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One of the themes this year at the Film by the Sea festival in Vlissingen was "films based on literature". And one of the International Premieres being shown as part of this theme is Thomas Stuber's Dark Satellites, based on Clemens Meyer's German-language novel 'Die Stillen Trabanten'. The book is a bundle of short stories which follow several people in the city of Leipzig, all solitary, all suddenly confronted with their loneliness by meeting unlikely soulmates. Stuber, with Meyer's help on the script, adapted three of those stories for his film version. The end result is a well acted, but very leaden and melancholy look at humanity and relationships. We see security guard Erik, who during his nightly rounds keeps meeting the young Ukrainian refugee...

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The Cannes Makers programme has a focus on international sales.

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Labs and Red Sea International Film Festival (Rsiff) have partnered with the Cannes market to launch a new mentoring programme for rising industry talent.

The first Cannes Makers programme will run from May 22-24 during the festival and will include personalised coaching, networking opportunities and professional skills development, with a special focus on the international sales process.

An initial cohort of eight participants were announced last week, selected from more than 250 applicants from 65 countries, with successful candidates coming from Greece, Nepal and Ukraine among others.

German cinema looks set for a major boom this year with a strong lineup of diverse works that span historical dramas, coming-of-age tales, high-octane nostalgia, animation and sci-fi fun.

The Berlin Film Festival is bowing a muscular selection of local titles, among them “Afire,” by Berlinale mainstay Christian Petzold (“Undine”), screening in competition. The films centers on a group of young people staying at a holiday house near the Baltic Sea during a hot, dry summer, exploring volatile emotions that start to sizzle when a wildfire spreads through the surrounding forest.

Likewise vying for the Golden Bear is Margarethe von Trotta’s biopic “Ingeborg Bachmann: Journey Into the Desert,” starring Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”) as the radical Austrian author. The film examines her relationship with Swiss writer Max Frisch and her 1964 journey of self-discovery through the Egyptian desert.

“Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything,” by Emily Atef (“More Than Ever”) and...