pia Tjelta will lead the cast of Nina Knag’s feature debut Don’t Call Me Mama, which is in pre-production ahead of a June 2024 shoot.

REinvent International Sales is handling international sales and launching the film at Cannes, with Scanbox Entertainment holding Nordic distribution rights.

Don’t Call Me Mama follows a high school teacher who falls in love with a young asylum seeker, sparking a forbidden relationship with consequences for them both.

Kristoffer Joner, Tarek Zayat, Kathrine Thorborg Johansen also star alongside Tjelta.

Knag and Kathrine Valen Zeiner wrote the script, with Eleonore Anselme and Ingrid Skagestad...

UK sales company Wildstar Sales has inked deals on its slate including for romantic comedy F.L.Y..

Rafael Albarran and Trent Kendrick’s film has sold to Breaking Glass Pictures for North America, with the company planning a theatrical release.

F.L.Y. played at US festivals including Outshine Miami and Outfest Film Festival, and plays India’s Kashish Pride Film Festival this month.

Wildstar has sold three films to France’s Optimale - Lucas Santa Ana’s drama Blue Lights, Matias de Leis Correa’s romance Since The Last Time We Met and Marco Berger’s new film The Astronaut Lovers, with...

Midsommar producer Patrik Andersson, Infinity Pool SFX artist Dan Martin and All Quiet On The Western Front sound editor/designer Frank Kruse are among the first wave of contributors to the inaugural UK Next Wave Genre Lab.

The Lab is run by UK sales firm Film Constellation, French production and consultancy company Tatino Films and development and packaging event Maskoon Fantastic Lab.

Hoard producer Andy Starke, Pelican Blood producer Verena Grafe-Hoft and Piggy filmmaker Carlota Pereda are also among the group of international contributors, mentors and tutors, with further participants to be announced soon.

The Lab will be led by...

Production is underway in Croatia and the Czech Republic on Ungrateful Beings, the English-language debut of Czech-based Slovenian filmmaker Olmo Omerzu.

Jimmy’s Hall actor Barry Ward and Slovak-Italian star Barbora Bobulova lead the cast, alongside newcomers Dexter Franc and Antonin Chmela, and Slovenian actor Timon Sturbej, who was named a European Film Promotion Shooting Star in 2022.

Ungrateful Beings follows a family in the Czech Republic who come back from an Adriatic holiday where their 17-year-old daughter – who suffers from an eating disorder – has fallen in love with a local scoundrel. When it turns out he is a murder suspect, the...

The Karlovy Vary Film Festival organization has announced winners from the 2023 event, with the Bulgaria/Germany co-production “Blaga’s Lessons” (“Urotcite na Blaga”) and the Germany/Iran co-production “Empty Nets” (“Toorhaye khali”) taking home top honors.

“Blaga’s lessons” won the Grand Prix Award, which includes a $25,000 cash prize for director Stephan Komandarev, to be split with the film’s producer.

Meanwhile, “Empty Nets” won the Special Jury Prize, securing a $15,00 prize for its director, Behrooz Karamizade, also to be split with the film’s producer.

Other winners include Best Director for Babak Jalali for the American production “Fremont,” and the French entry, “The Edge of the Blade,” directed by Vincent Perez, which won the The Pravo Audience Award.

Read on for the complete winner’s list.

Also Read:

‘We Have Never Been Modern’ Review: Czech Drama Looks at Sexuality Through the Lens of 1937

Crystal Globe Competition

Jury members:

Dora Bouchoucha,...

The 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 30 – July 8) came to a close this evening with an awards ceremony that bestowed two key prizes to contemporary Bulgarian drama Blaga’s Lessons (Urotcite Na Blaga) by director Stephan Komandarev.

The third film in the director’s trilogy about his country’s social ills focuses on an old woman duped by a telephone scam.

Also among winners on the night were Vincent Perez’s The Edge of the Blade (Une Affaire D’honneur), which took home the audience award, and filmmaker Babak Jalali, who took home the best director prize for the film Fremont.

There were two prizes on the night for Ernst De Geer’s The Hypnosis (Hypnosen) while the top industry award of 90,000 euros went to Czech film I’m Not Everything I Want to Be, which is currently in post.

As previously revealed, Russell Crowe...

Stephan Komandarev’s Blaga’s Lessons, a Bulgarian/German co-production, has been chosen as the winner of the top prize — the Crystal Globe, which comes with a $25,000 prize — of the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The festival announced the winners during its closing ceremony on Saturday. The film’s star, Eli Skorcheva, was named best actress. (See THR‘s review of the film here.)

Meanwhile, the top Czech festival’s special jury prize, which comes with a $15,000 check, was awarded to Behrooz Karamizade’s German-Iranian co-production Empty Nets (see THR’s review). Its audience award went to Vincent Perez’s The Edge of the Blade, a French film (see THR’s interview with Perez), and a special jury mention was designated for Cyril Aris’ Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano, a German-Lebanese entry (see THR’s review).

Babak Jalali was honored as best director for the American film Fremont,...

The 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opened Friday with a spirited musical performance from Russell Crowe, and the energy remained high Saturday evening with actor Ewan McGregor in town to receive the fest’s honorary President’s Award.

McGregor accepted the honor during an overflowing ceremony in the festival’s Grand Hall, where he was joined by his daughter Clara McGregor; his mother; and partner Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

“Thank you so much for being here tonight. It means the world to me,” he said as he picked up the award. “I believe so much in what we do as actors. I’m so fortunate to do what I love and I love what I do.”

The crowd inside the room was lively. Czech audiences are notoriously welcoming to the stars they receive here in Karlovy Vary and McGregor played to the crowd.

“I was gonna say something in Czech...

As tensions rise in Hollywood over an imminent update on SAG-AFTRA’s negotiations with the studios, thousands of miles east, the Czech spa town of Karlovy Vary is gearing up for its annual influx of industry insiders, curious film fans, and stars.

Clocking its 57th annual edition, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) opens this evening. ​​The prominent Central European event is one of the world’s oldest film festivals. It was founded in July 1946, a month before Locarno launched its first festival and a few months before the Cannes Film Festival unveiled its first edition in September of that same year.

This year’s edition opens with the Cannes Competition title Firebrand, starring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander. The pic is the fictionalized story of Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of the tyrannical English King Henry VIII. Vikander plays Parr in the piece alongside an unrecognizable Jude Law,...

The 57th edition includes new films by directors Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev, Tinatin Kajrishvili and Babak Jalali.

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its 57th edition, including new features by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev and Tinatin Kajrishvili.

The festival, which runs from June 30-July 8 in the Czech spa town, has nine world premieres and two international premieres in its main Crystal Globe Competition.

Canadian director Plante, whose Nadia Butterfly was in Cannes’ Official Selection in 2020 and Fake Tattoos played in the Berlinale’s Generation strand in 2018, world premieres arthouse thriller Red Rooms about a woman...

The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, Eastern and Central Europe’s leading cinema event, has unveiled its lineup, which includes new works by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev, Tinatin Kajrishvili and Babak Jalali in the Crystal Globes Competition. They will vie against films by up-and-comers Ernst De Geer, Itsaso Arana and Cyril Aris. The section has nine world and two international premieres. Oscar-nominated actor Patricia Clarkson is one of the jury members.

The Proxima Competition, which made its debut at last year’s Kviff, presents what the festival defines as “bold works,” directed by young filmmakers and renowned auteurs alike. The section comprises of 10 world and two international premieres. The festival says “playfulness, courage and freshness can be found” in the new films by Swiss auteur Thomas Imbach, Poland’s Olga Chajdas, Cyprus-born Kyros Papavassiliou, French filmmaker Émilie Brisavoine and Romanian documentarist Alexandru Solomon, among others.

Eight films will play in the Special Screenings section,...

The 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival has unveiled its competition lineup for its 57th edition, set to run in the bucolic Czech spa town from June 30 to July 8.

Among this year’s competition highlights are Fremont, from Iranian-born, London-based director Babak Jalali, a dramedy based around Donya, a former Afghan translator for U.S. troops who now works in a fortune cookie factory in Fremont, USA. Empty Nets, from Iranian filmmaker Behrooz Karamizade, a love story set in a small fishing village in contemporary Iran, is also in the running for the festival’s Crystal Globe honor for best competition film.

Outside the competition, Karlovy Vary this year has put a focus on independent Iranian cinema, with a selection of recent works by directors working outside the Tehran regime.

Other 2023 competition highlights include Red Rooms, a Canadian darknet thriller from director Pascal Plante, Itsaso Arana’s Spanish drama The Girls Are Alright...

The Karlovy Vary Film Festival has unveiled the official selection for its upcoming 57th edition. The lineup comprises 31 films across three sections and a host of world and international premieres. Scroll down for the full list.

Among the lineup is Les chambres rouges (Red Rooms), the latest pic from Canadian filmmaker Pascal Plante, who will compete alongside Iranian filmmaker Babak Jalali and Swedish director Ernst De Geer, who will also debut new works in competition.

The Czech festival’s Crystal Globe competition will feature nine world and two international premieres, while the Proxima Competition for young filmmakers and auteurs with films that defy categorization will screen ten world and two international premieres.

The jury for this year’s Crystal Globe competition will feature actress Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects), who will join producer Dora Bouchoucha, Sundance senior programmer John Nein, filmmaker Olmo Omerzu, and Irish actor Barry Ward.

“It has been...

One of the highlights of the Berlinale Series Market is the pitch event Co-Pro Series, which looks to match projects with suitable co-producers and financiers.

Ten international series projects from Europe, Canada and Latin America have been selected to pitch at this year’s Co-Pro Series, where they will also have the opportunity of meeting one-on-one with potential partners.

Taking place over two days (Feb. 15-16), and held online once again due to the pandemic, Co-Pro Series has a track record of showcasing drama projects that have not only gone on to be produced, but that have also achieved success.

International hit “Babylon Berlin,” Austrian-German crime series “Freud,” Norwegian-German domestic terrorism drama “Furia,” Icelandic thriller “Blackport” and 1920s-set German drama “Eldorado KaDeWe” have all participated in previous Co-Pro Series pitches. In total, 19 projects have been made since the event launched in 2015.

Co-Pro Series is curated and organized by the Berlinale Co-Production Market,...

“Flowers Are Not Silent,” a film about the brutal suppression of demonstrations against last year’s rigged presidential election in Belarus, will open the 25th Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival on Tuesday. Oliver Stone will deliver a masterclass at the festival as will Russian filmmaker Vitaly Mansky.

Festival chief Marek Hovorka said that “Flowers Are Not Silent,” which plays in the main international competition section, Opus Bonum, is “a brave testimony of the state’s violent repression against peaceful protests.” He added: “It shows how brutally this last European dictatorship resists the transformation of Belarus into a freer society.” The film’s Belarusian director, Andrei Kutsila, will attend the screening.

The festival’s Contribution to World Cinema Award will be presented to Czech director Jana Ševčíková, whose films have been shown at festivals in Berlin, Rotterdam, Paris, Nyon and Leipzig, among others, and screened at Moma in the U.

After winning Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s Crystal Globe for best director in 2018 for “Winter Flies,” the Slovenian-born Czech director Olmo Omerzu returns to its competition with the world premiere of his fourth feature “Bird Atlas.” It is co-written with his “Winter Flies” collaborator Petr Pýcha. The film’s sales agent, Cercamon, has given Variety exclusive access to its trailer.

Although it is an ensemble drama, the film unfolds through the perspective of a stubborn patriarch (Miroslav Donutil), old and unwell, but still running a family business, and the company’s accountant (Alena Mihulová), desperately trying to catch her last chance for true romantic love. And then there are the birds who comment upon the action like a Greek chorus. Omerzu notes, “This serves as a contrast to our main characters, who are so stubborn and so fixated on their own selfish needs and problems that they’re missing the bigger picture.

Opening night premiere honors at Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival this year go to Special Screenings film “Zatopek,” David Ondricek’s stirring drama chronicling the remarkable life of four-time Olympic gold-winning runner Emil Zatopek. The choice is fitting after a marathon year of challenges for local filmmakers, who, like the supremely focused and resourceful Czech athlete, have now crossed the finish line with 14 works that offer a rich sampling of ideas and insights.

Not every edition of Kviff offers such a varied array of Czech and Slovak work, but this year is different, partly due to the scaling down of the international offerings caused by challenges in staging the fest during the pandemic. That provides a rare window for local filmmakers, as doc maker Erika Hnikova observes. “Every Single Minute,” her account of a Slovak couple raising their son according to the demanding strictures of the Kameveda developmental approach, makes...

With Cannes right around the corner, two more prominent European film festivals announced their official lineups for 2021 this week. The 2021 Locarno Film Festival (the 74th edition of the event) is taking place August 4-14 and will feature the world premiere of Abel Ferrara’s “Zeroes and Ones,” plus the Melissa Leo-Frank Grillo starring thriller “Ida Red” from director John Swab. Perhaps the most prominent U.S. title in the Locarno lineup is “Respect,” the Jennifer Hudson-starring Aretha Franklin biopic that has already caught the eye of Oscar pundits here in the states. The film will screen out of competition, as will Ryan Reynolds’ long-delayed Disney-Fox tentpole “Free Guy.”

“A festival can be quite highbrow and also entertaining at the same time,” Nazzaro told Variety in a statement. “That is why for this year’s lineup we have selected several comedies and also some genre movies, as well as straightforward auteur films.

World premieres include UK drama ‘Boiling Point’, starring Stephen Graham.

Philip Barantini’s UK drama Boiling Point, starring Stephen Graham, and Dietrich Brüggemann’s No are among the films making their world premiere in competition at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (August 20-28).

All 12 main competition titles are world premieres except Claudio Cupellini’s Italian drama The Land of The Sons, which is an international premiere.

Scroll down for full list

Filmed in one take, Boiling Point sees Graham plays a stressed head chef on the busiest night of the year at one of London’s top restaurants.

The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, Central and Eastern Europe’s leading movie event, unveiled the lineups for its Official Selection, Retrospective, and industry programs Tuesday. This includes 27 world premieres, two international premieres and two European premieres spread across its two competition sections and the Special Screenings program, including British drama “Boiling Point,” starring Stephen Graham as a stressed out chef.

The festival, which runs Aug. 20-28, opens with “Zátopek,” David Ondříček’s drama about runner Emil Zátopek, the four-time Olympic gold medalist, who is widely regarded as the most popular athlete in Czech history.

The festival’s retrospective will be dedicated to the work of The Film Foundation, the movie restoration and preservation organization set up by Martin Scorsese in 1990, with the screening of 10 of the more than 900 movies it has restored.

The Eastern Promises Industry Days, which takes place online between July 28 and Aug. 12, has unveiled 29 film projects...

The official selection of the 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) has been revealed, featuring 32 premieres. Scroll down for the full list of titles.

The fest will open with Zatopek, David Ondříček’s feature about four-time Olympic gold medalist, the runner Emil Zátopek, who is widely regarded as the most popular athlete in Czech Republic’s history. The film will premiere on August 20, 2021 in the Hotel Thermal Grand Hall at the opening night gala. Also screening is Boiling Point, the drama about a restaurant chef starring Stephen Graham.

A retrospective will take place dedicated to the work of The Film Foundation, Martin Scorsese’s non-profit organization established in 1990 dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history, restoring to date more than 900 classic works of cinema. A total of 10 films will be screened at the fest.

In addition to today’s program announcement, a selection of non-competitive strands, featuring notable...

The 55th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, which was canceled last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, will return in late August with a lineup of 32 new feature films plus an extensive tribute to Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation, Kviff organizers announced on Tuesday.

The two main sections of the festival, the Crystal Globe Competition and the East of the West Competition, will for the first time include documentary films, which in the past had been excluded from competition or kept in their own sections.

The Film Foundation tribute will include screenings of 10 films restored by the organization Scorsese founded in 1990. They will include Michael Curtiz’s 1950 Hemingway adaptation “The Breaking Point,” the 1934 Mexican horror classic “The Phantom of the Convent,” Timité Bassori’s Ivory Coast drama “The Woman With the Knife,” Robert Downey Sr.’s 1969 satire “Putney Swope,” George Cukor’s 1932 film “What Price Hollywood?” and John Cassavetes’ indie...

Olmo Omerzu steers this Czech road movie gently, teasing wonderfully natural performances from his young leads

Winter Flies’ two teen runaways, as they make a break across country in their hot-wired Audi, are prone to spontaneously breaking out in incredulous laughter; that’s the guiding spirit of this unforced, inquisitive and winningly optimistic Czech road movie. There’s a hint of unspecified family troubles in their rear-view mirror, but the underage drivers – blasé loverman Mará (Tomáš Mrvík) and rotund Heduš (Jan František Uher) – are more focused on heading anywhere-but-here.

Recounted in cross-cut flashback from the police station where Mará is being interrogated on his own (with Heduš’s fate unknown), the duo use the journey time to trade their obsessions: joining the Foreign Legion, sleeping-bag protocol, Mará’s supposed military hotshot granddad and, of course, getting laid. These kind of semi-delusional adolescent hobbyhorses could have ended up as a Superbad-style gag-fest,...

The selection includes upcoming films by Nathalie Alvarez Mesén, Damien Manival, Valentyn Vasyanovych and Olmo Omerzu.

The 12th edition of France’s Les Arcs Film Festival has its unveiled Work in Progress line-up and announced its entire industry programme is moving online. It will take place from January 20 to 22, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Work in Progress will present 17 upcoming films in post-production to producers, sales agents and festival programmers.

They include Magdala by French director Damien Manival, who won best director at Locarno in 2019 for his drama Isadora’s Children; Reflection by Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych, whose...

The selection includes upcoming films by Nathalie Alvarez Mesén, Damien Manival, Valentyn Vasyanovych and Olmo Omerzu.

The 12th edition of France’s Les Arcs Film Festival has its unveiled Work in Progress line-up and announced that its entire industry programme is moving online from January 20 to 22, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Work in Progress will present 17 upcoming films in post-production to producers, sales agents and festival programmers.

They include Magdala by French director Damien Manival, who won best director at Locarno in 2019 for his drama Isadora’s Children; Reflection by Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasyanovych, whose dystopian drama Atlantis...

2019 Foreign Language Film Oscar Submissions Algeria – Until The End Of Time – Yasmine Chouikh Argentina– The Angel (El Angel) – Luis Ortega Austria – The Waldheim Waltz – Ruth Beckermann Belarus – Crystal Swan – Darya Zhuk Belgium – Girl – Lukas Dhont Bolivia – Muralla – Rodrigo Patiño Bosnia – Never Leave Me – Aida Begic Brazil – The Great Mystical Circus – Carlos Diegues Bulgaria – Omnipresent – Ilian Djevelekov Cambodia – Graves Without A Name – Rithy Pan Canada – Watch Dog – Sophie Dupuis Chile – And Suddenly The Dawn – Silvio Caiozzi Colombia– Birds of Passage, Cristina Gallego & Ciro Guerra Croatia – The Eighth Commissioner – Ivan Salaj Czech Republic – Winter Flies – Olmo Omerzu Denmark – The Guilty – Gustav Möller Dominican Republic – Cocote – Nelson Carlo de los Santos Ecuador – A Son Of Man – Jamaicanoproblem and Pablo Agüero Egypt – Yomeddine – Abu Bakr Shawky Estonia – Take It Or Leave It – Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo Finland – Euthanizer – Teemu Nikin France – Memoir Of War – Emmanuel Finkiel Georgia – Namme – Zaza Khalvashi Germany – Never Look Away – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck...

The winner of the 2019 Czech Lion for Best Director is working on his as-yet-untitled latest project, which will mark a departure from his previous coming-of-age-focused stories. Slovenian-born, Prague-based writer-director Olmo Omerzu was in the midst of shooting his latest feature-length film when it was interrupted by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Omerzu nabbed the Best Director gong at the Czech Film Critics’ Awards last year (see the news) for his work on the coming-of-age drama Winter Flies, which was named Best Czech Film of 2018 by the Czech Film and Television Academy (see the news) and was ultimately voted to be the Czech bid for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in 2019 (see the news). Principal photography on his new outing was halted 20 days into shooting. Omerzu then resorted to going into the editing room to work on the shot footage. The film crew...

Olmo Omerzu's Vsechno bude (Winter Files) was the main winner at the Czech Lions, the local equivalent of the Academy Awards, which were held Saturday at Prague's Rudolfinum theater.

The road movie, which centers on two teenagers who set out on a car trip into frozen wastelands in search of adventure, collected best film, directing, script and editing honors.

The film's Eliska Krenkova and Jan Frantisek Uher also collected prizes for best supporting actress and best supporting actor, respectively.

Co-produced by the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland, Winter Files premiered at last year's Karlovy Vary International Film ...

Olmo Omerzu's Vsechno bude (Winter Files) was the main winner at the Czech Lions, the local equivalent of the Academy Awards, which were held Saturday at Prague's Rudolfinum theater.

The road movie, which centers on two teenagers who set out on a car trip into frozen wastelands in search of adventure, collected best film, directing, script and editing honors.

The film's Eliska Krenkova and Jan Frantisek Uher also collected prizes for best supporting actress and best supporting actor, respectively.

Co-produced by the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland, Winter Files premiered at last year's Karlovy Vary International Film ...

While we look forward to a plentiful 2019 as far as foreign cinema is concerned (of which we highlighted #300-151 and our countdown #150-1 to anticipate in the coming year), we broaden the horizon to examine projects which look to be ready to premiere sometime in 2020 (with Argentina looking to have major festival representation with six new highly anticipated projects listed below).

#100. Dona Gracia – Amos Gitai

#99. Rendezvous with Pol Pot – Rithy Panh

#98. Admin – Olmo Omerzu

#97. In the Dusk – Sharunas Bartas

#96. Dodo – Panos H. Koutras

#95. Anybody Seen My Girl? 100 Letters to Seryozha – Angelina Nikonova

#94.…...

Two boys in early adolescence drive — in a car, no less! — through the wintry backwoods of the Czech Republic looking for some warmth in Winter Flies (Vsechno bude), from Slovenian-born director Olmo Omerzu (Family Film). Written by Petr Pycha, this road movie has many of the stock elements of the genre while simultaneously offering something akin to a fresh twist because the protagonists are 12 and “almost 15” instead of the usual adults. Though Omerzu cuts back and forth between a police interrogation and the boys’ adventures on the road, there’s no sense they are fleeing from ...

Two boys in early adolescence drive — in a car, no less! — through the wintry backwoods of the Czech Republic looking for some warmth in Winter Flies (Vsechno bude), from Slovenian-born director Olmo Omerzu (Family Film). Written by Petr Pycha, this road movie has many of the stock elements of the genre while simultaneously offering something akin to a fresh twist because the protagonists are 12 and “almost 15” instead of the usual adults. Though Omerzu cuts back and forth between a police interrogation and the boys’ adventures on the road, there’s no sense they are fleeing from ...

Screen’s complete list of foreign language Oscar submissions.

Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the 87 submissions for best foreign-language film have now been announced.

Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.

Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in...

Screen’s complete list of foreign language Oscar submissions.

Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the 87 submissions for best foreign-language film have now been announced.

Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.

Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in...

Screen’s complete list of foreign language Oscar submissions.

Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the 87 submissions for best foreign-language film have now been announced.

Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.

Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in...

Yesterday afternoon, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced which movies will be competing to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Feature. This first long list marks an important benchmark in the season. Yes, we can actually begin narrowing things down. To be fair, this is a category that doesn’t get the attention of Best Picture or Best Actor/Best Actress, but it’s still a big deal. The Academy has narrowed things down to 87 films, just shy of the record set last year. That many countries submitting movies for Oscar consideration is wonderful, especially since I’ve seen a handful of these and they’re largely excellent. The only notable exclusion was that Italy did not choose Happy as Lazarro to be their selection, despite the backing of Martin Scorsese and Netflix. That country opted for Dogman from Matteo Garrone, instead. Aside from that, it...

‘Jirga’

Benjamin Gilmour’s Afghanistan-set drama Jirga will carry Australia’s hopes of being nominated for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The international recognition as Australia’s official submission follows the film’s international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and winning the $100,000 best film prize, Australia’s richest, at CinfestOZ.

Produced and distributed by John Maynard, the film stars Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan seeking forgiveness and puts his life in the hands of the village justice system – the Jirga.

There are 87 countries vying for the prize, including first-time entrants Malawi and Niger and high-profile contenders such as Mexico’s Roma and Poland’s Cold War, both of which are hoping to break out of the foreign race and earn nominations for best picture, best director and more.

Gilmour said: “We are thrilled about the honour of representing Australia.

First-time submissions come from Malawi and Niger as Austrlia and New Zealand join the list.

Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for this year’s foreign language film Oscar, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed, a drop from the record 92 that submitted last year.

Countries submitting films in the category for the first time include Malawi, which has entered Shemu Joyah’s The Road to Sunrise, and Niger, whose submission is Rahmatou Keïta’s The Wedding Ring.

Submissions that had not previously been confirmed include Australian entry Jirga, from director Benjamin Gilmour, and New Zealand contender Yellow Is Forbidden,...

First-time submissions come from Malawi and Niger as Austrlia and New Zealand join the list.

Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for this year’s foreign language film Oscar, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed, a drop from the record 92 that submitted last year.

Countries submitting films in the category for the first time include Malawi, which has entered Shemu Joyah’s The Road to Sunrise, and Niger, whose submission is Rahmatou Keïta’s The Wedding Ring.

Submissions that had not previously been confirmed include Australian entry Jirga, from director Benjamin Gilmour, and New Zealand contender Yellow Is Forbidden,...

Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for consideration in the foreign language category for the 91st Academy Awards.

Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 22 and the ceremony will be held on Feb. 24 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre. Malawi and Niger are first-time entrants. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on Monday.

High-profile titles include Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” the Mexican entry; Denmark’s “The Guilty”; Germany’s “Never Look Away,” from previous Oscar winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters,” the Japanese entry that won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum,” the Cannes jury prize winner from Lebanon; and Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War,” the Cannes best director prize winner from Poland.

The 2018 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;

Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director;

Argentina, “El Ángel,...

A whopping 87 countries submitted entries in the Foreign-Language Film race at the 2019 Oscars. That is down by five from last year’s record 92 submissions but up by two from 2017, which had broken the benchmark of 83 set in 2015. The nations represented ranged from A (Afghanistan) to Y (Yemen). Among the contenders is the Mexican entry “Roma” by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”). This Venice Film Festival winner is a strong contender in both this and the Best Picture race at the Oscars.

Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best Foreign-Language Film is made difficult by the two-step process.

First, the several hundred academy members of the Foreign-Language Film screening committee are required to watch a number of the submissions (upwards of a dozen) over a two-month period that ends in mid December. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top six vote-getters make it to the next round, as...