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German regional fund Medenboard Berlin-Brandenburg (Mbb) has made its latest funding decisions.

Films directed by Wes Anderson, Agnieszka Holland, Emily Atef, Pablo Larrain and Karim Ainouz are among 14 projects to receive more than €5.2m in total production support from the German regional fund Medenboard Berlin-Brandenburg (Mbb) in its latest funding decision.

The largest single amount of €1.5m went to an as-yet untitled project by Wes Anderson which will see the US director continuing his long-standing collaboration with Studio Babelsberg with whom he has partnered on five previous films including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City.

The...

Movies about movies are reliably engaging, especially for all those cinephiles and real-life filmmakers out there. They offer an insightful look into certain Hollywood professionals' line of work and how they go about contributing to the end result in their own unique, artistic way. That includes Foley artists, who are responsible for creatively capturing and reproducing sound effects that accompany the film's visual components to achieve a satisfying, robust moving image.

Piaffe, the new German-language experimental feature from acclaimed artist and filmmaker Ann Oren follows a sexually charged Foley artist named Eva (Simone Bucio) on an epic quest to capture the necessary audio for a product commercial involving a horse. We won't give away much, but during this head-spinning process, Eva lures in a seemingly unassuming botanist named Novak (Sebastian Rudolph). She also begins taking on a unique new physicality that calls attention to the graceful horse whose sounds she's trying to reproduce on-screen.

With horseback riding comes pleasure, pain, and the kind of purpose that could only be derived from the bond between a woman and a horse. It’s with this in mind that Berlin-based visual artist Ann Oren co-wrote and directed her feature debut “Piaffe,” which is also inspired by the concept of a female centaur, or a woman whose sexual organs are, well, horse-like.

“Piaffe” premiered at the 2022 Locarno International Festival, where it became a critical hit. Co-written by Thais Guisasola, Oren’s “Piaffe” may sound like a surreal drug-induced fantasy: An introverted woman named Eva (Simone Bucio) grows a horse’s tail while foleying sound for a commercial about an equine-inspired drug. Eva becomes part of a Bdsm relationship with a botanist (Sebastian Rudolph) that involves auto-erotic asphyxiation, whipping, and more kinks.

But while Eva is the submissive subject in the relationship, Oren explained to IndieWire that “Piaffe” is...

Taking its title from a type of slow trot that is used in dressage, Ann Oren’s narrative debut “Piaffe” both formally mimics this slow progression, while also quite literally being about horses. Or, well, the film is about shy Eva’s (Simone Bucio) burgeoning sexual awakening that happens simultaneously to her developing a horse tail. It’s a setup that might instantly recall Cronenberg-ian body horror, but “Piaffe” isn’t a horror film; far from it.

Continue reading ‘Piaffe’ Review: Ann Oren’s Narrative Debut Is An Odd And Memorable Tail Of Sexual Awakening at The Playlist.

We too often forget than humans are animals. Too many of us have divorced ourselves from the natural world, the world of our, for lack of a better phrasing, animal instincts. We clothe ouselves, eat (usually) with utensils, as if denying this inner part of ourselves in order to survive society. And yet, the animal is in there, waiting to be released. Visual artist and filmmaker Ann Oren explores the psychological and physical impact of just such a release of the animal being into a young woman in her haunting film, Piaffe. Eva (Simone Bucio) is awoken by an incessent telephone ring; a commerical producer needs his foley sound now, and Eva's sister Zara (Simon Jaikiriuma Paetau), a foley artist, is nowhere to be found....

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

While we await for Hollywood to take on a big-budget reimagining of Animorphs, some international filmmakers are providing their own unique take on a kind of animal transformation. Ann Oren’s Piaffe, which premiered at last year’s Locarno International Film Festival, is a beguilingly peculiar, transfixing look at a woman who takes her job at getting in the mind of a horse a bit too seriously. Shot on 16mm, the film opens on August 25th at NYC’s Quad Cinema and on September 15th at LA’s Nuart Theatre. Ahead of a release, the first trailer and poster have arrived.

Here’s the synopsis: “Introverted and unqualified, Eva is unexpectedly tasked with foleying the sound for a commercial featuring a horse. As she slowly acclimates to the new job, her obsession with creating the perfect equine sounds grows into something more tangible. Eva harnesses this new physicality, becoming more confident and empowered,...

Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson’s ’Mother Vera’ and Sarah Lewis’ ’No Ifs Or Buts’ honoured in festival’s works-in-progress section.

Documentary filmmakers scooped the prizes in Locarno Pro’s First Look work-in-progress section, which is dedicated to UK films this year.

Mother Vera, co-directed by Cécile Embleton and Alys Tomlinson, won the new Creativity Media First Look Award covering services towards the completion of films in post-production up to the value of € 50,000.

Mother Vera follows a young Orthodox nun making her way from the thick snow of the Belarusian forest to the heat of the reeds in the French Camargue.

Last year, Ann Oren‘s “Piaffe,” a feature-length version of her 2020 short “Passage” took the Locarno Film Festival by storm. And now it’s time for the feminine fantasy film to hit US theaters, starting with runs in NYC and Los Angeles.

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

In “Piaffe,” an introverted young woman replaces her sister as a Foley artist in a commercial after her sibling suffers a nervous breakdown.

Continue reading ‘Piaffe’ Trailer: Ann Oren’s Strange Equine Fantasy Film Hits NYC On August 25, LA On September 15 at The Playlist.

"Has a gift for both horseplay and foreplay..." Oscilloscope Labs has revealed an official trailer for strange indie film titled Piaffe, made by artist / filmmaker Ann Oren. Opening in US art house theaters this August. This originally premiered at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival last year, and it also played at many other fests including: San Sebastian, Calgary, Hamburg, London, Ghent, Cork, and Denver. Oscilloscope Labs invites you to discover Piaffe, the first feature from award winning visual artist and filmmaker Ann Oren. Sensual, tactile, and a carefully constructed exploration of sexual awakening with a keen awareness of the origins of cinema. When her sibling Zara suffers a nervous breakdown, the introvert Eva is forced to take on Zara's job as a Foley artist. Then, a horsetail starts growing out of the back of her body. Simone Bucio stars as Eva, with Sebastian Rudolph, Simon Jaikiriuma Paetau, Björn Melhus, & Lea Draeger.

With echoes of Catherine Breillat, Lucille Hadzhihalillovic, and Peter Strickland, “Piaffe” rides a deep tail of sexual awakening.

The feature directorial debut of Berlin-based visual artist Ann Oren, “Piaffe” follows Eva (Simone Bucio), an introverted and unqualified woman who grows a horse’s tail while foleying sound for a commercial about an equine-inspired drug.

Per the synopsis, as Eva acclimates to the new job, her obsession with creating the perfect horse sounds grows into something more tangible. Eva harnesses this new physicality, becoming more confident and empowered, and lures an unassuming botanist into an intriguing game of submission.

“Piaffe” centers on Eva’s sexual awakening through a dominant-submissive relationship and through animal-centric affect. The film is shot on 16mm and originally debuted at the 2022 Locarno International Festival.

Sebastian Rudolph and Simon Jaikiriuma Paetau also star.

“Piaffe” is co-written by director Oren and Thais Guisaola, with Kristof Gerega, Sophie Ahrens, and Fabien Altenried producing.

4Dplex Experiences Added In Cambodia, Thailand

Korean tech firm Cj 4Dplex has struck a deal with Thailand’s Major Cineplex to add two ScreenX locations in Cambodia and Thailand. One will be located at the Aeon Mall Mean Chey, have almost 500 seats and have a 75-foot-wide central screen, making it the largest ScreenX auditorium in Southeast Asia. The other will be at Bangkok’s ICONSiam Mall location, debuting on July 27.

ScreenX is a multi-projection system with an immersive 270-degree field of view. That creates a virtual reality-like setting with cinema quality resolution. Major’s first ScreenX launched in 2022 at its Siam Paragon location in central Bangkok.

“We’ve received amazing reactions and feedback from our moviegoers for ScreenX in Thailand and expect to generate the same response at our Cambodia location,” said Vicha Poolvaraluk, CEO, Major Cineplex.

The two companies previously partnered on 4Dx installations, where viewers experience motion, vibration,...

The Chattanooga Film Festival Conjures First Wave: "Hot on the haunted heels of their tenth-anniversary announcement, organizers of The Chattanooga Film Festival (Cff) have once assembled a first wave of strange and fantastic cinema for their hybrid edition this year.

First up is the North American premiere of a film primed to knock the socks off Cff’s longtime fans - filmmaker Jonas Trukanas‘ perfectly executed Lithuanian slasher We Might Hurt Each Other. Trukanas' briskly paced hoot of a horror film is one of this year’s true standouts and another title presented by Screambox. We Might Hurt Each Other has all the makings of a deeply satisfying cult classic.

Closing out the festival for those attending in person this year is Trim Season, marking the return of filmmaker Ariel Vida, who first attended Cff in 2019 with a secret screening of Vide Noir. Her latest combines a terrific ensemble cast,...

Festival will play select titles from its previous editions.

World premieres of Stephen Moyer’s A Bit Of Light and Dishad Husain’s Banglatown headline the programme of the 30th Raindance Film Festival, which runs from October 26-November 5 in London cinemas and online throughout the UK.

One of nine feature world premieres in the selection, A Bit Of Light is the second directorial feature of UK actor Moyer, who is best known for his lead role in long-running vampire TV series True Blood.

Starring Ray Winstone and Moyer’s wife Anna Paquin, the film follows a nearly-forty-year-old woman who is...

Festival will play select titles from its previous editions.

World premieres of Stephen Moyer’s A Bit Of Light and Dishad Husain’s Banglatown headline the programme of the 30th Raindance Film Festival, which runs from October 26-November 5 in London cinemas and online throughout the UK.

One of nine feature world premieres in the selection, A Bit Of Light is the second directorial feature of UK actor Moyer, who is best known for his lead role in long-running vampire TV series True Blood.

Starring Ray Winstone and Moyer’s wife Anna Paquin, the film follows a nearly-forty-year-old woman who is...

New German titles, festival favourites and a Ukrainian competition,

Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness heads the festival favourites that will screen at the 30th anniversary edition of Filmfest Hamburg later this month.

It will be joined by Cannes title Cristian Mungiu’s R.M.N., as well as local Hamburg filmmaker Helena Wittmann’s Human Flowers Of Flesh , Kilian Riedhof’s You Will Not Have My Hate and Ann Oren’s Piaffe, which all premiered at Locarno, and Venice titles Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees Of Inisherin, Jafar Panahi’s No Bears, Houman Seyedi’s World War III,...

Click here to read the full article.

The 2022 BFI London Film Festival has unveiled its full lineup.

Among the new titles added to the schedule are a number of big hitters that have already bowed in Cannes or are just about to have their world premieres in Venice.

Park Chan-wook’s Cannes best director winner Decision to Leave is among the newly announced films getting a special gala screening, as is Noah Baumbach’s White Noise (which opened Venice on Wednesday night), Maria Schrader’s She Said, Florian Zeller’s The Son, Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, Chinonye Chukwu’s Till, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.

Meanwhile, special presentations will be given to Ali Abbasi’s Holy Spider, Michael Grandage’s My Policeman, Sally El Hoseini’s TIFF opener The Swimmers,...

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Locarno Film Festival. Oscilloscope releases the film in select theaters on Friday, August 25.

Using sci-fi to create a sexual allegory is a staple of body horror genre, just ask David Cronenberg. Now, let us introduce the body pleasure genre. No, not porn, but a character-driven drama in which personal and sexual growth synthesise in the name of erotic cinema.

Visual artist Ann Oren’s debut feature “Piaffe” fits this exact mold, following a meek introvert in Berlin who grows a horse’s tail and has a sexual awakening. Oren’s teasing style is the perfect route into the story. Shooting on 16mm, she mounts every scene by slowly, surely feeding in key details. In other words: she has a gift for both horseplay and foreplay.

Eva (Simone Bucio) is tasked with sound designing a commercial for a dubious mood-stabilizing drug after sister,...