News

Italian sales agent unveils Cannes market slate.

Italy’s Minerva Pictures has unveiled its Cannes Market slate which includes Ukrainian historical epic Dovbush as well as Italian family comedy And Suddenly it’s Christmas and Mexican thriller Black Minutes.

Dovbush is an action film directed by Oles Sanin about Oleksa Dovbush, a real-life 18th-century Robin Hood of sorts who formed a group of outlaws that robbed rich landowners in the Carpathian Mountains to give to poor Ukrainian villagers.

The film is set to be released in August after suffering substantial delays due to the Ukraine conflict. Potential buyers will be...

This is one of the best weekends for new indie releases in some time — a bit of space in theaters to run and audiences slowly, but increasingly, willing to return.

Focus Features’ The Outfit – the directorial debut of Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) — opens nationally on over 1,200 screens with Mark Rylance starring as a bespoke British tailor from London’s Savile Row. After a personal tragedy, he ends up running a tailor shop in a rough Chicago neighborhood making suits for the only people around who can afford them, a family of vicious gangsters.

The script is by Moore and Johnathan McClain. Also starring Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O’Brien, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Simon Russell Beale. It premiered in Berlin last month. Deadline review here.

Initially set for release Feb. 25, The Outfit occupies the slot vacated by Downtown Abbey: A New Era. In January, in the shadow of Omicron,...

A group of theatre owners from giant Regal to independent cinemas have signed on to screen Ukrainian director Oles Sanin’s 2014 feature film ‘The Guide’ starting Friday, with proceeds going to relief efforts for the war-stricken country. It’s not clear at how many locations, but the expanding list of national and regional chains that have […]...

A group of theater owners from giant Regal to independent cinemas have signed on to screen Ukrainian director Oles Sanin’s 2014 feature film The Guide starting Friday, with proceeds going to relief efforts for the war-ravaged country.

More Stories On Russia-Ukraine Conflict

It’s not clear at how many locations, but the expanding list of national and regional chains that have agreed to show the film includes Regal, National Amusements, Harkins, Landmark, Laemmele, Cinepolis, Malco Theatrers, the Angelika Group, B&b Theatres, Santikos Theatres, Cinemex, Xscape Theatres, Premiere Cinemas, Imagine of Canada, Celebration, Bow Tie Cinemas, Milgram Theatres and Mini Theatres.

About 100 independent cinemas also have committed. Organizers say that puts the number of participating theaters in the unspecified “hundreds” so far.

Sanin is currently locked down in Kyiv but provided a introduction, now attached, conveying the urgent need for assistance as Russian attacks intensify.

The Guide, which was Ukraine...

‘Numbers’ will be produced by Anna Palenchuk and directed by Tamara Trunova.

Plans for a film adaptation of jailed Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov’s play Numbers are to be presented at Odesa International Film Festival’s Film Industry Office’s (Fio) pitching forum next week.

Kiev-based producer Anna Palenchuk of 435 Films said she has been in regular correspondence with the imprisoned director to ask for instructions and remarks about both a new stage production and a film version of Numbers.

Sentsov is presently on hunger strike in a remote Arctic prison camp for eight weeks in protest at his...

This is certainly a futile suggestion, but President Trump should really watch Mark Jonathan Harris and Oles Sanin's documentary about the recent strife in Ukraine. Breaking Point: The War for Democracy in Ukraine powerfully chronicles the efforts of many of its citizens to battle the corruption and venality of their government and the incessant Russian aggression of both the military and propaganda variety. The film delivers a cautionary tale about Vladimir Putin that Trump would be well advised to absorb. But it also has subtitles, so never mind.

The three-time Academy Award-winning Harris (The Long Way Home, Into the Arms...

"I am fucking angry," Miroslav Slaboshpitsky told me over tortilla chips and Coca-Cola at Cabo Wabo, a tacky Mexican restaurant on the top story of the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles. Not exactly the dream place to meet the director of a film about a society of deaf criminal teens in Ukraine. It was AFI Fest and we were talking about why Slaboshpitsky's home country did not submit his extraordinary film "The Tribe" — which Drafthouse Films eagerly snapped up literally right after its 2014 Cannes Film Festival premiere — to the 2015 Academy Awards. Instead, the republic's Oscar committee went with Oles Sanin's patriotic "The Guide," "because it has ideology similar to Putin's Russia," said Slaboshpitsky, who claimed that of the nine committee members, only four deliberated over the nomination, and three were associated with "The Guide." "One of the judges on the committee was from the company doing...

Paramount's "Selma" from director Ava Duvernay is picking up steam this awards season. The Martin Luther King drama has been announced to be the opening night movie of the 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. The festival will close on Sunday, January 11 with the Us premiere of "Boychoir" from director Francois Girard. David Oyelowo, who plays the beloved King in "Selma," is also being honored at the fest with Breakthrough Performance Award, Actor.

Here's the complete press release which includes the list of Easter European movies in a program titled Eastern Promises:

Palm Springs, CA (December 16, 2014) . The 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will launch on Friday, January 2 with the opening night screening of the GoldenGlobe nominated Selma directed by Ava Duvernay. The Festival will wrap on Sunday, January 11 with the Us premiere of Boychoir directed by François Girard. New this year, the festival will focus on...

Selma and Boychoir will bookend the 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff), set to run from January 2-12.

For the first time, the festival will focus on 20 films from Eastern Europe in the strand called Eastern Promises.

The 20 films in Eastern Promises are:

Afterlife (Virág Zomborácz, Hungary);

Corn Island (George Ovashvili, Georgia);

Cowboys (Tomislav Mršić, Croatia);

Fair Play (Andrea Sedláčková, Czech Republic-Slovakia-Germany)

Ida (Pawel Pawlikowski, Poland);

In The Crosswind (Martti Helde, Estonia);

The Guide (Oles Sanin, Ukraine);

The Japanese Dog (Tudor Christian Jurgiu, Romania);

Kebab & Horoscope (Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov Grzegorz Jaroszuk, Poland);

The Lesson (Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov Bulgaria-Greece);

Mirage (Szabolcs Hajdu, Hungary-Slovakia);

No One’s Child (Vuk Ršumović, Serbia-Croatia);

The Reaper (Zvonimir Juric, Croatia-Slovenia);

Rocks In My Pockets (Signe Baumane, Latvia);

See You In Montevideo (Dragan Bjelogrlic, Serbia);

Tangerines (Zaza Urushadze, Estonia);

These Are The Rules (Ognjen Svilicic, Croatia-France-Serbia);

Three Windows And A Hanging (Isa Qosja, Kosovo);

The...

The Palm Springs International Film Festival has increasingly become an important stop on the awards calendar for foreign language films. While the desert fest hands out an international critics prize, it’s more about the filmmakers getting a chance to rub shoulders with Academy members just before nominations ballots are due. The upcoming 26th annual fest is running January 2-12 and has announced the movies that will compete for the Fipresci prize in its Awards Buzz section. Fifty of the 83 official submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar are on the list with the titles chosen believed by festival programmers to be the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards race. A special jury of international film critics will screen the films and hand out a Fipresci for an individual title as well as Best Actor and Best Actress. While the fest doesn’t always match the eventual Oscar winner,...

The organisers of the 26th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) will screen 50 of the 83 foreign-language Oscar submissions.

A jury of international film critics will be convened to bestow the Fipresci Award for best foreign language film of the year, as well as best actor and best actress in this category.

Further film programmes will be announced in the coming weeks. Psiff is set to run from January 2-12.

The Awards Buzz selections in alphabetical order of country are:

A Few Cubic Meters Of Love (Afghanistan), Jamshid Mahmoudi:

Wild Tales (Argentina), Damián Szifrón;

Charlie’s Country (Australia), Rolf de Heer;

The Dark Valley (Austria), Andreas Prochaska;

Nabat (Azerbaijan), Elchin Musaoglu;

Two Days, One Night (Belgium-France-Italy), Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne;

The Way He Looks (Brazil), Daniel Ribeiro;

Mommy (Canada), Xavier Dolan;

To Kill A Man (Chile), Alejandro Fernández Almendras;

The Nightingale (China), Philippe Muyl;

Mateo (Colombia), Maria Gamboa;

Cowboys (Croatia), Tomislav Mršić;

Behavior (Cuba), Director [link=nm...

Every year Hollywood gets a curated batch of films from dozens of countries seeking an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. One film per nation is chosen to represent the best of its cinematic production during the previous year. Certainly the chosen film is not always the ideal candidate, but the reasoning behind the selection usually follows two patterns: there are countries that go with the best film even if this is not the most appealing choice and there are countries that go with the most ambitious, industry-friendly, and financially successful work. This year the astonishing number of submissions – a total of 83 – makes for an incredible list of films that range from those that sport festival pedigree of the highest caliber, unknown gems looking for an audience, expensive visual achievements, and obscure art house hopefuls.

This year more than most, there are a great number of films with serious possibilities. There is no unshakable front-runner, but there are numerous favorites. Yet, looking at last year’s 9 shortlisted films and eventual 5 nominees, nothing is written in stone. Critics and audience favorites like “ The Past” (Iran), “Gloria” (Chile), “Heli” (Mexico), and “Wadjda” (Saudi Arabia) were left out to include surprises like “The Missing Picture“ (Cambodia), “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker” (Bosnia & Herzegovina) or “The Notebook” (Hungary).

With Awards Season now in full swing and knowing that this is one of the most difficult races to follow, here is a comprehensive list that includes information for each of the 83 submissions. Below each poster you will find the title of the film linked to its page on IMDb Pro followed by the title in the original language; the director’s name also linked to his/her IMDb Page; the language the film is primarily in; the name of the U.S. distributor if there is one; the name of the film’s International Sales Agent (Isa) or Production Company (PC) linked to the film’s page on Cinando; and a link to the film’s trailer (most of them have English subtitles, others are only in the original language, and a few are videos related to the film because a trailer wasn't available). In addition, reviews and interviews with many of these filmmakers will be added regularly.

Before getting into the list, let’s take a look at some of the statistics and patterns among these 83 foreign language features.

Period Dramas/Biopics

Several countries selected films based on the lives of prominent local figures or great period pieces, both showcase the level of films being produced across the globe in terms of production value and scope. Mexico’s “Cantinflas,” Venezuela’s “The Liberator,” Kyrgyzstan “Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains,” Bolivia’s “Forgotten,” Indonesia’s “Soekarno,” Greece’s “Little England,” Macedonia’s “To the Hilt,” Hong Kong’s “The Golden Era,” Austria’s “The Dark Valley,” Switzerland’s “The Circle,” Bulgaria’s “Bulgarian Rhapsody,” Serbia’s “ See You in Montevideo,” Slovakia’s “A Step Into the Dark” and New Zealand’s “The Dead Lands” are some of the most expensive films ever made in their respective territories. All of them are epic productions that highlight an important historical period using impressive cinematography, a great number of extras, intricate costumes, lavish locations, detailed production design, as well as great battle sequences in several of them. Other more traditional biopics/period pieces on the list include France’s “Saint Laurent,” The Netherlands “ Accused,” Germany’s “Beloved Sisters,” Spain’s “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed” and the Czech Republic’s “Fair Play”

Masters and Festival Winners

Not surprisingly many of the films on the list come into this race after winning important awards at international festivals. Furthermore, a handful of them are from master filmmakers, masters in the making, or unique new voices. These films include Belgium’s “Two Days, One Night” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff, Nyff, AFI Fest) by the Dardenne Brothers, Canada’s “Mommy” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff, AFI Fest) by prodigy Xavier Dolan, Chile’s “To Kill a Man” (Sundance, Rotterdam, Cartagena) by Alejandro Fernandez Almendras, Hungary's "White God" (Cannes) by Kornél Mundruczó, Norway’s “1001 Grams” (Tiff) by Bent Hamer, Poland’s “Ida”(Tiff, Sundance) by Pawel Pawlikowski, Russia’s “Leviathan” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff, AFI Fest) by Andrey Zvyagintsev, Sweden’s “Force Majeure” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff) by Ruben Östlund, and Turkey’s “ Winter Sleep” (Cannes, Telluride, Tiff) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. All of these films have played at renowned international festivals and most have earned important recognition there.

Out of the Box

Whether they are aware of their actual possibilities at a nomination or not, each year a few countries take the risk of sending a film that defies convention despite having more safe choices. But that is not say they are entirely out of the race, films like “The Missing Picture” and “Dogtooth” prove that sometimes there is room for daring and unique filmmaking. With “Rocks in My Pockets” Latvia is the only country to submit an animated film this year. The film is an inventive and colorful look at depression. Then there is the almost-silent and highly poetic Ecuadorian entry “Silence in Dreamland” and Singapore’s musically driven drama “Sayang Disayang.” However, the boldest selection has to be the Philippines’ “Norte, the End of History” by acclaimed auteur Lav Diaz, which runs over four hours and is inspired by Dostoyevsky Crime and Punishment.

Documentaries

Only two countries chose to go with non-fiction entries. One of them is Panama’s “Invasion,” which deals with the aftermath of the U.S. intervention in that country in 1989. This is the Central American nation’s first ever Oscar submission. The other documentary contending is Portugal’s “ What Now? Remind Me,“ a self-portrait by filmmaker Joaquim Pinto exploring his struggles living with HIV. One should note that Portugal is one of the few countries in Western Europe to have never obtained a nomination in the category despite entering films consecutively for several decades.

Lgbt

Films with stories that highlight sexual diversity occasionally make their way into this list. Last year the only Lgbt title submitted was “ Soongava: Dance of the Orchids,” which surprisingly came from Nepal and dealt with the relationship between two young women in the traditional Asian society. This time around two countries selected films with similar themes. Brazil’s festival darling “ The Way He Looks” – a sweet coming-of-age tale- was an audacious choice among the many other films the South American country produces every year. Then there is Switzerland’s “The Circle” about a pioneering gay publication during the 1940s/1950s in Zurich and the real life relationship between two of its prominent members.

Surprising Choices

As it usually happens, some countries go against what the industry expects and decide to send films that weren’t on most people’s radars. Bulgaria for example selected “Bulgarian Rhapsody” by veteran director Ivan Nitchev over Sundance’s “Viktoria” by young female director Maya Vitkova. Similarly, Ukraine overlooked Cannes favorite “The Tribe”- a powerful drama entirely in sign language - and decided to go with “The Guide” by Oles Sanin. Nevertheless, the most shocking decision came from China. Instead of selecting a Chinese-directed film like Berlin’s Golden Bear winner “Black Coal, Thin Ice” or Zhang Yimou’s “Coming Home,” the Chinese selection committee chose “The Nightingale” by French director Philippe Muyl. Despite having a European helmer the film is authentically Chinese in terms of language and story, but it was still an unexpected move from the traditionally patriotic country.

First Timers

The unprecedented number of entries is in part due to the addition of countries submitting for the first time. Besides aforementioned Panama, there are three other debutant nations in the mix. Kosovo- a tiny Balkan state often associated with the rampart war that afflicted the region a few decades ago - is finally showcasing its film production. Their entry titled “Three Windows and a Hanging” is said to be a high quality, affecting drama. Malta - a European island nation near Italy - is often used as astonishing location for big budget studio films. This year, however, “ Simshar,” a great immigration drama will represent the country. Lastly, Mauritania – a prominently Muslim nation in Sub-Saharan Africa – selected Abderrahmane Sissako’s “Timbuktu,”which played in competition at Cannes,as their inaugural submission. Although Sissako has had several successful films at international festivals, this is the first time his country decides to participate.

Female Directors

Out of the 83 films, 14 were directed by women. That’s 17% of all entries. What’s more interesting is the fact that some of these films come from countries that are often seen as traditionally patriarchal societies. 3 Latin American entries were created by female directors: Colombia’s “Mateo,” Costa Rica’s “Red Princesses” and the Dominican Republic’s “Cristo Rey.” 4 from Asia: Hong Kong’s “ The Golden Era,” India’s “Liar’s Dice,” Japan’s “The Light Shines Only There,” and Pakistan’s “Dukhtar.” 2 from the Middle East: Israel’s “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” (Co-directed) and Palestine’s “Eyes of a Thief.” Lastly, 5 films from Europe: The Czech Republic’s “Fair Play,” Finland’s “Concrete Night,” Latvia’s “ Rocks in My Pockets,” Malta’s “Simshar” and the Netherlands’ “Accused.”

U.S. Distribution

Another interesting fact is the number of these films that already have U.S. distribution. Several of them have actually already opened theatrically here, and others are set to open early next year. Out 83 films, 24 already have U.S. distribution. That’s 29% of all films. Hopefully that number increases by the end of the season. The films are: Argentina’s “Wild Tales,” Austria’s “The Dark Valley,” Belgium’s “Two Days, One Night,” Brazil’s “The Way He Looks,” Canada’s “Mommy,” Chile’s “To Kill a Man,” France’s “Saint Laurent,” Germany’s “Beloved Sisters,” Hungary’s “White God,” Israel’s “ Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem,” Italy’s “Human Capital,” Latvia’s “Rocks in My Pockets,” Mauritania’s “Timbuktu,” Mexico’s “Cantinflas,” Norway’s “1001 Grams,” The Philippines “Norte, the End of History,” Poland’s “Ida,” Portugal's "What Now? Remind Me," Russia’s “Leviathan,” Spain’s “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed,” Sweden’s “Force Majeure,” Switzerland’s “The Circle,” Turkey’s “Winter Sleep,” and Venezuela’s “ The Liberator.”

To see which distribution company has each of these films please refer to the list below.

Afghanistan

"A Few Cubic Meters of Love" (چند متر مکعب عشق)

Dir: Jamshid Mahmoudi

Language: Persian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Dreamlab Films

Trailer

Argentina

"Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)

Dir: Damián Szifrón

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

Isa: Film Factory Entertainment

Trailer

Austria

"The Dark Valley" (Das finstere Tal)

Dir: Andreas Prochaska

Language: German

U.S Distribution: Film Movement

Isa: Films Distribution

Trailer

Australia

"Charlie's Country"

Dir: Rolf de Heer

Language: Yolŋu Matha/English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Visit Films

Trailer

Azerbaijan

"Nabat"

Dir: Elcin Musaoglu

Language: Azerbaijani

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Dreamlab Films

Trailer

Bangladesh

"Glow of the Firefly" (Jonakir Alo)

Dir: Khalid Mahmood Mithu

Language: Bengali

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Impress Telefilm

Trailer

Belgium

"Two Days, One Night" (Deux jours, une nuit)

Dir: Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne

Language: French/Arabic

U.S Distribution: Sundance Selects

Isa: Wild Bunch

Trailer

Bolivia

"Forgotten" (Olvidados)

Dir: Carlos Bolado

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Flor de Loto Pictures

Trailer

Bosnia & Herzegovina

"With Mom" (Sa mamom)

Dir: Faruk Loncarevic

Language: Bosnian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Scca/pro.ba

TraileR

Brazil

"The Way He Looks" (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)

Dir: Daniel Ribeiro

Language: Portuguese

U.S Distribution: Strand Releasing

Isa: Films Boutique Trailer

Bulgaria

"Bulgarian Rhapsody" (българска рапсодия)

Dir: Ivan Nitchev

Language: Bulgarian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Cinepaz Eood

Trailer

Canada

"Mommy"

Dir: Xavier Dolan

Language: French/English

U.S Distribution: Roadside Attractions

Isa: Seville International

Trailer

Chile

"To Kill a Man" (Matar a un Hombre)

Dir: Alejandro Fernández Almendras

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: Film Movement

Isa: Film Factory Entertainment

Trailer

China

"The Nightingale" (夜莺/Le promeneur d'oiseau)

Dir: Philippe Muyl

Language: Mandarin

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Kinology

Trailer

Colombia

"Mateo"

Dir: Maria Gamboa ♀

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Alpha Violet

Trailer

Costa Rica

"Red Princesses" (Princesas Rojas)

Dir: Laura Astorga ♀

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Latido Films Trailer

Croatia

"Cowboys" (Kauboji)

Dir: Tomislav Mrsic

Language: Croatian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Wide

Trailer

Cuba

"Behavior" (Conducta)

Dir: Ernesto Daranas

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Latido Films

Trailer

Czech Republic

"Fair Play"

Dir: Andrea Sedlácková Andrea Sedlácková

Language: Czech

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: IntraMovies

Trailer

Denmark

"Sorrow and Joy" (Sorg og glæde)

Dir: Nils Malmros

Language: Danish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Nordisk Film Production

Trailer

Dominican Republic

"Cristo Rey"

Dir: Leticia Tonos ♀

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: The Little Film Company

Trailer

Ecuador

"Silence in Dreamland" (El Silencio en la Tierra de los Sueños)

Dir: Tito Molina

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: La Facultad

Trailer

Egypt

"Factory Girl" (فتاة المصنع )

Dir: Mohamed Khan

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: DayDream Art Production

Trailer

Estonia

"Tangerines" (Mandariinid)

Dir: Zaza Urushadze

Language: Estonian/Russian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Cinemavault

Trailer

Ethiopia

"Difret"

Dir: Zeresenay Mehari

Language: Amharic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Films Boutique Trailer

Finland

"Concrete Night" (Betoniyö)

Dir: Pirjo Honkasalo ♀

Language: Finnish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Film Republic Trailer

France

"Saint Laurent"

Dir: Bertrand Bonello

Language: French

U.S Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

Isa: Europacorp

Trailer

Georgia

"Corn Island" (სიმინდის კუნძული)

Dir: George Ovashvili

Language: Georgian/Abkhazian/Russian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Arizona Productions

Trailer

Germany

"Beloved Sisters" (Die geliebten Schwestern)

Dir: Dominik Graf

Language: German /French

U.S Distribution: Music Box Films

Isa: Global Screen

Trailer

Greece

"Little England" (Μικρά Αγγλία)

Dir: Pantelis Voulgaris

Language: Greek

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Black Orange

Trailer

Hong Kong

"The Golden Era" (黄金时代)

Dir: Ann Hui ♀

Language: Mandarin

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Edko Films

Trailer

Hungary

"White God" (Fehér isten)

Dir: Kornél Mundruczó

Language: Hungarian/English

U.S Distribution: Magnolia Pictures

Isa: The Match Factory

Trailer

Iceland

"Life in a Fishbowl" (Vonarstræti)

Dir: Baldvin Zophoníasson

Language: None Yet

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Films Boutique Trailer

India

"Liar's Dice" (लायर्स डाइस)

Dir: Geethu Mohandas ♀

Language: Hindi

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Jar Pictures Trailer

Indonesia

"Soekarno"

Dir: Hanung Bramantyo

Language: Indonesian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Mvp Pictures

Trailer

Iran

"Today" (امروز )

Dir: Reza Mirkarimi

Language: Persian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Dreamlab Films

Trailer

Iraq

"Mardan"

Dir: Batin Ghobadi

Language: Kurdish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Versatile Trailer

Ireland

"The Gift" (An Bronntanas)

Dir: Tom Collins

Language: Irish/English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Rosg/De Facto Films

Trailer

Israel

"Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem" (Gett: Le Procès de Viviane Amsalem)

Dir: Ronit Elkabetz ♀ & Shlomi Elkabetz

Language: Hebrew/French/Arabic

U.S Distribution: Music Box Films

Isa: Films Distribution

Trailer

Italy

"Human Capital" (Il Capitale Umano)

Dir: Paolo Virzì

Language: Italian

U.S Distribution: Film Movement

PC: Indiana Production Company

Trailer

Japan

"The Light Shines Only There" (そこのみにて光輝く)

Dir: Mipo Oh ♀

Language: Japanese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Open Sesame

Trailer

Kosovo

"Three Windows and a Hanging" (Tri Dritare dhe një Varje)

Dir: Isa Qosja

Language: Albanian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: CMb Productions

Trailer

Kyrgyzstan

"Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains" (Курманжан Датка)

Dir: Sadyk Sher-Niyaz

Language: Kirghiz

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Aitysh Film

Trailer

Latvia

"Rocks in My Pockets" (Akmeņi manās kabatās)

Dir: Signe Baumane ♀

Language: Latvian

U.S Distribution: Zeitgeist Films

Isa: New Europe Film Sales

Trailer

Lebanon

"Ghadi" (غدي)

Dir: Amin Dora

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Fortissimo Films

Trailer

Lithuania

"The Gambler" (Lošėjas)

Dir: Ignas Jonynas

Language: Lithuanian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Wide

Trailer

Luxembourg

"Never Die Young"

Dir: Pol Cruchten

Language: French

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: EastWest Distribution

Trailer

MacEdonia

"To the Hilt" (До балчак)

Dir: Stole Popov

Language: Macedonian/French/English/ Turkish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Triangle Film- Skopje

Trailer

Malta

"Simshar"

Dir: Rebecca Cremona ♀

Language: Maltese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Kukumajsa Productions

Trailer

Mauritania

"Timbuktu"

Dir: Abderrahmane Sissako

Language: French/Arabic/Bambara/English/Songhay/Tamasheq

U.S Distribution: Cohen Media Group

Isa: Le Pacte

Trailer

Mexico

"Cantinflas"

Dir: Sebastian del Amo

Language: Spanish/English

U.S Distribution: Pantelion Films

Isa: 6 Sales

Trailer

Moldova

"The Unsaved" (La Limita de Jos a Cerului)

Dir: Igor Cobileanski

Language: Romanian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Insomnia World Sales Trailer

Montenegro

"The Boys from Marx and Engels Street" (Djecaci iz ulice Marksa i Engelsa)

Dir: Nikola Vukcevic

Language: Serbian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Artikulacija Production

Trailer

Morocco

"The Red Moon" (القمر الأحمر)

Dir: Hassan Benjelloun

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Bentaqerla

Trailer

Nepal

"Jhola" (झोला)

Dir: Yadav Kumar Bhattarai

Language: Nepali

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Media for Culture

Trailer

The Netherlands

"Accused" (Lucia de B.)

Dir: Paula van der Oest ♀

Language: Dutch

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Fortissimo Films

Trailer

New Zealand

"The Dead Lands"

Dir: Toa Fraser

Language: Maori

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Xyz Films

Trailer

Norway

"1001 Grams" (1001 Gram)

Dir: Bent Hamer

Language: Norwegian/French/ English

U.S Distribution: Kino Lorber

Isa: Les Films du Losange

Trailer

Pakistan

"Dukhtar" (دختر، بیٹی)

Dir: Afia Nathaniel ♀

Language: Urdu

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Zambeel Films

Trailer

Palestine

"Eyes of a Thief" (عيون الحراميه)

Dir: Najwa Najjar ♀

Language: Arabic

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Ustura Films Trailer

Panama

"Invasion" (Invasión)

Dir: Abner Benaim

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Apertura Films Trailer

Peru

"The Gospel of the Flesh" (El Evangelio de la Carne)

Dir: Eduardo Mendoza de Echave

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: La Soga Producciones

Trailer

The Philippines

"Norte, the End of History" (Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan)

Dir: Lav Diaz

Language: Tagalog/English

U.S Distribution: The Cinema Guild

Isa: M-Appeal World Sales

Trailer

Poland

"Ida"

Dir: Pawel Pawlikowski

Language: Polish

U.S Distribution: Music Box Films

Isa: Portobello Film Sales

Trailer

Portugal

"What Now? Remind Me" (E Agora? Lembra-me)

Dir: Joaquim Pinto

Language: Portuguese

U.S Distribution: The Cinema Guild

PC: C.R.I.M Productions

Trailer

Romania

"The Japanese Dog" (Câinele Japonez)

Dir: Tudor Cristian Jurgiu

Language: Romanian/Japanese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: M-Appeal World Sales

Trailer

Russia

"Leviathan" (Левиафан)

Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev

Language: Russian

U.S Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics

Isa: Pyramide International

Trailer

Serbia

"See You in Montevideo" (Montevideo, vidimo se!)

Dir: Dragan Bjelogrlic

Language: Serbian/Spanish/ English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Intermedia Network

Trailer

Singapore

"Sayang Disayang"

Dir: Sanif Olek

Language: Malay/Indonesian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: ReelJuice

Trailer

Slovakia

"A Step Into the Dark" (Krok do tmy)

Dir: Miloslav Luther

Language: Slovak

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Trigon Production Trailer

Slovenia

"Seduce Me" (Zapelji me)

Dir: Marko Santic

Language: Slovenian

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Radio-Television Slovenia

Trailer

South Africa

"Elelwani"

Dir: Ntshaveni Wa Luruli

Language: Venda

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: EastWest FilmDistribution

Trailer

South Korea

"Haemoo" (해무)

Dir: Sung Bo Shim

Language: Korean

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Finecut

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Spain

"Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed" (Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados)

Dir: David Trueba

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: Outsider Pictures

Isa: 6 Sales

Trailer

Sweden

"Force Majeure" (Turist)

Dir: Ruben Östlund

Language: Swedish/English

U.S Distribution: Magnolia Pictures

Isa: Coproduction Office (Paris)

Trailer

Switzerland

"The Circle" (Der Kreis)

Dir: Stefan Haupt

Language: Swiss German/ German/ French

U.S Distribution: Wolfe Video

Isa: Wide House

Trailer

Taiwan

"Ice Poison" (冰毒)

Dir: Midi Z.

Language: Burmese/Chinese

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Flash Forward Enterteinment

Trailer

Thailand

"The Teacher's Diary" (คิดถึงวิทยา)

Dir: Nithiwat Tharathorn

Language: Thai

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Gth

Trailer

Turkey

"Winter Sleep" (Kis uykusu)

Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Language: Turkish/English

U.S Distribution: Adopt Films

Isa: Memento Films International

Trailer

Ukraine

"The Guide" (Поводир)

Dir: Oles Sanin

Language: Ukrainian/Russia/English

U.S Distribution: None Yet

PC: Pronto Film

Trailer

United Kingdom

"Little Happiness" (Uzun Yol)

Dir: Nihat Seven

Language: Turkish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: 7&7 Producers' Sales Services

Trailer

Uruguay

"Mr. Kaplan"

Dir: Álvaro Brechner

Language: Spanish

U.S Distribution: None Yet

Isa: Memento Films International

Trailer

Venezuela

"The Liberator" (Libertador)

Dir: Alberto Arvelo

Language: Spanish/English/ French

U.S Distribution: Cohen Media Group

Isa: Mundial

Trailer...

St Petersburg International Media Forum closes inaugural edition with world premiere of Serena.

Francois Ozon’s latest feature The New Girlfriend was voted as the Best of the Fest by the audience at the inaugural edition of the St Petersburg International Media Forum (Spimf) which closed on Friday evening with the world premiere of Susanne Bier’s Serena, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

However, neither director Bier, nor any of the talent were in St Petersburg for the film, which Volgafilm will be releasing in Russian cinemas on October 30.

Although there was no formal competition for Spimf’s film programme, a jury of local film critics was formed to give awards for what they regarded as the best film and TV series showing in the 2014 line-up.

Australian film-maker Anna Broinowsky’s documentary Aim High In Creation, which screened in the Kor-kor sidebar about North Korean cinema, was named best film, while the Press...

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A record 83 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards. Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama are first-time entrants.

The 2014 submissions are:

Afghanistan, “A Few Cubic Meters of Love,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;

Argentina, “Wild Tales,” Damián Szifrón, director;

Australia, “Charlie’s Country,” Rolf de Heer, director;

Austria, “The Dark Valley,” Andreas Prochaska, director;

Azerbaijan, “Nabat,” Elchin Musaoglu, director;

Bangladesh, “Glow of the Firefly,” Khalid Mahmood Mithu, director;

Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, directors;

Bolivia, “Forgotten,” Carlos Bolado, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “With Mom,” Faruk Lončarevič, director;

Brazil, “The Way He Looks,” Daniel Ribeiro, director;

Bulgaria, “Bulgarian Rhapsody,” Ivan Nitchev, director;

Canada, “Mommy,” Xavier Dolan, director;

Chile, “To Kill a Man,” Alejandro Fernández Almendras, director;

China, “The Nightingale,” Philippe Muyl, director;

Colombia, “Mateo,” María Gamboa, director;

Costa Rica, “Red Princesses,” Laura Astorga Carrera, director;

Croatia, “Cowboys,” Tomislav Mršić,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Thursday the final submissions for the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th annual Academy Awards. A record 83 countries have entered a film for consideration, including Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania, and Panama for the first time. Notable selections include Xavier Dolan's Canadian drama Mommy, a favorite at this year's Cannes, Sweden's Force Majeure, and the Russian retelling of the Book of Job, Leviathan, winner of the Best Screenplay award at Cannes. Nominations will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 15, ahead of the live telecast on ABC Sunday, Feb. 22, from Hollywood. Last...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the list of submissions for the 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. According to the Academy's press release, a record 83 countries have submitted films for consideration, including first-timers Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania, and Panama. Now, if only all those movies were made available for online viewing — or at least on DVD (outside of their respective countries). The 2015 Oscar nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, at 5:30 a.m. Pt in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 2015 Oscar ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 22, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. In the United States, the Oscarcast will be televised live by ABC; additionally, the Oscars will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide. See below the full list of 2015 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submissions. Afghanistan, A Few Cubic Meters of Love,...

The Academy has announced the complete list of 2015 Foreign Language Oscar contenders for the 2015 Oscar awards and again its a new record, topping last year's record 76 submissions, this year the list reaches 83 total submissions. Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama are first-time entrants. I've seen a few more on the list than I did last year and I actually have to assume with the buzz from those I've seen they may end up being major players. I'm particularly happy to see Xavier Dolan's Mommy in the field from Canada and it's great seeing the hilarious Wild Tales submitted by Argentina. The Russian submission of Leviathan (Leviafan) came, I think, as a bit of a surprise to everyone considering its subject matter, which could be looked at as critical of its native country. The Dardennes' Two Days, One Night has received a lot of acclaim everywhere it has played and we...

The Academy has received a record 83 submissions for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar.

Last year, a record 76 countries submitted features and the eventual winner was Italian entry The Great Beauty, directed by Paolo Sorrentino.

Nine finalists will be shortlisted, which will be whittled down to five nominees that will be announced on Jan 15, 2015.

The awards ceremony will be held on Feb 22, 2015 in the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood.

The 2014 submissions are (in alphabetical order of country):

Afghanistan, A Few Cubic Meters Of Love, Jamshid Mahmoudi

Argentina, Wild Tales, Damián Szifrón

Australia, Charlie’s Country, Rolf de Heer

Austria, The Dark Valley, Andreas Prochaska

Azerbaijan, Nabat, Elchin Musaoglu

Bangladesh, Glow Of The Firefly, Khalid Mahmood Mithu

Belgium, Two Days, One Night, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne

Bolivia, Forgotten, Carlos Bolado

Bosnia and Herzegovina, With Mom, Faruk Lončarevič

Brazil, The Way He Looks, Daniel Ribeiro

Bulgaria, Bulgarian Rhapsody, Ivan Nitchev

Canada, Mommy, Xavier Dolan

Chile, To Kill A...

Keeping track of the Foreign Language submissions for the Oscars each year is something I constantly forget to keep on top of, but I have just done a full update as we are now up to 56 total submissions, only 20 shy of last year's record-breaking 76 submissions with only eight days to go before the October 1 submission deadline. Notable new entries on the list include Belguim's submission of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's festival favorite Two Days, One Night as well as Canada submitting Xavier Dolan's Mommy, which knocked the socks of Cannes audiences and did the same to me in Toronto this year (read my review here). It should also be noted France has submitted Bertrand Bonello's Saint Laurent instead of last year's buzzy title Blue is the Warmest Color, which missed the release date cut off date last year, making it eligible for this year's Oscars, but the...

Next Tuesday, Sept. 30 is the cut-off date for contenders in the Best Foreign Language Film category to be released in their home countries. Slowly but surely all corners of the globe have been declaring their participants, and as these things go, it's been a relatively drama-free build so far. Ok, there have been a couple of eyebrow raisers. Bulgaria's submission, for instance, caused quite a stir some weeks back when Ivan Nichev's "Bulgarian Rhapsody" got the call. The director being a member of the Bulgarian National Film Council that made the choice, as well as the fact that the film has barely been seen (ergo globally vetted) outside of Bulgaria, caused many in the region to speak up. An online petition was even launched to protest the picture's submission and outdated representation of the Bulgaria's film culture. Favorites for the selection in the lead-ip included Maya Vitkova's Sundance...

Entries for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards 2015.

Submissions for the Best Foreign-Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards are coming in and will continue until October, when the full list of eligible submissions will be revealed.

Last year, a record 76 countries submitted features and the eventual winner was Italian entry The Great Beauty, directed by Paolo Sorrentino.

This year’s nominations must be submitted by Oct 1.

Nine finalists will be shortlisted, which will be whittled down to five nominees that will be announced on Jan 15, 2015.

The awards ceremony will be held on Feb 22, 2015 in the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood.

Afghanistan, A Few Cubic Meters of Love, Jamshid Mahmoudi

Austria, The Dark Valley, Andreas Prochaska

Bolivia, Olvidados, Carlos Bolado

Brazil, The Way He Looks, Daniel Ribeiro

Bulgaria, Bulgarian Rhapsody, Ivan Nitchev

Chile, To Kill a Man, Alejandro Fernández Almendras

Colombia, Mateo, Maria Gamboa

Croatia, Cowboys, Tomislav Mršić

Czech Republic, Fair Play, Andrea...

China is the latest country to secure a local version of Rising Star. Keshet International said Thursday that it has sold the singing competition format to Enlight Media China in a two-season deal for 30 episodes. The program will air on state-run China Central Television’s CCTV-3 channel. “We are excited about this format because of its cross-platform and interactive features, which are things that have never been seen before in Chinese television,” said CCTV-3 Program Director Wen Ha. Keshet has sold Rising Star in more than 30 territories since its launch at Mipcom 2013, including the U.S., Brazil, Russia and France. Beijing Century Media assisted with the Chinese deal process.

The Ukrainian Oscar Committee has named director Oles Sanin’s nationalist period drama The Guide as the country’s official entry for the Foreign Language Film Oscar race. The choice raised eyebrows in international film circles because the nod was expected to go to The Tribe,...

The director and producer of an award-winning Ukrainian film that failed to gain the country's nomination for the foreign language Oscar category have issued formal complaints alleging irregularities in the voting process. Miroslav Slaboshpitsky says his film, The Tribe -- a film about teenage deaf sign-language users with little or no spoken dialog that has already sold to North America --  better represents national cinematography than what was nominated, Oles Sanin's The Guide. Slaboshpitsky claims three members of The Guide's production team were involved in a decision that was shrouded in mystery and made by too few members of the committee. In

read more...

Ukraine's nomination for best foreign language Oscar, Oles Sanin's The Guide, is an emotionally patriotic film set in the 1930s but reflects more contemporary concerns. Built around the story of a boy who witnesses the murder of his American engineer father (played by U.S actor Jeff Burrell) by Stalin's secret police, the film is set against the background of the suppression of rural "kulaks" -- wealthy farmers -- and the Soviet-engineered famine that left as many as 10 million peasants dead from starvation. When the boy (played by half Ukrainian Michigan-born Anton Sviatoslav Greene) flees, he is saved by

read more...

Speaking at the Odessa Film Festival the producer of Sergey Mokritsky’s war drama Unbroken said that the project had now completed principal photography.

20th Century Fox and Universal are among the Us majors ¨in talks¨ to take on worldwide distribution for Sergey Mokritsky’s € 3.7m biopic/war drama Unbroken.

Speaking at this week’s Works in Progress showcase at the Odessa Film Industry Office, producer Egor Olesov of Kiev-based Kinorob said that the Ukrainian-Russian co-production - which had previously previously gone under the working title of The Battle Of Sevastopol - completed principal photography in Kiev on last Tuesday (July 15).

Expected to be a blockbuster success in Ukraine, the film recounts the story of student Lyudmila Pavilchenko who was a legendary sniper during the Second World War with 309 shots to her credit and later became friends with the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

In an interview with Russia’s Ria-Novosti , producer Natalia Mokritskaya said that the film...

New films by Krzysztof Zanussi, Merab Kokochashvili and Jan Cvitkovic are among the projects from Eastern Europe being presented at platforms in Warsaw, Brindisi and Cottbus in the coming weeks.

The CentEast Warsaw-Moscow initiative will be presenting nine ‘works in progress’ from Eastern Europe on October 18 as part of Warsaw Film Festival’s CentEast Market.

The showcase will then be repeated two days later on October 20 in Moscow as part of Project For Tomorrow and, in a new development, during the Beijing Film Market next April.

The nine ‘works in progress’ include:

veteran Polish film-maker Krzysztof Zanussi’s new feature the Polish-Italian-Russian co-production Foreign Body;

Ukrainian Oles Sanin’s $2m historical drama The Guide, previously presented at Odessa’s industry platform in July;

Alexander Mitta’s art film Chagall-Malevich, which is being handled internationally by Intercinema and was given a special promo-reel screening in Venice;

Romanian Dan Chisu’s sixth feature Bucharest Nonstop about four interconnected stories...

Ukrainian films will come under the spotlight at the 4th edition of the Odessa Film Festival, which runs July 12-20.

A total of 19 new Ukrainian projects, at various stages of production, will be presented during the festival in partnership with the Ukrainian State Film Agency including Kira Muratova’s Eternal Homecoming and the first Ukranian 3D horror movie Synevir.

10 Ukrainian projects will compete for a cash prize of $3,250 (€2,500) as part of the Oiff pitching session. These will include Stepne, the debut feature of Marina Vroda who won the Short Film Palme d’Or in Cannes, and crime comedy Pawnshop directed by Lubomyr Levitskiy.

Meanwhile as part of the Work-in-Progress section, clips from nine Ukrainian films or co-productions at the post production stage will be presented.

Pitching Session Projects

The Porcupine

UK, Serbia, Bulgaria, Roumania, Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Ukraine

Director: Srdjan Dragojevic

Battle For Sevastopol

Ukraine, Russia

Director: Sergey Mokritskiy

Volcano

Germany, France, Ukraine...