News

Powerhouse production and distribution outfit Fremantle and Brazilian public broadcaster Globo are teaming on the new drama “Crime Inc,” which is being developed and produced by Mixer Films and Fremantle. Globo will distribute the show in Brazil via its Globoplay platform, with Fremantle taking rights to the rest of the world.

The series turns on Vagner and his father, Marquinhos, a leader of a Rio de Janeiro mafia family. Intergenerational infighting about succession within the organization puts everyone on edge, and young Vagner is willing to do anything to become the first Black leader of the group after his father retires.

“We are very excited about this series,” said Mixer Films president João Daniel Tikhomiroff. “A fiction inspired by true events, full of conflicts and twists, with a strong cinematic narrative. Fremantle and Globo, together with Mixer Films, will produce a series that will put the audience on the edge of their seats.

The New York African Film Festival begins Today New Yorkers, and the 2011 lineup is an impressive one!

Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.

Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.

New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...

The New York African Film Festival begins tomorrow New Yorkers, and the 2011 lineup is an impressive one!

Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.

Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s explosive Viva Riva!, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and swept the African Movie Academy Awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and dug it! Read me review Here.

New Yorkers will also get to see Besouro (a Shadow And Act Film...

Besouro was a Shadow And Act Film Find feature in 2009, with a trailer that thrilled just about everyone who saw it – or at least, peaked interest. So, we’ve been on this one for awhile now, and you’ve had a few opportunities to watch it over the last 2 years, notably when I posted the full film on this blog back in February of last year. I think it was up and available for a week or so.

And if you didn’t see it when I posted it, and you live in (or will be in) New York City next month (April), you’ll have 3 more opportunities to catch Besouro in a theater, on a large screen, as it was meant to be seen.

Specifically, first, on April 7th and 9th, at the New York African Film Festival at Lincoln Center; and then again on April 17th at the Museum Of The Moving Image,...

The New York African Film Festival has announced its 2011 lineup, and it’s an impressive one! I’m excited, and hopefully you will be too, especially if you live in New York.

Of note, several films that have been touted on this website (old and new) are scheduled to screen at this year’s festival, including, Andrew Dosunmu’s feature film directorial debut and Sundance 2011 entry, Restless City, in what I believe will be the film’s New York city premiere! I saw the film at Sundance in January, and found it enchanting. You can read my full review of it Here.

Also, Congolese filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s Viva Riva!, which screened at the Toronto Film Festival last fall, and Fespaco last month, where it won some awards; a film that’s being referred to as “Congolese Avant-Garde.” I haven’t seen it, but I’m really looking forward to doing so.

121 films later… another installment of the Pan African Film Festival (Paff) in Los Angeles, CA, came to a close on Wednesday, the 23rd, with the announcement of its filmmaker awards.

Prizes were handed out for the following categories: Best Narrative Feature, Best First Feature Film, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, and Audience Favorite awards.

I was extremely pleased to see João Daniel Tikhomiroff’s Besouro win the Best Narrative Feature prize. It’s a film we’ve touted on this blog for the last 2 years, since initially hearing about it. The film is still without North American distribution, as far as I know, and it needs all the press and push it can get. I hope it’s eventually picked up – even if it’s a straight-to-dvd release.

Ava DuVernay’s I Will Follow received the well-deserved Best First Feature Film award.

And the Jamie Foxx-executive produced Thunder Soul,...

Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Sitges 2010:

Exorcisms, Vampires, Zombies, Martial Arts And Liters Of Blood At Sitges 2010

The 43rd Sitges - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, that will take place from 7 to 17 October, presents its lineup, with some films still to be confirmed, for the following sections:

Sitges 43 Official FANTÀSTIC Selection - In Competition

The official selection par excellence will be offering a lineup emphasizing a variety of nationalities (Bulgaria, Japan, France, Swede, Uruguay,...), the impact of new South American cinema, the rebirth of oriental cinema and the mixture of supernatural horror movies with exorcisms, vampires and mutants and everyday horror with real extreme violence.

13 Assassins (Takashi Miike, Japan)

14 Days With Victor (Román Parrado, Spain)

A Woman, A Gun And A Noodle Shop (Zhang Yimou, China, Hong Kong)

Bedevilled (Jang Cheol-soo, South Korea)

Black Death (Christopher Smith, Germany)

La Casa Muda (Gustavo Hernández, Uruguay)

Confessions (Tetsuya Nakashima,...

If I had the holiday time left, I’d be booking a trip to España right about now. The 43rd annual Sitges kicks off on October 7th and their line up so far is impressive. Damned impressive.

In competition are Gregg Araki’s Kaboom (teaser, stills), Christopher Smith’s Black Death (review), Jalmari Helander’s Rare Exports (trailer), Quentin Dupieux’s Rubber (clip) and Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins among many others. In competition in the Panorama section are another great set of films including Shion Sono’s Cold Fish (trailer), Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage (trailer), Jim Mickle’s Stake Land (trailer) and Srdjan Spasojevic’s A Serbian Film (review).

If those titles aren’t enough, there’s loads more including Rob Stefaniuk’s vampire musical road trip film Suck (review, trailer), James Wan’s Insidious (clip), Adam Green’s Frozen (trailer), Black Lightning (trailer), Super (clip), The Vanishing on 7th...

Hey S&A Brit readers… this one’s for you

The Barbican Centre presents Cinema Of Brazil, Music & Rhythm, beginning this weekend, the 25th of June through the 3rd of July.

Of note, Besouro, a film that has received mucho coverage on this blog, will screen at the festival, on Saturday, the 26th, at 6Pm, followed by a Q&A with the director, João Daniel Tikhomiroff.

I’ve seen Besouro (albeit online) and definitely recommend it! Martial arts meet Brazilian (read African) mythology; efficiently directed; poetic; magical; the fight sequences were choreography by Hong Kong master Huen Chiu Ku, who worked on The Matrix, Kill Bill, and several Jet Li films. The film has all the right elements to make it an accessible film to even the average Yankee fanboy. I may be exaggerating a bit, but not much at all. If a film like Ong-Bak can find some success stateside,...

Back in June we posted news and the first trailer for the amazing looking Brazilian martial arts flick Besouoro. Now we have an new trailr which has English subs and is in HD, along with a poster! Directed by João Daniel Tikhomiroff, the film also stars Hiuen Chiu Kuâ who some of you may remember from The Matrix and Kill Bill

Based on the life of a legendary capoeira fighter from Bahia, "Besouro" spins a fantastic tale of a young Brazilian man of African descent in search of his mission.

Trailer after the break. Thanks for the heads up from our friend at Cinema Beacon.

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The first trailer for Brazil's action packed martial arts fantasy Beetle (Besouro) has dropped courtesy of Pipoca Combo and it's definitely a Tuesday morning must watch. Directed by João Daniel Tikhomiroff, the film also stars Hiuen Chiu Kuâ who some of you may remember from The Matrix and Kill Bill

Synopsis:

Based on the life of a legendary capoeira fighter from Bahia, "Besouro" spins a fantastic tale of a young Brazilian man of African descent in search of his mission.

The trailer after the break doesn't have subs yet but it's truly amazing. The story looks emotional and the action looks gritty and intense.