News

Nour El Nabawy, Lin Yin and Kayode Akinyemi have been unveiled as key cast of Emirati director Ali F. Mostafa’s long-awaited feature City of Life Continuum as principal photography gets underway at Dubai Studios.

The movie is a sequel to Mostafa’s 2009 first feature City of Life, which made history as the first local production to achieve box success as the United Arab Emirates first began building a domestic film and TV sector some 15 years ago.

It is Mostafa’s fourth feature in a filmography which also includes From A to B, following three estranged friends who reconnect during a road trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut, and dystopian drama The Worthy.

Rising Egyptian star El Nabawy, who is represented by Cairo-based Mad Celebrity, is coming off a high profile 2024 as one of the stars of Egypt’s hit coming-of-age soccer drama duopoly Underdogs (El Hareefa) and El Hareefa...

Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey's new film "Control" is set to release in December, marking his return to the big screen after his acquittal for sexual assault. Directed by Gene Fallaize, the thriller features Spacey in a major voice role as a mysterious man who remotely hijacks the car of a British politician. Despite controversy surrounding Spacey's casting, Fallaize stands by his decision.

Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey will next star in the thriller Control following his acquittal for sexual assault in the United Kingdom, and the project has now set a release date. As revealed by Variety, Control is now scheduled to land in theaters in both the United States and the United Kingdom later this year on December 15.

Written and directed by Gene Fallaize (Cain Hill), Control will not feature Spacey on-screen, but the American Beauty and Se7en star does have a major voice role in the...

Rising Chinese film company Beijing Culture, the studio behind local mega-blockbusters Wolf Warrior 2 and The Wandering Earth, on Monday touted its forthcoming film slate during a showcase event held at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

The company promoted Chinese director Lu Chuan's forthcoming action-adventure pic Bureau 749, which Beijing Culture boarded earlier this year as a 35 percent financier, alongside fellow film powerhouses Huayi Brothers Media and Tencent Pictures. The movie is in the final stages of production, but little had been revealed about it prior to Monday.

Lu, whose early works Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004) and City of Life and ...

Rising Chinese film company Beijing Culture, the studio behind local mega-blockbusters Wolf Warrior 2 and The Wandering Earth, on Monday touted its forthcoming film slate during a showcase event held at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

The company promoted Chinese director Lu Chuan's forthcoming action-adventure pic Bureau 749, which Beijing Culture boarded earlier this year as a 35 percent financier, alongside fellow film powerhouses Huayi Brothers Media and Tencent Pictures. The movie is in the final stages of production, but little had been revealed about it prior to Monday.

Lu, whose early works Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004) and City of Life and ...

Actress Kubbra Sait said people have bullied her by calling her 'Cobra' instead of her name but she feels proud of her identity today.

"I have been bullied for my name. I have been called 'Cobra' for my entire life. When I was child, I used to cry and request to change my name but today, I feel proud of my name. I feel so comfortable with my own identity," she said.

Kubbra was interacting with the media at skin-care brand Olay's 'Face Anything' campaign launch here along with fashion designer Masaba Gupta on Tuesday.

She appeared in many Bollywood movies like 'Sultan', 'Ready' and 'City Of Life' but earned fame with the portrayal of Kuckoo in Netflix India's show 'Sacred Games'.

Talking about the 'Face Anything' campaign and how she resonates with it, Kubbra said: "I...

A Dubai Film Market (Dfm) panel discussed the challenges in distributing Arab films in the region and internationally, and how Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa’s From A To B may become a game-changer.

The film is set to receive a groundbreaking theatrical release across nine Middle Eastern territories on some 60 screens at the beginning of January.

By Us, European or Chinese standards, 60 screens may not seem a big deal but in a region where the widest releases – even for high-profile Hollywood titles – are on 120 screens, distributor Empire International’s plans for From A To B are ambitious.

Arab films, bar a few Egyptian star vehicles, rarely travel beyond their territories of origin in the region, or further afield in Europe and the Us, and often even have a hard time finding distribution at home.

This issue was at the heart of the Dfm talk on Friday entitled “What are the challenges of distributing Arab Films?” The panel looked...

A Dubai Film Market (Dfm) panel discussed the challenges in distributing Arab films in the region and internationally, and how Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa’s From A To B may become a game-changer.

The film is set to receive a groundbreaking theatrical release across nine Middle Eastern territories on some 60 screens at the beginning of January.

By Us, European or Chinese standards, 60 screens may not seem a big deal but in a region where the widest releases – even for high-profile Hollywood titles – are on 120 screens, distributor Empire International’s plans for From A To B are ambitious.

Arab films, bar a few Egyptian star vehicles, rarely travel beyond their territories of origin in the region, or further afield in Europe and the Us, and often even have a hard time finding distribution at home.

This issue was at the heart of the Dfm talk on Friday entitled “What are the challenges of distributing Arab Films?” The panel looked...

A Dubai Film Market (Dfm) panel discussed the challenges in distributing Arab films in the region and internationally, and how Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa’s From A To B may become a game-changer.

The film is set to receive a groundbreaking theatrical release across nine Middle Eastern territories on some 60 screens at the beginning of January.

By Us, European or Chinese standards, 60 screens may not seem a big deal but in a region where the widest releases – even for high-profile Hollywood titles – are on 120 screens, distributor Empire International’s plans for From A To B are ambitious.

Arab films, bar a few Egyptian star vehicles, rarely travel beyond their territories of origin in the region, or further afield in Europe and the Us, and often even have a hard time finding distribution at home.

This issue was at the heart of the Dfm talk on Friday entitled “What are the challenges of distributing Arab Films?” The panel looked...

The 16th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival announced its line-up in a press conference today.

Here is the complete list of films which will be screened at the festival:-

International Competition

Difret

Dir.: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Ethiopia / 2014 / Col / 99)

History of Fear (Historia del miedo)

Dir.: Benjamin Naishtat (Argentina-France-Germany-Qatar-Uruguay / 2014 / Col / 79)

With Others (Ba Digaran)

Dir.: Nasser Zamiri (Iran / 2014 / Col / 85)

The Tree (Drevo)

Dir.: Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia / 2014 / Col / 90)

Next to Her (At li layla)

Dir.: Asaf Korman (Israel / 2014 / Col / 90)

Schimbare

Dir.: Alex Sampayo (Spain / 2014 / Col / 87)

Fever

Dir.: Raphaël Neal (France / 2014 / Col / 81)

Court

Dir.: Chaitanya Tamhane (India (Marathi-Gujarati-English-Hindi) / 2014 / Col / 116)

Macondo

Dir.: Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria / 2014 / Col / 98)

India Gold Competition 2014

The Fort (Killa)

Dir.: Avinash Arun (India (Marathi) / 2014 / Col / 107)

Unto the Dusk

Dir.: Sajin Baabu (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 118)

Names Unknown (Perariyathavar)

Dir.: Dr. Biju (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 110)

Buddha In a Traffic Jam

Dir.

World premiere of From A to B by Emirati director Ali Mostafa first Emirati film to open festival.

The 8th Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) (Oct 23-Nov 1), is to open for the first time with a locally produced film - From A to B by Emirati director Ali Mostafa and Image Nation Abu Dhabi.

The closing film of the festival has been confirmed as Disney’s animation Big Hero 6.

From A to B marks Mostafa’s second full length feature film after City of Life (2009) and follows three Western-educated Arab youths who travel 1,500 miles from Abu Dhabi to Beirut in memory of their deceased best friend, who passed away five years earlier.

Adff director Ali Al Jabri said: “We are delighted to feature a locally produced film as opening title of this year’s festival. The success of high-calibre Arab filmmakers like Ali Mostafa is a testament to the vibrancy of filmmaking in the region.

“This...

Leading lights in Abu Dhabi’s nascent film sector have told Hollywood executives they are ramping up efforts to create a Middle East media and content hub as the region invests in sustainable alternatives to an oil-based economy.

CEO Noura Al Kaabi (pictured) of twofour54, the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority-Abu Dhabi, and Image Nation chairman Mohamed Al Mubarak were speaking at a panel on Wednesday (11) as part of a promotional trip to Los Angeles.

“We want to reach a level where we’re the hub of creative content in the region,” said Al Kaabi, whose organisation operates on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and Abu Dhabi Media Summit.

In recent years twofour54 and/or the Commission have enticed a number of high-profile productions with Abu Dhabi’s fresh 30% production incentive.

These include Disney and Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Episode VII, which remained...

Exclusive: Egyptian comedian Shadi Alfons will join Saudi stand-up comic Fahad Albutairi in the cast of Emirati filmmaker Ali F Mostafa’s road film A To B, which starts shooting in February.

Alfons is best known for Egyptian comic Bassem Youssef’s satirical TV show The Program (El Bernameg), while Albutairi has become a huge star through a show on Youtube, Le Yekthar, which draws in millions of viewers.

A To B follows three friends on a road trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut in memory of their long-lost friend. Born and raised in Abu Dhabi; the protagonists are of Saudi, Egyptian and Syrian origin. The third lead role in the film is currently being cast.

The film is the first major pan-Arab co-production – bringing together talent and producers from around the region. Mostafa’s Afm Films is producing with Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, Lebanese producer Paul Baboudjian and Saudi producer Mohammed Al Turki. Abu Dhabi’s...

Exclusive: Egyptian comedian Shadi Alfons will join Saudi stand-up comic Fahad Albutairi in the cast of Emirati filmmaker Ali F Mostafa’s road film A To B, which starts shooting in February.

Alfons is best known for Egyptian comic Bassem Youssef’s satirical TV show The Program (El Bernameg), while Albutairi has become a huge star through a show on Youtube, Le Yekthar, which draws in millions of viewers.

A To B follows three friends on a road trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut in memory of their long-lost friend. Born and raised in Abu Dhabi; the protagonists are of Saudi, Egyptian and Syrian origin. The third lead role in the film is currently being cast.

The film is the first major pan-Arab co-production – bringing together talent and producers from around the region. Mostafa’s Afm Films is producing with Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, Lebanese producer Paul Baboudjian and Saudi producer Mohammed Al Turki. Abu Dhabi’s...

Thanks to their wide availability and extensive catalogs, the VOD model of distribution and exhibition has become the prime source for audience to access content. Leading the field are services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, which carry enormous amount of films and TV shows; however, for those who look for the fully "indie" experience Fandor is the best alternative. The service launched in the U.S in March 2011 will now be available for Canadian audiences.

The Fandor service combines discovery features, expert curation and social collaboration so audiences can explore the world of independent film and find cinematic gems they didn’t even know existed. Furthermore, one of the most interesting facts about the company is their particular revenue strategy, which designates half of its subscription fees to support independent filmmakers, ensuring like this the future creation of new independent content.

Fandor’s Canadian service features over 2,200 independent releases, with more added every day, and includes award-winning narrative and documentary features, quality shorts and film festival favorites from across the globe, including:

• City of Life and Death directed by Chuan Lu (courtesy of Kino Lorber)—Toronto International Film Festival, 2009

• Smithereens directed by Susan Seidelman (courtesy of FilmBuff)— Toronto International Film Festival, 1982

• Carcasses directed by Denis Côté (courtesy of Vanguard Cinema) — Toronto International Film Festival, 2009

• Local Color directed by Mark Rappaport (courtesy of the filmmaker)1977

With a monthly or an annual subscription, Canadian audiences can stream unlimited films from an extensive cinema library that spans nearly 400 genres, directly to their TVs, computers, mobile devices or tablets.

"Fandor provides a unique library of films to people wherever they are, on whatever device they prefer for media consumption,” said Dan Aronson, co-founder and CEO of Fandor. “Launching in Canada allows us to bring our collection of films to a broader audience hungry to discover great content they may not otherwise find.”

Features of the new service include:

A recommendation engine that considers a user’s stated tastes and ongoing activity to provide refined, personalized recommendations. The ability to filter films by cast, crew and film festivals. Access to daily news, interviews and multi-media features from Fandor’s Keyframe digital magazine. Regular contributors include industry notables B. Ruby Rich ( Film Quarterly , Uc Santa Cruz, Sight & Sound ), Dennis Harvey ( Variety) and Michael Atkinson ( Village Voice, In These Times ). Spotlight, a special selection of themed films curated by Fandor twice monthly. Social sharing via email and multiple social networks allowing viewers to spread buzz about the films they love.

About Fandor

Launched in 2011, Fandor is the leading on-demand movie service providing access to a curated global library of high-quality, smart independent films. By leveraging online distribution, technology and social media, Fandor takes the hard work out of finding great movies. Fandor’s subscription-based service allows audiences to discover cinema through its comprehensive library of thousands of film festival favorites, world cinema, award-winning documentaries and quality shorts. Fandor uses the latest streaming technology to allow viewing anywhere, from home theaters to computers, mobile devices and tablets. For more information, visit www.fandor.com .

From the looks of the poster art to Jackie Chan's upcoming film Police Story 2013, it appears this will be more of a dramatic and gritty kind of animal compared to the comedic, stunt-heavy action thrill rides from the classic Police Story series. Directed by Sheng Ding (Little Big Soldier, Underdog Knight 1 & 2), the film is not related to the previous installments, with Jackie playing a mainland China Interpol officer sporting a new crew-cut hair style instead of the traditional long-haired daredevil Hong Kong cop. Mainland Chinese actor Liu Ye (Beginning of the Great Revival, City of Life and Death) has been cast as the villain and Chinese actress Tian Jing (Special ID, The Warring States) has been cast as the officer's daughter....

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

With big budget Chinese historical dramas and epics still proving incredibly popular, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that two films went into production around the same time about the Feast at Hong Gate, one of the most key and controversial event in the annals of the country’s history. Thankfully, the two films in question take very different approaches to the material, Daniel Lee’s reasonably enjoyable 2011 outing “White Vengeance” having focused mainly on the battles and personal rivalries. Now appearing somewhat later out of the gate is “The Last Supper”, arguably the more promising of the pair due to the presence of acclaimed director Lu Chuan, whose recent “City of Life and Death” still stands as one of the best Chinese films of the last decade. As expected, Lu’s offering is both more artistic and philosophically-minded, with Liu Ye (“City of Life and Death”), Daniel Wu...

Chinese director Lu Chuan presented his first film at Venice, received the top prize at Taiwan’s Golden Horses with his second, and won the Golden Shell award at San Sebastian with his third film.

With such start, I’d say he can only ascend further, and the films are quite a proof of his boldness when choosing theme and setting for them – as he goes from an urban thriller (The Missing Gun, 2002) to a thriller set among hunters on the Tibetan plateau (Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, 2004) to a black-and-white feature about the Japanese army’s massacre of Chinese civilians in Nanjing during the Second World War (City of Life and Death, 2009).

And then there’s The Last Supper. The story follows Liu Bang (played by Liu Ye), the first emperor of China’s Han Dynasty. It’s a typical story of how an uncultured, uneducated brute grabs power, basks in its excess,...

Local pride may have caused problems for the much-awaited feature – but is it the start of a new phase for the Gulf film industry?

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In December 2011, at a cinema on the edge of Hyde Park – a stone's throw from Edgware Road, London's Arab quarter – 300 punters were filing out of a test screening of Djinn, the United Arab Emirates' first horror film and the eighth full-length Emirati feature to date. Image Nation Abu Dhabi, the government-backed company who made it, had scored a coup: persuading Texas Chainsaw Massacre legend Tobe Hooper to direct. And it seemed to have paid dividends. "It's the return of the master," crowed one viewer at the screening.

Then Djinn vanished. It didn't appear at the Dubai film festival, where it had been offered a red-carpet premiere. Promised spring and summer 2012 release dates came and went. It was...

Spectacularly beautiful and achingly poetic, Lu Chuen’s The Last Supper describes the bloody birth of the Han dynasty in the 3rd century Bce with the skill of an expressionist painter and the curiosity of a historian. Like the director’s much-admired City of Life and Death (2009) about the Nanking Massacre, it takes a real interest in the period it depicts, pinpointing the gap between the historical record, revisionism, and what really happened. This all makes for a gripping Chinese epic of Shakespearean proportions that will entrance audiences well-disposed to the genre, starting from its Toronto premiere. Not for

read more...

Tai Chi 0 and The Last Supper: Both films belong to "official" mainstream commercial production. Yet each in its way is a fascinating occasion to reflect upon Chinese neo-studio system.

Tai Chi 0 (Stephen Fung)

Yang Luchan (wushu champ Yuan Xiaochao), a young martial arts genius, desperately wants to learn the famous secret Tai Chi art of the Chen family. With the discrete help of the Grand Master (Tony Leung Kar-fai), and through repeated beatings from the villagers and the Master's daughter (Angelababy), he comes to master some of the Chen art and ends up helping destroying an evil British steam machine that could wipe out the village for the construction of a profitable railway line.

Tai Chi 0 (the first episode of a blockbuster-to-be trilogy) may well entertain foreign and local audiences: manga anime oriented, displaying a cast of top-models, pop icons and kung fu stars new and old,...

Chen Kaige's period action drama Sacrifice may have only reached theatres in the U.S. recently, but it came out in Asia back in 2010. In the meantime, the director has staked out new territory by making Caught in the Web, a drama about cyber-bullying that will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. Gao Yuanyuan (Shanghai Dreams, Rob-b-Hood, City of Life and Death) stars as a young woman who is diagnosed with cancer. Still numbed and shocked by the news, she fails to give up her seat on a crowded bus to an elderly passenger, a moment that is caught on video, which quickly goes viral and "heralds even more catastrophes in both her personal and professional life," according to Tiff's program notes....

A couple of years ago, there appeared within a week of each other two serious, sober films about one of the worst atrocities of an atrocious century, the Japanese siege and destruction of Nanking in the winter of 1937-38 that resulted in the massacre of some 300,000 civilians. Lu Chuan's black-and-white City of Life and Death tells the story from the point of view of the Chinese victims and the Japanese invaders. Florian Gallenberger's restrained City of War: The Story of John Rabe observes the events through the eyes of a group of European residents, among them a Schindler figure, boss of the Siemens factory (and, ironically, a Nazi party member), who created a safety zone that saved the lives of 200,000 Chinese citizens.

Zhang Yimou, one of China's most talented film-makers (his landmark movies include Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern and Ju Dou), has unwisely imposed a largely fictionalised story on this appalling incident.

Despite having a huge budget, global aspirations and Christian Bale, the harrowing Chinese film The Flowers of War bombed in the Us. Will the setback deter China's ambitious film-makers?

Few could question Zhang Yimou's ambition. In the 1980s and 1990s, he won acclaim with the likes of Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern. In the 2000s, he stormed to global box-office success with Hero. Though Danny Boyle's Olympics opener is now fresher in the mind, Zhang's spectacular staging of the Beijing opening ceremony four years ago left a lasting impression of Chinese capability that any of history's greatest propagandists would have envied. It also signified that Zhang, who hailed from a family with a Chinese nationalist past and was once seen as a subversive film-maker, had been welcomed into the fold of official Communist party approval.

Zhang's latest production, The Flowers of War, hits British cinemas Friday – and aims even higher.

With the release of a second teaser trailer of Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" this morning, we got another look at one of the most anticipated films of the year. And with the picture already slated for an October 13th release, for some traveling film critics and fans, and those prepared to head to Italy, the Venice Film Festival could be where the film makes its world premiere, with artistic director Alberto Barbera suggesting a few weeks back that Anderson was heading to the Lido for the fest, which kicks off on August 29th.

With the announcement of the opening film due any day now -- it was on June 21st last year and today, the fest announced their lineup of rare and restored films that will unspool -- and "The Master" trailer reminding us that its one of the candidates, it seemed like a good opportunity to look...

Film Society of Lincoln Center is partnering with the Dubai International Film Festival to create the Diff Focus program that will concentrate on Arab filmmakers. It'scomprised of 10 features, short-film selections, Q&As and panels and will run August 24-30. Among the films to be included are Susan Youssef’s love story “Habibi Rasak Kharban,” which gained support from Diff’s Enjaaz post-production fund and had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and Ali Mostafa’s “City of Life,” which opened the Gulf Film Festival. “We are delighted to present some of the best films from the Arab region, which we hope will give a flavor of the vibrancy and relevance of Middle Eastern cinema,” said Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma. “We look forward to working with the Lincoln Center and hope this will be a long and prosperous partnership.” The films selected for the Lincoln Center program have been.

War of the Arrows

Directed by Han-min Kim

Written by Ham-min Kim

2011, South Korea

Director Han-min Kim’s film The War of the Arrows is something of a rarity in the international image of Korean cinema as its focus lies on the second Manchurian invasion of Korea, the Joseon Kingdom in particular. In layman’s terms, the War of the Arrows is about the second Chinese invasion of Korea.

Personalizing history by focusing on the children of a Korean traitor, we follow Nam Yi (Hae-Il Park, The Host) and Ja-In (Chae Won-Moon). Receiving a family bow and a message for the elder brother to look after his younger sister as he would a daughter, they both barely escape certain execution in Seoul. Fast forward 13 years and Ja-In is getting married despite her older brother doing everything he can to prevent it. As the wedding nears, Nam Yi wanders off and...

Wikipedia tells us that The Taste of Money "is the spiritual sequel of [Im Sang-soo's] previous film The Housemaid..." With Kim Hyo-jin as Yoon Na-mi, Kim Kang-woo, Yoon Yeo-jeong, Baek Yoon-sik and On Joo-wan.

Via Todd Brown at Twitch, where he's got the full synopsis — and another trailer today, this one for The Last Supper, Lu Chuan's followup to City of Life and Death:

The synopsis:

The early history of a nation unfolds through the actions of three heroes — Liu Bang, Xiang Yu and Han Xin — who chased their dreams of uniting a warring nation and fought through major milestones of the Chu-Han Contention years in the third century. From the Julu War to the Hongmen Banquet, the Gaixia War to the death of HanXin, the narration of Liu Bang — who would be the founding emperor of the new Han Dynasty — sets the stage for a tale of betrayal and brothers at war,...

Director Lu Chuan won international acclaim for his 2009 feature City Of Life And Death - a portrayal of the Nanjing Massacre - and for his next effort he travels back even farther in time with his Liu Ye, Chang Chen and Daniel Wu starring period piece The Last Supper.The early history of a nation unfolds through the actions of three heroes - Liu Bang, Xiang Yu and Han Xin - who chased their dreams of uniting a warring nation and fought through major milestones of the Chu-Han Contention years in the third century. From the Julu War to the Hongmen Banquet, the Gaixia War to the death of HanXin, the narration of Liu Bang - who would be the founding emperor of the...

Chinese site Mtime have scored themselves and exclusive first look at the teaser trailer for ‘City of Life and Death’ director Lu Chuan latest The Last Supper, and we have to say it could well be and antidote to some possible historical epic fatigue we’ve all been feeling of late. The Last Supper tells of a story about two warring generals, Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, fighting for control of China at the end of the Qin Dynasty. The film centres on the legendary "Feast at Hong Gate" in 206 BC. When Xiang invites Liu to a banquet, with every intention of assassinating him. Time for war, for madness, and for mocking the severed head of your arch nemesis? Then on to the trailer! The Last Supper opens in Hong Kong this July...

A decade ago, a caper like Contraband might have been in line for a fashionably fragmentary narrative treatment – so why not now?

It's a berth on the USS Contemporary all the way for Mark Wahlberg in his new thriller Contraband, with its story about the counterfeit-money supply lines between Panama and the United States. In fact, the film is a testament to the glories of (above board) free trade: once known as 2008 Icelandic production Reykjavik-Rotterdam, this piece of intellectual property has crossed the Atlantic with star Baltasar Kormákur, who, as the new film's director, ushered it smoothly into the Hollywood warehouse.

Contraband is a solid enough 110 minutes, a bit like a lengthy episode of the Crystal Maze set in a sweating central American metropolis overseen by some crazed Ups official. But its feverish overplotting made me think it had missed a trick. It might have benefitted from stringing together some elegant non-linear connections,...

The 38th Annual Saturn Award Nominations were announced earlier this week and we now have the full list of nominees. The Saturn Awards recognizing outstanding Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror releases in the last 12 months. Included in the list of nominees is multiple nominations for American Horror Story and The Walking Dead.

“Hugo and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 each received 10 nominations as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films today announced nominations for the 38th Annual Saturn Awards, which will be presented on Wednesday, June 20.

Other leading titles in the Academy’s film categories were Super 8 (eight nominations); Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger (seven); and The Adventures of Tintin and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (six each). Rise of the Planet of the Apes breathed new life into a classic sci-fi franchise with five nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Andy Serkis.

The Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror Films has announced the list of nominations for the 38th Saturn Awards, which will be presented on June 20th. These are presented without comment, other than to say to certain TV series, “Surprise! Welcome to Sci-Fi!”

Hugo and Harry Potter Cast Their Spells and Lead Film Nominations for 38th Saturn Awards

Breaking Bad and American Horror Story Scare Up Most TV Nominations in Banner Year for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror; Winners to be Announced June 20

Los Angeles – February 29, 2012 – Hugo and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 each received 10 nominations as the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films today announced nominations for the 38th Annual Saturn Awards, which will be presented on Wednesday, June 20.

Other leading titles in the Academy’s film categories were Super 8 (eight nominations); Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger (seven); and The Adventures of Tintin...

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films have announced the nominations for its 38th Annual Saturn Awards. In the film categories Martin Scorsese’s Hugo and David Yates’ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 each scored 10 nominations; whilst in the TV categories AMC’s Breaking Bad scored 6 nominations, followed by American Horror Story with five. The awards ceremony will take place in June in Burbank, Calif.

The complete list of nominees is below:

Film

Best Science Fiction Film

The Adjustment Bureau (Universal)

Captain America: The First Avenger (Paramount/Marvel)

Limitless (Relativity Media)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox)

Super 8 (Paramount)

X-Men: First Class (20th Century Fox)

Best Fantasy Film

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Warner Bros.)

Hugo (Paramount)

Immortals (Relativity Media)

Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Muppets (Walt Disney Studios)

Thor (Paramount/Marvel)

Best Horror/Thriller Film

Contagion (Warner Bros.

Awards season may have come and gone, but sci-fi fans still have something to look forward to with today's announcement of the Saturn Award nominees.

The awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, recognize excellence in these genres, which are often underrepresented at other awards shows.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, this year's big movie contenders are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2," "Hugo," tied with 10 nominations each.

A number of the movies scoring big have been commercial successes but have not received awards show love, including J.J. Abrams' $260-million grossing monster hit "Super 8," which nabbed eight nominations, and "Captain America: The First Avenger," which earned nearly $400 million worldwide, coming in with six.

One of the most surprising cross-genre hits is Woody Allen's romantic comedy "Midnight in Paris," which took home the award for Best Original Screenplay at Sunday's Oscars, in...

This Month’s Prizes City of Life and Death (DVD – Region Free)

The Good, The Bad and the Weird (Blu Ray)

Note: This competition is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only.

How to Play ?

In a moment you will see a screenshot from a recent Asian film, all you need to do is tell us the name of the film..

It couldn’t be easier! You can enter either via Twitter, Facebook or the form below.

Given that this is the first competition we will start you all off with a nice easy one, don’t expect things to be so easy next month though…

We will announce the winner on Wednesday 22nd February 2012.

Name this Film

This film was a direct hit at the Korean Box Office and is released on DVD/Blu Ray today… What is it?

We will pick a winner at random from...

If there is one label who has benefited from the advent of Blu-ray, it is Kino Lorber. The selection of films that Kino have released in high definition is all over the spectrum in terms of genre and era, and it helps to keep them among the most exciting labels to watch, simply because you never know what's next. From their praise-worthy Buster Keaton collection, to the recent Redemption Jean Rollin discs, to the more contemporary releases like City of Life and Death and Dogtooth, they have yet to release a stinker.  When I heard that they were taking on some classic David O. Selznick films, I was very curious, and it turns out that my enthusiasm for Kino product remains well-placed, as these two...

Billed, quite accurately, as ‘China’s first sex shop comedy’, “Red Light Revolution” marks the directorial debut of Australian born Sam Voutas, who also scripted as well as playing a small role as a Western porn baron. Long time Beijing resident Voutas, who mainly plies his trade as an actor, appearing in the likes of Lu Chan’s superb “City of Life and Death”, spent years bringing the film to the screen, working with local crews and actors. As well as proving extremelly popular via online video websites in China, the film has been enjoying considerable success on the international festival circuit over the last few years, from winning Best Unproduced Screenplay at Australia’s 2008 Inside Film Awards to more recently picking up the Audience Award at the 2011 Terracotta Film Festival in London. Terracotta have since picked up the film for distribution in the UK, with a nationwide cinema campaign...

UK Release Date: 20th January 2012

Opening in London & selected key cities to coincide with Chinese New Year.

‘ Red Light Revolution ’ is the story of a laid off cab driver who opens an adult-toy store to make ends meet.

Director Sam Voutas references ‘ The Full Monty ’ in terms of the economic backdrop and the financial toils of the every day man -

“Our film aims to strike a universal chord in terms of the struggles to get by with one’s head held high in tough economic times”.

This movie is based on fact. Beijing possibly has more sex shops per square kilometre than anywhere on Earth; why shouldn’t there be movies about this?

Sam Voutas says:

“Red Light Revolution offers, I hope, an entertaining wake-up call. China is traditional, yes—but it’s also a nation that is embracing capitalism like it’s going out of style, overhauling virtually every industry and activity.

As we walk down towards the Super Bowl of the movie awards season aka the Academy Awards aka the Oscars, all the various critics associations and guilds release their own kudofest. It can get confusing and beguiling, so I created a nifty package for you -- I compiled all the nominees, winners of various award-giving bodies so you can make informed decision when it comes to predicting the Oscars.

Come and take the Awards Avenue with me!

And here we go (click on each link):

AFI Awards

Boston Society of Film Critics Awards

British Independent Film Awards

Cinema Eye Honors

Critics' Choice (Broadcast Film Critics Association)

Detroit Film Critics

European Film Awards

Gotham Awards

Houston Film Critics Awards

Ida Awards

Independent Spirit Award Nominations

Indiana Film Critics

Las Vegas Film Critics

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards

National Board of Review

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

New York...

In film nerds circles, yesterday is what's known as "Super Sunday," when a whole bunch of critics groups all announce their award winners on the same day. Do a couple of press releases qualify the day for an adjective reserved for presidential elections and internationally televised football games? If your movie wins something, absolutely.

Yesterday, the big winner once again with the silent film pastiche "The Artist" which earned Best Picture honors from The New York Film Critics Online and Boston Society of Film Critics. It also got a "special award" from the American Film Institute, a particularly impressive (or suspicious) honor considering the AFI only considers "incontrovertibly American" films and "The Artist" was made by a French cast and crew.

The other major critics groups who announced their winners on Sunday went for two other awards season favorites. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted for Alexander Payne's...

Los Angeles — George Clooney's family drama "The Descendants" was chosen Sunday as the year's best film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, whose prizes are an early influence on the way to the Academy Awards.

From "Sideways" director Alexander Payne, "The Descendants" stars Clooney as a neglectful father in Hawaii trying to tend his daughters after his wife falls into an accident-induced coma.

Michael Fassbender won best actor for a breakout year that included leading roles as a sex addict in "Shame," as a genetic mutant in "X-Men: First Class," as psychiatrist Carl Jung in "A Dangerous Method" and as sullen Victorian gentleman Rochester in "Jane Eyre."

The best-actor runner-up was Michael Shannon as a man beset by apocalyptic visions in "Take Shelter."

The critics' group passed over big Hollywood names to bestow its best-actress prize on Yun Jung-hee for the South Korean drama "Poetry," in which she...

We're getting into the full swing of the awards season for 2011, and this evening four organizations announced their picks for best achievement in film in 2011. The biggest group is the American Film Institute, which released a simple unranked list of ten 'movies of the year,' which includes Bridesmaids, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo and The Tree of Life. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association named The Descendants as best picture of 2011, while the Boston Society of Film Critics named The Artist best film of the year, which was also voted as the top film by the New York Film Critics Online. Lists from all four organizations are below. AFI Movies Of The Year Bridesmaids The Descendants The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo The Help Hugo J. Edgar Midnight In Paris Moneyball The Tree Of Life War Horse TV Programs Of The Year Breaking Bad Boardwalk Empire...

Could Fassbender be eyeing Oscar?Andreas here. Want to see end-of-year craziness in action? Look at today: first, the Boston Society of Film Critics announces their awards, then before they've finished, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the New York Film Critics Online start tag-teaming it! It all starts to blend together sometimes -- Emmanuel Plummer won for something called Drivemaids? -- but no worries, we've got it straightened out:

First, the Lafca winners...

Picture The Descendants (runner-up: The Tree of Life) Director Terence Malick for The Tree of Life  (Runner-up: Martin Scorsese for Hugo) Screenplay Asghar Farhadi for A Separation (For Your Consideration!) Actress Yun Jung-hee for Poetry  (Runner-up: Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia) Actor Michael Fassbender for A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, and X-Men: First Class  (Runner-up: Michael Shannon for Take Shelter) Supporting Actress Jessica Chastain for everything (Runner-up: Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs) Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer...

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association, too, has spent the day convening, voting and is tweeting. Here's what they've settled on for 2011:

Best Picture: Alexander Payne's The Descendants. Runner-Up: Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life.

Best Director: Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life. Runner-Up: Martin Scorsese for Hugo.

Best Actress: Yun Jung-hee for Poetry. Runner-Up: Kirsten Dunst for Melancholia.

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender for A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame and X-Men: First Class. Runner-Up: Michael Shannon for Take Shelter.

Best Foreign Language Film: Lu Chuan's City of Life and Death. Runner-Up: Asghar Farhadi's A Separation.

Best Independent/Experimental Film: Bill Morrison's Spark of Being.

Best Documentary/Nonfiction Film: Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Runner-Up: Clio Barnard's The Arbor.

New Generation: "The creative team behind Martha Marcy May Marlene (Antonio Campos,...

Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" took home the top prize at the Los Angeles Film Critics Award announced Sunday. The fantastic dramedy starring George Clooney won the Best Picture of the year award. Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" was the runner-up in this category.

But Payne lost out to Malick for the Best Director award, and the La Film Critics gave the runner-up award to Martin Scorsese for "Hugo."

In the acting categories, Michael Fassbender, baring his all in "Shame," took home the Best Actor award while Yun Jung-Hee of "Poetry" won the Best Actress award. Michael Shannon for "Take Shelter" was the runner-up for Best Actor while Kirsten Dunst in "Melancholia" was the runner-up for Best Actress.

Best Supporting Actor award went to Christopher Plummer for "Beginners" (Patton Oswalt from "Young Adult" was the runner-up), while Jessica Chastain was given the Best Supporting Actress award for pretty...

Michael Fassbender, Jane Eyre

Best Film: The Descendants

Runner-up: The Tree of Life

Best Foreign Language Film: City of Life and Death

Runner-up: A Separation

Best Director: Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Runner-up: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actress: Yun Jung-hee, Poetry

Runner-up: Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender, Shame, X-Men: First Class, Jane Eyre, A Dangerous Method

Runner-up: Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, Coriolanus, The Debt, The Help, Take Shelter, Texas Killing Fields, The Tree of Life

Runner-up: Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Runner-up: Patton Oswalt, Young Adult

Best Screenplay: Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Runner-up: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants

Best Animation: Rango

Runner-up: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life

Runner-up: Cao Yu, City of Life and Death

Best Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Hugo

Runner-up: Maria Djurkovic,...

It’s been a busy day in Awards Season Land. Along with the AFI, Boston film critics, and New York online critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced its 2011 awards on Sunday. As is often the case with this group, it’s a somewhat eclectic mix with one or two left-field choices: The Descendants won best picture, its first major award this season. The Tree of Life’s Terrence Malick won best director (and the film itself was runner-up for the Lafca’s top prize). Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain won best actor and best supporting actress, respectively, but...

Capping off a day that saw the worst weekend at the box-office in three years, the 2011 AFI top ten announced and the Boston Film Critics naming The Artist the best film of the year, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association offered the day's best news when they didn't name The Artist the best film of 2011, instead awarding The Descendants those honors and declaring The Tree of Life the runner-up in the category. I don't consider this much of a surprise as I never expected this group to run with the herd. Then again, if you consider that a surprise there are a few others in store. First off, for Best Actress we don't have a win for Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Michelle Williams or even Tilda Swinton, but instead Yun Jung-hee (Poetry) takes home the award with Cannes Best Actress winner Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) taking runner-up. Best Actor also bucked the Oscar prediction trend,...

Capping off a day that saw the worst weekend at the box-office in three years, the 2011 AFI top ten announced and the Boston Film Critics naming The Artist the best film of the year, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association offered the day's best news when they didn't name The Artist the best film of 2011, instead awarding The Descendants those honors and declaring The Tree of Life the runner-up in the category. I don't consider this much of a surprise as I never expected this group to run with the herd. Then again, if you consider that a surprise there are a few others in store. First off, for Best Actress we don't have a win for Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Michelle Williams or even Tilda Swinton, but instead Yun Jung-hee (Poetry) takes home the award with Cannes Best Actress winner Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) taking runner-up. Best Actor also bucked the Oscar prediction trend,...

By Sean O’Connell

hollywoodnews.com: The Los Angeles Film Critics’ Association are revealing their year-end selections Sunday afternoon, handing out Best Picture honors to Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants.” The director has had a ton of success with the Lafca over the years, so the win comes with little surprise. At least it wasn’t a clean sweep for “The Artist,” which picked up wins in Boston and New York on Sunday. Is this year’s Best Picture race a two-horser?

Elsewhere, Best Supporting Actress recognition went to Jessica Chastain, who has had an incredibly impressive year (though she’ll have to pick one film to back in the Oscar race, as the Academy recognizes quality over quantity).

The group went off the board, naming Yun Jung-hee Best Actress for “Poetry.” (Um, Ok?)

Christopher Plummer also earned a Best Supporting Actor (for “Beginners”), while “A Separation” was a surprise choice for Best Screenplay.