News

Qatar’s Doha Film Institute has revealed the 47 projects across all formats selected for its fall 2024 grants round.

Palestinian director Razan Madhoon’s Gaza-set drama The Good Spirit, Moroccan-French filmmaker Sofia Alaoui’s thriller Tarfaya and The Joyful 1926 by Algerian team Damien Ounouri and Adila Bendimerad are among the feature projects to have made the cut.

Expanding on her short film of the same name, The Good Spirit revolves around a young woman in Gaza who takes in a wounded stray dog against the wishes of her family. It will be the debut feature for Madhoon, who has lived in the UK since 2105. The project is in development.

Alaoui’s second feature after her Sundance breakout Animalia, thriller Tarfaya is set in a remote coastal town in a near-future buffeted by extreme weather and a mysterious sleeping sickness.

The Joyful 1926 about a Muslim actress who defies societal norms to pursue...

First and second feature projects in advanced development from Ukraine, India, Philippines and Brazil won the four €40,000 production prizes of the 17th Meeting Event of TorinoFilmLab in the Italian city of Turin on November 23.

The three first features were Indian filmmaker Ashmita Guha Neogi’s Cold Ashes Can Cause Forest Fires, Filipino filmmaker Jarell Serencio’s The Boy And The Fight Of The Spiders and Brazil filmmaker André Hayato Saito’s Yellow Chrysanthemum.

The second feature was Kateryna Gornostai’s Ukrainian project Antonivka.

They were chosen from the Tfl’s 10 FeatureLab projects by a jury comprised of Didar Domehri of France’s Maneki Films,...

Turin-based script development organisation TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has unveiled the first projects and participants for ComedyLab, its new annual programme for developing feature film comedies.

ComedyLab pairs directors and scriptwriters with comedians to help develop comedy feature film projects. From 89 applications, ComedyLab has selected four projects and will pair them with four writers/comedians.

The four projects are: Bootleg by writer/director Reem Morsi (Egypt); Honeyjoon by writer/director Lilian T. Mehrel (USA); The Last Queen by writer/director Stefano La Rosa (Italy) together with the co-writer/director Luca Renucci (Italy); and Midlife by writer/director Alex Sobolev (Ukraine).

They will...

Two Taiwan-based production companies with features in this week’s Berlin Film Festival have joined forces to launch new venture, Long Hu Bao × An Attitude.

Taiwan’s Yi Tiao Long Hu Bao International Entertainment, is one of eight co-producers on main competition film “Shambhala,” from Nepal’s Min Bahadur Bham.

Yi Tiao Long Hu Bao is also one of three co-producers on Brazilian title “Sleep With Your Eyes Open” (aka “Dormir de olhos abertos”) directed by Nele Wohlatz, which debuts in Berlin’s Encounters section.

While the two companies will remain legally separate, the collaboration also brings together Lee Lieh, Roger Huang, and Justine O., three of Taiwan’s most experienced producers. They aim to continue their expansion into international co-productions and span both film and TV.

“We see it as three generations of producers becoming a strong alliance that joins together the resources of Asia – Edward Yang’s Taiwanese new wave,...

To aggregate an increased volume of Taiwanese content for global audiences and foster collaboration opportunities between Taiwan and the international community, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) has officially launched “Taiwan's International Co-funding Program 2.0” (Ticp 2.0). This program aims to closely align with international market investment patterns and meet the actual needs of industry participants, facilitating investment projects on a larger scale and supporting the production of diverse content. The goal is to increase collaboration opportunities between Taiwan and the international community, promoting Taiwanese talents and works on the global stage.

The original “International Co-funding Program (Ticp)” has invested in 37 projects, establishing a reputation internationally and achieving notable success. Recent examples include the film “The Last Queen,” co-produced by Taiwan, France, and Algeria, which won awards at the Red Sea Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, and “For My Country,” co-produced by Taiwan and France, which was nominated in the...

The Ticp has previously funded titles including Cannes award-winner ‘Tiger Stripes’ and ‘The Settlers’.

A Taiwanese international funding scheme that backed Cannes award-winners Tiger Stripes and The Settlers looks set to shift its focus to more mainstream projects as part of a rethink of the programme.

The Taiwan International Co-funding Program (Ticp) was launched in January 2021 by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca) and offered international features, TV series, animation and documentaries up to 30% of a production budget with a cap of $300,000.

However, three years into the scheme, its strategy is being revised to encompass more commercial titles, include more...

Taiwan’s government has suspended its Taiwan International Co-funding Program (Ticp) in a move that appears to signal a change in direction towards more mainstream projects.

The decision has prompted concern among Taiwan’s production community, as the fund was being accessed to set up a wide range of international co-production projects, many of which have secured slots at top international film festivals including Berlin, Venice and Cannes.

When contacted by Deadline, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which manages the fund, offered the following statement:

“To enhance international joint funding and co-production opportunities and to meet the demands of international investments, Taicca has undertaken discussions to revise and optimize the investment initiatives based on the experience of Taiwan’s International Co-funding Program (Ticp). This strategic move aims to attract a broader spectrum of large-scale investment projects, fostering more collaborations between Taiwan and the global community.”

Launched in January 2021, Ticp provides...

Taiwan Creative Content Fest kicked off in Taipei today with organizer, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), emphasizing its soft power ambitions and growing international cooperation activities, in particular with France, South Korea and Japan.

Taiwan’s Minister of Culture, Shih Che, took to the stage at the opening ceremony to talk about Taiwan’s recently approved ‘One Plus Four – T-Content Plan’ which has pledged $311M (Nt$10Bn) to support the creative industries.

“We’ve achieved a milestone this year – after support for semiconductor and technology industries, it’s finally the turn of the cultural content industries, with support that has been enacted through our laws and regulations,” said Shih.

“We have talent and culture in abundance in Taiwan and we’re one of the very important entry points to Mandarin-language culture. In the digital realm, we play an important role and influence on cultural content in the international arena.”

Taicca’s funding programs,...

Geng Zihan has just won Best Director in the Fei Mu Awards of Pingyao International Film Festival for her debut feature, A Song Sung Blue, a coming-of-age tale set in Harbin in northeast China.

The film, which premiered in Directors Fortnight at this year’s Cannes film festival, is produced by Jane Zheng with backing from Liang Jing and Guan Hu’s Seventh Art Pictures. Zheng’s producing credits include Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, starring Awkwafina, and Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs.

Written by Liu Yining, the story revolves around a teenage girl, Liu Xian, who is left with her father for the summer when her mother gets a job in Africa. While her father is more interested in his relationship with the receptionist at his photography studio, Liu Xian strikes up a friendship with the receptionist’s daughter, Mingmei – a glamorous older girl who is training to be...

China’s Pingyao International Film Festival has announced the line-up for its seventh edition (October 11-18), which will open with Wei Shujun’s Only The River Flows and close with the world premiere of Fei Yu’s Football On The Roof.

Wei’s 1990s-set noir thriller, which premiered in Un Certain Regard at this year’s Cannes film festival, is also one of 11 titles competing in Pingyao’s Hidden Dragons competition for emerging Chinese filmmakers. Football On The Roof tells the story of a female soccer team fighting against the odds in the remote mountains of Yunnan province.

The Hidden Dragons line-up also includes Geng Zihan’s A Song Sung Blue, which premiered in Cannes Directors Fortnight, along with world premieres including Hao Feihuan’s Records Without Words, Li Binbin’s The Night Rain South Township and Yang Pingdao’s A Romantic Fragment (see full line-up below).

Pingyao has also...

Three months ago, Doha’s new Downtown Msheireb district was the throbbing heart of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as one of its main fan zones.

Quiz any local on the street or in its cafes and shops about what it was like, and their faces light up as they recount how packed it was and the magical atmosphere.

Billed as the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project, the pedestrianized neighborhood is now acting as the backdrop to the Doha Film Institute’s annual Qumra talent incubator, alongside the I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art (Mia).

The event, which kicked off on Friday, aims to hothouse 44 film and series projects in various formats and stages of production. All the projects are recipients of the Dfi’s generous grant program

The focus is on Middle East and North African filmmakers but there are also projects from further afield...

Algerian filmmakers have stepped up a campaign calling for their government to unlock promised state funds for cinema, warning that Algeria’s film industry is on its last legs following a near-year-long funding freeze.

Following on from a first open letter in June, the Collective of Algerian Cineastes has published a new letter addressed to Minister of Culture Soraya Mouloudji, re-demanding clarification on the government’s funding plans for cinema.

Algeria’s long-running Fdatic film fund was cancelled in December 2021 by Mouloudji’s predecessor Wafa Chaâlal.

The minister promised a replacement fund would soon be announced but nine months later no new scheme has been unveiled and successor Mouloudji has been equally unforthcoming.

A number of completed features approved for funding under Fdatic have yet to receive their monies, while a handful of...

With its seventh edition coming to an end, Venice’s Book Adaptation Rights Market (Barm) is already eyeing the future. The three-day event – taking place during the Italian fest – is now recognized as the third most important annual rendezvous by the publishers, states Pascal Diot, head of industry sidebar Venice Production Bridge.

“It’s starting to be ‘the’ event for the publishers to attend,” agrees Vpb’s Chiara Marin.

“Before, I would go to all these book fairs and when I would mention Venice Film Festival, people would go: ‘What are you doing here?,’ ” she laughs.

As the demand for adapted stories increases, even more publishers and literary agencies were invited this year, including Taipei’s Dala Publishing, Emily Books Agency and The Grayhawk Agency. Due to popular demand, the event also decided to focus on comics and graphic novels, with the likes of Casterman, Glénat, Nathan, Tunué, Astiberri Ediciones,...

TIFF Industry platform to feature a Taiwan Cinema booth for the first time.

Taiwan is to debut at Toronto’s TIFF Industry section with a hefty slate of 82 films and projects, including its submission for best international feature at the Oscars, Goddamned Asura.

The slate will be presented by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which will also host the first Taiwan Cinema booth and push its position as a valuable co-production partner through attractive funding schemes.

Goddamned Asura will receive a market screening on September 11 with director Lou Yi-An in attendance of a post-screening networking event. International sales are...

Set in Algiers in 1516, the film is being described as Algeria’s first costume drama.

Screen can exclusively reveal the first trailer for The Last Queen, the debut fiction feature of filmmakers Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri.

The Algerian film has its world premiere in Giornate degli Autori (formerly Venice Days) tomorrow (Sunday 4).

It is produced by Bendimerad for her Algerian outfit Taj Intaj, alongside Patrick Sobelman for Belgium’s Agat Films. The Party Film Sales is selling the title.

Written by Bendimerad and Ounouri, The Last Queen is set in 1516 when a pirate frees Algiers from Spanish tyranny, but...

This fall, Arab filmmakers will be out in force at such prestigious international fests as Venice and Toronto. Venice alone boasts six features from first- and second-time Arab directors in its official sections, plus an additional six works-in-progress at its Final Cut Production Bridge. Meanwhile, Toronto opens with “The Swimmers,” a drama from U.K. helmer Sally El Hosaini based on the journey of Syrian sisters and Olympic hopefuls Yusra and Sara Mardini, who fled the war in their home country for Germany. Yusra competed in the 2016 and 2021 Summer Olympics. An additional six Arab films will screen at the Canadian fest.

Dek: Arab filmmakers embrace genres and issues as festivals and distributors take notice

By Alissa Simon

This fall, Arab filmmakers will be out in force at such prestigious international fests as Venice and Toronto. Venice alone boasts six features from first- and second-time Arab directors in its official sections,...