News

“Cinema is not pages and it’s not minutes: it’s the way you look at the minute that passes,” Syrian director Ameer Fakher Eldin is talking about the 55-page script of “Yunan,” his follow up to “The Stranger” (Al Garib), which played at Venice Days in 2021. Eldin knows from the experience of editing his first film that one page doesn’t equal one minute. “It’s a two hour film,” he says.

Eldin’s second feature is due to film in the first half of 2023 and is currently being presented at this week’s Red Sea Souk Project Market of the Red Sea Film Festival. Iconic figure of New German Cinema Hanna Schygulla and Syrian actor Bassem Yakhour have both been cast in the production. They join Lebanese actor Georges Khabbaz (“Capernaum”), and German actor Sibel Kekilli, from “Game of Thrones” and Fatih Akin’s “Head On.”

Filming will...

Exclusive: Leading Arab world distributor Mad Solutions has acquired pan-Arab rights to Ameer Fakher Eldin’s upcoming picture Yunan about a disillusioned, exiled writer who travels to a remote island in the North Sea.

Yunan is the second feature from Fakher Eldin, who was born in Kyiv to Syrian parents and now lives in Germany, after his critically acclaimed Golan Heights-set debut The Stranger (Al Garib) which premiered in Venice in 2021, and went on to represent Palestine at the Oscars.

Top Lebanese theater and film actor Georges Khabbaz will play the protagonist writer who travels from his exiled existence in Hamburg to a remote island in the North Sea with thoughts of suicide. There he meets an elderly woman whose quiet humanity incites a reawakening of his desires in life.

German actress Sibel Kekilli, best known for her role as Shae in Game Of Thrones,...

Netflix’s first ever Arabic film, a remake of the Italian hit “Perfect Strangers,” has quickly hit No. 1 in several countries across the Middle East and won critical acclaim, but it’s also been the subject of controversy and outrage from more conservative citizens and even lawmakers in Egypt.

Attacks on social media against one of the film’s Egyptian stars, Mona Zaki, spread online since its debut on Jan. 20. But the outrage came to a head when an Egyptian lawmaker, Mostafa Bakri, said in a TV interview (via the Washington Post) that the film was “targeting” family values. He even called for a special session of parliament to discuss whether “we should ban Netflix.”

A lawyer even filed a lawsuit against the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Artistic Works Censorship Authority, saying that the film “promotes homosexuality.” Egypt has cracked down on LGBTQ+ individuals and gay rights with...

Netflix has boarded the upcoming Arabic-language version of hit movie property Perfect Strangers, which becomes the streamer’s first Arabic-language Original movie.

The 18th national remake of the smash Italian movie stars Lebanese icon Nadine Labaki, Egyptian star Mona Zaki, Eyad Nassar, Georges Khabbaz, Adel Karam, Fouad Yammine and Diamand Abou Abboud.

The feature tells the story of seven close friends who get together for dinner and decide to play a game that involves them placing their cell phones on the dinner table, and agreeing to openly share every call, text and voice message as it comes. What starts out as fun, quickly unfolds into an uncharted path of untold secrets that reveals more than what they wish to share.

Netflix is lining up a 20 January 2022 release in 190 countries. Pic is produced by Front Row Filmed Entertainment, Film Clinic, Empire Entertainment and Yalla Yalla.

Also revealed today is that Middle...

Three years after the first movie theater reopened in Saudi Arabia – following removal of a religion-related ban – the kingdom has become the top theatrical market in the Middle East and is turning into a major driver for Arabic film production.

“At the moment Saudi is on a different path from the rest of the world,” says David Hancock, an analyst at London-based Omdia, which sees this new market as having the potential to be ranked among the top 10-15 territories for box office worldwide by 2024.

By 2024 Omdia estimates there will be 1,400 screens in Saudi Arabia, up from a current count of less than 300 screens in 2020 with more than 600 screens expected in 2021. In 2020 Saudi box office was up 3% to $115 million, bucking the downward trend in the rest of the world.

But besides growing box office and screen count, just like in other parts of the world such as China where there is moviegoing growth,...

Cameras are set to roll in February on the long delayed Arabic adaptation of hit Italian concept movie “Perfect Strangers” with a high-caliber ensemble cast now in place comprising star Lebanese director/actor Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”).

After being postponed due to both Covid-19 and political turmoil in Lebanon, the latest in a slew of remakes of the dramedy involving cellphones and personal secrets, is now on track for principal photography to start February 2. It will be directed by Lebanese first-timer Wissam Smayra who has co-written the Arabic “Perfect Strangers” screenplay with Gabriel Yammine.

Along with Labaki, the pan-Arabic “Perfect Strangers” cast also features Egypt’s Mona Zaki; Egypt-based Jordanian actor/director Eyad Nassar (“The Blue Elephant 2”); Lebanon’s Diamand Bou Abboud (“The Fixer”), Adel Karam (“The Insult”), and fellow Lebanese actor/director/playwright/composer Georges Khabbaz, who co-wrote “Capernaum.”

The original “Perfect Strangers” was directed by Italy’s Paolo Genovese...

Nadine Labaki, the Lebanese actress and filmmaker who landed an Oscar nomination as director of 2018’s record-smashing feature Capernaum, has been cast in the upcoming Arabic language remake of hit Italian drama Perfect Strangers.

Labaki joins an impressive lineup of Arabic stars, including Mona Zaki (30 Years Ago, Scheherazade: Tell Me A Story, Escaping Tel Aviv), Adel Karam (The Insult, Caramel, Netflix’s Live From Beirut), Eyad Nassar (The Looming Tower, Sons of Rizk 2, The Blue Elephant 2), Diamand Bou Abboud (The Insult, The Sculptor, The Fixer) and Lebanese legend, actor screen and playwright George Khabbaz (Under the Bombs, Ghadi, and co-writer of Capernaum).

First announced in late 2018, the Perfect Strangers...

For the first of two review round-ups to tackle this week, we’ve got a foreign film threesome to dive into! It’s also a bit of catching up, as two titles have opened already this past weekend. The trio here today happens to be the Lebanese outing Capernaum, the Polish film Cold War, and the Norwegian flick The Quake. These movies each offer something very different, though each do their jobs quite well. All three get the thumbs up from me today, to different degrees, but they’re each quality outings. Tomorrow will be a more mixed, if higher profile, bag, so stay tuned for that. For now though, we can dive into these three foreign titles… Here we go: — Capernaum To make an “issue film” is to proclaim that you have something to say. The danger here is that, sometimes, a movie can come off as preachy. Luckily,...

Capernaum (Chaos) Sony Pictures Classics Reviewed for Shockya.com by: Harvey Karten Director: Nadine Labaki Screenwriter: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeilly, Michelle Keserwany, in collaboration with Georges Khabbaz and with the participation of Khaled Mouzanar Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad Screened at: Sony, NYC, 11/28/18 Opens: December 14, 2018 Next […]

The post Capernaum Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum,” the winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, has been selected by Lebanon as its candidate for the upcoming foreign-language Oscar race.

“Capernaum,” which was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics ahead of its world premiere at Cannes, features mostly non-professional actors and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy, Zein, who takes his parents to court “for giving me life” in a world of pain and suffering.

“Capernaum” was written by Labaki, along with Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Kesrouani, Georges Khabbaz and Labaki’s husband, Khaled Mouzanar, who also produced the film and composed the music. The movie opens in Lebanon on Thursday. Sony Pictures Classics will release it in the U.S. on Dec. 14. Spc had previously handled “Where Do We Go Now?”, Labaki’s 2011 film.

In its review, Variety said “Capernaum” tackled its subject matter “with intelligence and heart,” and called Labaki...

Sony Pictures Classics has nabbed North American and Latin American rights to Cannes competition title “Capernaum,” a drama from Lebanese director Nadine Labaki about a boy who sues his parents.

CAA Media Finance brokered the distribution deal on behalf of the filmmakers with Wild Bunch, which represents the international rights.

Sony Pictures Classics distributed Labaki’s previous film, “Where Do We Go Now?,” which world-premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and won a special mention in 2011.

“Capernaum” centers on 12-year-old Zein, who takes his parents to court “for giving me life” in a world of pain and suffering. It is written by Labaki, along with Jihad Hojeily, Michelle Kesrouani, Georges Khabbaz and Labaki’s husband, Khaled Mouzanar, who also produced the film and composed the music.

The movie stars Labaki, Zain Alrafeea, Yordanos Shifera and Treasure Bankole.

“It is wonderful to have the opportunity to collaborate once again with Sony Pictures Classics.

The Lebanese Culture Ministry has selected the film "Void" (وينن) as the nation's Oscar entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 88th Academy Awards.

Read More; The Czech Republic Taps 'Home Care' as Oscar Submission

Written by Georges Khabbaz, who also wrote and directed, "Ghadi," the country's last submission, "Void" was directed by seven young graduates from the Notre Dame University – Louaize: Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim and Salim Habr.

"Void" revolves around six women searching for their loved ones who went missing during the Lebanese Civil War that took place from 1975 to 1990. While their stories offer diverse perspectives on the issue, all of them are pushing for the country's Parliament to reopen their cases and give them some answers.

The film is a Notre Dame University Production. U.S. rights are still available.

Read More: Mexico Picks '600 Miles' Starring Tim Roth as Oscar Entry

The Middle Eastern country has submitted films since 1978 but has yet to be nominated. Lebanon's highest profile submission was 2007's "Caramel" by Nadine Labaki, which eventually became the first Lebanese film to get a major U.S. theatrical release when it was picked up by Roadside Attractions. Labaki's followup "Where Do We Go Now?" was also submitted for AMPAS consideration and released stateside by Sony Pictures Classics but with less success that its predecessor.

The third annual First Time Fest took place in New York City this past weekend; a film festival that celebrates first time filmmakers, whether they are first time directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, composers and producers. The festival holds a competition for filmmakers all over the world to submit their film and win theatrical distribution as well as international sales. The festival is also the only festival to boast that sixteen of its eighteen competition films have garnered theatrical distribution in an international audience, something no other festival can claim. With such a great track record, it’s no doubt that these films are sure to exceed expectations and are worthy of viewing. Here are the films and what awards they won.

The Intruder (Infiltrant) is a film from Holland directed by Shariff Korver and written by him as well as Rogier de Blok. The film follows a Dutch-Moroccan undercover police...

Complete Dubai fest coverage

Dubai -- The next novel from Vikas Swarup, author of "Q&A" -- on which Dubai International Film Festival closer "Slumdog Millionaire" was based -- has been optioned by British producer Paul Raphael's Starfield Prods. and BBC Films.

"Six Suspects" is "Agatha Christie meets Elmore Leonard in Delhi," Raphael said Monday at the festival, where his "Under the Bombs" won top prize in 2007.

Raphael, who has an 18-month option on the newly published novel, has begun a search for a "heavy-hitting" scriptwriter, he said.

After "Bombs" took Raphael and Lebanese director Philippe Aractingi on a world tour that saw the film earn 21 awards, Raphael partnered with the film's co-producer, Maya Hariri, to form London- and Paris-based Har Films.

Raphael, 50, said that "Under the Bombs," Lebanon's official entry for the foreign-language Oscar, opened doors for him in the Middle East and North Africa.

"It took a...

opens: In France: May 14 (Capa Cinema, Starfeld Productions, Art'Mell, Fantascope Prods.)

PARIS -- Philippe Aractingi's "Under the Bombs" ("Sous les Bombes") is an Art House movie about an unpopular war featuring actors unknown outside the Islamic world. In an ideal world it would pack them in, but its makers will probably have to make do with a sideboard-full of festival awards. The movie is set against the Israeli invasion of south Lebanon in July 2006. "Under the Bombs" could even be described as an odd-couple road movie.

Zeina (Nada Abou Ferhat), the wife of a wealthy Lebanese businesman based in Dubai, arrives in Beirut, desperate to travel to the south of the country to trace her young son. The only driver she can find is the scruffy Tony (Georges Khabbaz), who happens to be Christian.

As the pair travel through Lebanon's strikingly beautiful but tragic countryside, a bond forms between them despite Zeina's initial suspicions of Tony's motives and his resentment at her snobbish behaviour. Zeina, we learn, is estranged from her husband, and Tony has ghosts of his own, in particular an older brother who collaborated with the Israelis back in the 1980s. He has not seen his brother since.

What makes this movie utterly compelling is the knowledge that many of the war scenes were shot while the Israeli attacks were in progress. Bombs seen exploding in the near distance are real, and coffins disinterred for reburial elsewhere contain real bodies.

Only three actors are professionals. Most of the rest -- Lebanese civilians for the most part, but also foreign journalists and UN peacekeepers -- play parts they were enacting in real life days earlier. Thus, the movie has a rough-hewn, documentary feel, enhanced by the sense of urgency conveyed by both the lead actors and the filmmakers. (During the early part of the shoot, writer Michel Leviant was turning out pages of dialogue to be filmed the same day.)

Franco-Lebanese director Aractingi makes no attempt at even-handedness. The picture is an unabashed portrayal of life at the receiving end of Israeli bombs. But the director's focus is on the common humanity of his characters and there is no sense of political point-scoring. The final twist, when Zeina and Tony reach their destination, is sharp and wrenching.

Cast: Nada Abou Ferhat; Georges Khabbaz; Rawya El Chab; Bshara Atallah.

Director: Philippe Aractingi.

Screenwriters: Michel Leviant, Philippe Aractingi.

Executive Producers: Claude Chelli, Nathalie Leyendecker; Sound: Mouhab Chanesaz.

Producers: Herve Chabalier, Francois Cohen-Seat, Paul Raphael, Philippe Aractingi. Director of photography: Nidal Abdel Khalek.

Music: Rene Aubry, Lazare Boghossian.

Editor: Deena Charara.

Sales: Art'Mell.

No MPAA rating, running time 98 minutes.