Notícias

Exclusive: Petersen Vargas’ Some Nights I Feel Like Walking is set for a local release in the Philippines and has sold to key territories.

The coming-of-age drama has received an R18 rating for its sexual content and LGBTQ+ themes and will open locally on August 27 through Black Cap Pictures, also a co-producer of the film. It follows a band of young male street hustlers who brave the dark corners of the Manila night, who fulfil their friend’s last wish of bringing his body home.

“It’s a rare arthouse release especially with the landscape where cinema attendance is super down.

Cinematic Celebration

Legendary Japanese director Takeshi Kitano‘s samurai epic “Kubi” will open the sixth edition of London’s Queer East Festival on April 23 at BFI Southbank. The festival, running through May 18, will showcase over 100 titles exploring LGBTQ+ experiences across East and Southeast Asia.

Highlights include “Rookie,” about a teenager joining an all-girls volleyball team in the Philippines; “Under the Moonlight,” documenting an Islamic boarding school for transgender women in Indonesia; and the 1968 Japanese underground film “Crazy Love,” shot in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Also featured is “Bel Ami,” following a middle-aged Chinese man’s decision to come out, and “Some Nights I Feel Like Walking,” which explores desire and belonging through a teenager’s nighttime journey in Manila.

The festival will close with “Edhi Alice,” a South Korean documentary from filmmaker Ilrhan Kim examining the experiences of trans individuals in Seoul.

This year’s program celebrates activism, community, and queer history.

Isabel Sandoval, the Hollywood-based Filipino filmmaker behind the critically acclaimed “Lingua Franca,” is putting the finishing touches on her latest feature “Moonglow,” a romantic noir set against the backdrop of Marcos-era Philippines in 1979.

The film is selected for the Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), the project market that operates concurrently with Hong Kong FilMart.

The Filipino-language thriller follows Dahlia, a disillusioned police aide who steals money from the safe of her corrupt police chief boss, distributing it to slum dwellers whose homes were destroyed. Unaware of her actions, the police chief assigns Dahlia to investigate the theft alongside his nephew Charlie — who happens to be Dahlia’s former lover.

“I’ve always been enamored with the methodical, slow-burn thrillers of Jean-Pierre Melville,” Sandoval told Variety. “The idea of marrying those sensibilities with the lyrical camerawork and romanticism of Max Ophüls is how the film started.”

With a budget of $1.08 million,...

BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival (March 19-30) has unveiled its full line-up, with 56 features across three strands, exploring subjects such as Kenya’s ballroom scene and the appeal of dating apps.

The programme has films and shorts from 41 countries, with six world premiere features. These include Kenyan filmmaker Njoroge Muthoni’s documentaryHow To Live, which explores Nairobi’s vibrant ballroom scene and celebrates queer African joy.

In Yu-jin Lee’s Manok, the owner of a South Korean lesbian bar must return to her small hometown after clashing with the city’s younger queer community.

Buenos Aires-set comedy drama Few...

A decade after Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen parlayed his Cannes Camera d’Or win for “Ilo Ilo” into launching production house Giraffe Pictures, the company is expanding into distribution while strengthening its pan-Asian presence.

Chen is currently serving on the Indonesian Screen Award jury at the ongoing Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival.

“Giraffe was started off the back of ‘Ilo Ilo.’ After the success of the film – it was a small little film from Singapore – we didn’t expect that it would go to Cannes and then win the Camera d’Or, and then went on to win like 40 prizes around the world,” Chen told Variety.

The company’s name reflects its philosophy. “It’s not just a very cute animal, but I think it’s the only animal on Earth where it’s always standing tall and above everyone else,” Chen said. “Everyone might just be muddled and everything else,...

Sengedorj Janchivdorj’s Silent City Driver won the Grand Prix for Best Film at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), on an evening when several awardees referenced ongoing global conflicts in their speeches.

Mongolian feature Silent City Driver, a PÖFF world premiere in the Official Selection Competition, follows a hearse driver who tries to right the world’s wrongs by helping the daughter of a blind coffin maker.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

It is the 13th feature for Mongolian director Sengedorj, and is produced by Ganbaatar Narantsetseg, Naranbat Bayasgalan and Bold Ganbat. The director and producer share the €20,000 award,...

The 28th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival has announced its winners, with Silent City Driver from Mongolian director Sengedorj Janchivdorj taking home the Grand Prix for best film in the official selection, along with the best production design honor for Munkhbat Shirnen.

The film follows a 32-year-old man who, after serving 14 years in prison for his involvement in a murder case, emerges to face societal rejection and health challenges from a prison beating, finding solace only in caring for stray dogs. The festival jury praised Silent City Driver as “a dark fairy tale from Mongolia” that broke new ground with its unique cinematic style.

German drama No Dogs Allowed by director Steve Bache took the best feature award, with Southern Chronicles from Lithuanian helmer Ignas Miškinis winning the prize for best Baltic film. Indian drama Pyre from director Vinod Kapri scooped the festival’s audience award.

Pirjo Lonka and Elina Knihtilä...