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Titles include Kah Wai Lim’s Japanese feature ‘Everything, Everywhere’.

Eight features will have world premieres in the Rebels With A Cause strand of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Poff), including new films from Kah Wai Lim and Matias Rojas Valencia.

The competitive section includes 11 features, with two further films playing out of competition.

Scroll down for the full Rebels With A Cause selection

Japanese director Lim presents Everything, Everywhere, a semi-improvised road movie set in the Balkans where Lim typically films, in which Japanese star Shogen plays a fictionalized version of the director.

Lim’s previous films include 2022 comedy-drama...

Exclusive: Paris-based genre specialist has boarded sales on Belgian black comedy Krump about a down-on-his-luck ex-porn actor who embarks on a seemingly hopeless mission to raise 50,000 euros when his daughter is kidnapped.

The film is the debut feature of French-born, long-time Brussels resident director Cédric Bourgeois after a raft of half a dozen shorts including Laura and Dreamcatchers.

Veteran Belgian actor Jean-Benoit Ugeux stars as the titular Krump who turns to his former acquaintances in the porn world to raise the ransom money in a race against time in the underbelly of Brussels nightlife.

Other cast members include Jean-Jacques Rausin (Death By Death), Babetida Sadjo, stunt woman and actress Barbara Hellemans and Ingrid Heiderscheidt (Employee Of The Month).

Bourgeois and Ugeux, and director Xavier Seron co-wrote the screenplay taking inspiration from the figure of President Donald Trump after he was swept from power in the 2020 elections.

Outfest announced the winners of its 2021 edition, including Vivian Kleiman’s “No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics” for documentary feature and Brielle Brilliant’s “Firstness” for U.S. narrative feature.

The Los Angeles LGBTQ film festival also honored Pooya Mohseni with the grand jury prize for best performance in a U.S. narrative feature for her performance in “See You Then,” while Wes Hurley won best screenplay for “Potato Dreams of America,” a non-traditional portrayal of a gay immigrant’s transition to America and his relationship with his mother.

Park Kun-young was awarded best international narrative feature for “A Distant Place,” and Ümit Ünal won best international screenplay for “Love, Spells, And All That.” “Sweetheart” actor Nell Barlow took home the award for best performance in an international narrative feature “for her ability to emote even under a pair of sunglasses and a bucket hat.”

Xavier Seron won...

Outfest has announced the award winners of its 2021 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival.

The nation’s leading LGBTQ festival ran from August 13th to August 22nd, holding its closing night at the iconic Orpheum Theatre, with Vivian Kleiman’s No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics claiming the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize, and Brielle Brilliant’s Firstness winning the U.S. Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize.

For the first time ever, Outfest collaborated with IMDb in choosing Audience Award winners, selecting them based on IMDb ratings. Among other prizes and recognition, eligible Outfest Los Angeles winners received a one-year membership to IMDbPro.

The winners of the Grand Jury Prizes for Best U.S. Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best International Narrative Short all received a $2000 cash prize awarded in partnership with Entertainment Partners.

Also of note is the fact that the U.S. and International Narrative...

Jean-Benoît Ugeux and Jean-Jacques Rausin star in the young Belgian filmmaker’s feature debut. On Monday begins the shoot for Ronald Krump, the feature debut from young director Cédric Bourgeois, starring Jean-Benoît Ugeux and Jean-Jacques Rausin in the leading roles. Frank, a former porn star known under the name Ronald Krump, sees his daughter Sophie kidnapped, with a hefty ransom to pay. Helpless, he turns to his friend Bobby for help. The two friends embark on a crazy journey to save Sophie. Cédric Bourgeois was noticed a few years ago with the short film You’re Lost Little Girl (2017), and with the documentary Dreamcatchers (2014), co-directed with Belgian filmmaker Xavier Seron (Death by Death). The latter in fact collaborated on the script for Ronald Krump, which Cédric Bourgeois wrote with actor and director Jean-Benoît Ugeux, seen recently in Fishlove and the series Paris Police 1900, and whose latest short film, La.

On the occasion of its 15th investment session, the screen.brussels fund is injecting 1.1 million euros into the production of 13 majority Belgian projects. Among the various feature films supported, we find Chienne de vie, the new film by Xavier Seron who we last saw several years ago, wielding his singular, successful first feature Death by Death. Chiennes de vie consists of three overlapping dog stories which paint a humorous portrait of human beings, with their doubts, their dreams, their loneliness and their search for love. The project has been selected to receive support in the form of a lightweight production grant accorded by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation Film and Audiovisual Centre and is produced by Hélicotronc. screen.brussels is also lending aid to Temps Mort by Eve Duchemin, who is signing her...

Directors Chanya Button, Adrian Sitaru, Xavier Seron scoop prizes; festival reveals works in progress winners.

UK filmmaker Chanya Button’s debut feature as director and producer, Burn Burn Burn, was voted by the audience at the Odessa International Film Festival (Oiff) as the winner of this year’s Grand Prix.

Producer Daniel-Konrad Cooper accepted the Golden Duke statuette on behalf of the production team from Oiff’s festival president Victoria Tigipko during the gala closing ceremony in the Black Sea city’s historic National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet.

Button’s melancholic comedy had premiered at last year’s London Film Festival and is being handled internationally by Urban Distribution International.

International Competition

Meanwhile, the International Competition jury - headed by the UK writer Christopher Hampton and also including Oiff 2015 winner Eva Neymann, Us writer-director-actor Alex Ross Perry, producer Rebecca O’Brien and producer-director Uberto Pasolini - gave the Golden Duke statuette for Best Film to...

★★★☆☆ The fear of dying is the impetus behind Xavier Seron's Death by Death, an Oedipal dramedy that positions itself between the two known truths of life and death. A bold and electrifying study of the dysfunctional relationship between a middle-aged hypochondriac and his dying mother, Seron's feature-debut is an exceedingly dark, albeit frequently hilarious comedy about grief and mortality. We first encounter Michel (Jean-Jacques Rausin), as a baby suckling on his mother's breast. Then, in what can only be described as a cradle-to-the-grave jump-cut, we sees him lying motionless in an empty coffin.

Jan 10 Update: Giulio Ricciarelli’s German foreign-language Oscar submission Labyrinth Of Lies won on Sunday the Palm Springs Film Festival’s Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for best narrative feature and Jacob Bernstein and Nick Hooker’s Everything Is Copy from the Us earned the documentary award.

On Saturday Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Taiwanese foreign-language Oscar submission The Assassin won the Fipresci Prize at the 27th annual festival.

In other juried award winners announced at a luncheon on January 9, the Fipresci Prize for Best Actor of the Year in a Foreign Language Film went to Sigurður Sigurjónsson and Theodór Júlíusson from Grimur Hakonarson’s Icelandic Oscar submission Rams.

Fipresci’s Best Actress of the Year in a Foreign Language Film went to Alena Mihulová from Slávek Horák’s Czech Oscar submission Home Care.

The New Voices/New Visions competition honoured Xavier Seron’s Death By Death (Belgium-France), while a special mention went to Thithi (India-us) by Raam Reddy.

The...

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Taiwanese foreign language Oscar submission has won the Fipresci Prize at the 27th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff).

In other juried award winners announced at a luncheon on January 9, the Fipresci Prize for Best Actor of the Year in a Foreign Language Film went to Sigurður Sigurjónsson and Theodór Júlíusson from Grimur Hakonarson’s Icelandic Oscar submission Rams.

Fipresci’s Best Actress of the Year in a Foreign Language Film went to Alena Mihulová from Slávek Horák’s Czech Oscar submission Home Care.

The New Voices/New Visions competition honoured Xavier Seron’s Death By Death (Belgium-France), while a special mention went to Thithi (India-us) by Raam Reddy.

The John Schlesinger Award for a first-time documentary filmmaker was awarded to The Birth Of Saké (Japan) by Erik Shirai, while the Hp Bridging The Borders Award went to Umrika (India) by Prashant Nair

The audience award winners will be announced on January...

The 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) has announced its line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters. Films from 60 countries, including 54 premieres (7 World, 17 North American and 30 U.S.), will unspool at the Festival, running from January 1-11, 2016 in Palm Springs, California.

“The line-up this year, while full of unexpected surprises, vividly reflects what is going on in the world around us,” said Festival Director Darryl Macdonald. “There’s a particular focus on stories about displaced people – immigrants, emigrants, refugees, those seeking asylum or shelter. There’s a concurrent trend toward stories revolving around new beginnings and escaping the shackles of the past, whether sexual, cultural, societal or self-imposed. Balancing all of these is a focus on family and romance, along with films involving a healthy dose of magic realism or absurdist comedy, and a plethora of exceptional films dealing with the usual obsessions – music, food, sex and art. All in all, it’s about as well-rounded, as thoughtfully chosen, and as provocative as it’s possible for a smartly curated lineup of new international cinema to be.”

“I am thrilled at the breadth and depth of this year’s program,” said Festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. “While Modern Masters showcases such widely acclaimed filmmakers as as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Barbara Kopple and Terence Davies, our New Voices/New Visions program is evidence that new masters are emerging around the world. The range of approaches is extraordinary. Highlights include Raam Reddy's 'Thithi' (India), which skillfully juggles myriad characters in a delightful low key comedy; Yorgos Zois’ 'Interruption' (Greece), which challenges the audience with a complex and highly compelling narrative; and Maris Curran's 'Five Nights in Maine' (USA), featuring David Oyelowo's nuanced and heartbreaking performance as a widower reconnecting with his estranged mother-in-law.”

Showcasing the diversity of international cinema, Festival premieres will include:

World premieres: "50 Days in the Desert" (Luxembourg) directed by Fabrizio Maltese, "Agnes" (Germany/Belgium), the documentary "Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age" (Us) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, "The Carer" (Hungary/UK), "Going Going Gone" (UK), "Searchdog" (Us) and "Set the Thames on Fire" (UK).

North American premieres: "Banat" (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), "Death By Death" (Belgium/France), "A Decent Man" (Switzerland),"Departure" (France/UK),"Fly Away Solo" (India/France), "Interruption" (Greece/Croatia), "A Korean in Paris" (South Korea/France), "The Memory of Water" (Chile/Spain/Argentina/Germany), "Moor" (Pakistan), "On My Mother’s Side" (Canada), "Paradise Trips" (Belgium/Croatia), "Rosita" (Denmark), "Spy Time" (Spain), "Tanna" (Australia/Vanuatu), "Thithi" (India/Us/Canada), "Utopians" (Hong Kong) and "When a Tree Falls" (Spain).

U.S. premieres: "1944" (Estonia/Finland), "3000 Nights" (Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon), "Atomic Falafel" (Israel/Germany/New Zealand), "Belgian Rhapsody" (Belgium), "Beyond My Grandfather Allende" (Chile/Mexico), "Born to Dance" (New Zealand), "Closet Monster" (Canada), "Enclave" (Serbia/Germany), "The Endless River" (South Africa/France), "Endorphine" (Canada),Exotica, "Erotica, Etc." (France), "Fire Song" (Canada), "Five Nights in Maine" (Us), "A Heavy Heart" (Germany), "Home Care" (Czech Republic/Slovakia), "Let Them Come" (Algeria/France), "My Big Night" (Spain), "My Internship in Canada" (Canada), "The Other Side" (Italy/France), "Our Everyday Life" (Bosnia, Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), "The Paradise Suite" (Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria), "Parched" (India/Us/UK), "Parisienne" (France), "Sabali" (Canada), "Sleeping Giant" (Canada), "Summer Solstice" (Poland/Germany), "Trap" (Philippines), "The Violin Teacher" (Brazil), "Wedding Doll" (Israel) and " Zubaan" (India).

The New Voices/New Visions competition showcases 12 Us premieres from top emerging international directors marking their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution. The winner is selected by a jury of U.S. distributors which include Gary Rubin of Cohen Media, Dan Berger of Oscilloscope and Ryan Kampe of Visit Films/Monument Releasing. The winner will receive use of a $60,000 Panavision camera package and a glass sculpture designed for the Festival by renowned artist Dale Chihuly. Films selected for this year include:

"Banat" (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Director Adriano Valerio "Death By Death" (Belgium/France), Director Xavier Seron "Departure" (UK/France), Director Andrew Steggall "Five Nights in Maine" (Us), Director Maris Curran and starring David Oyelowo "A Heavy Heart" (Germany), Director Thomas Stuber "Home Care" (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Director Slávek Horák "Interruption" (Greece/Croatia), Director Yorgos Zois "Let Them Come" (Algeria/France), Director Salem Brahimi "Our Everyday Life" (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), Director Ines Tanović "Paradise Trips" (Belgium/Croatia), Director Raf Reyntjens "Sleeping Giant" (Canada), Director Andrew Cividino "Thithi" (India/Us/Canada), Director Raam Reddy

The Modern Masters section features 10 films from international directors who set the standards for contemporary cinema. Films selected for this year include:

"Cemetery Of Splendour" (Thailand/UK), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul "Dheepan" (France), Director Jacques Audiard "Miss Sharon Jones!" (Us), Director Barbara Kopple "Mountains May Depart" (China/France/Japan), Director Jia Zhangke "My Golden Days" (France), Director Arnaud Desplechin "My Mother" (Italy/France), Director Nanni Moretti "Our Little Sister" (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda "Sunset Song" (UK/Luxembourg), Director Terence Davies "Sweet Bean" (Japan), Director Naomi Kawase "Women He’s Undressed" (Australia), Director Gillian Armstrong

Other Festival films with notable talent and directors include: "45 Years" (UK) directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, "Anomalisa" (Us) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh, "Chronic" (Mexico/France) starring Tim Roth, "Closet Monster" (Canada) with Connor Jessup and Isabella Rossellini, "Eisenstein in Guanajuato" (Netherlands/Mexico/Finland/Belgium/France) directed by Peter Greenaway, "February" (Us/Canada) starring Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts, "Hello, My Name is Doris" (Us) starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Stephen Root, "Hitchcock/Truffaut" (France/Us) directed by Kent Jones and featuring Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher and Richard Linklater, "The Invitation" (Us) starring Logan Marshall-Green and Michiel Huisman, "The Lady in the Van" (UK) directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and James Corden, "Louder Than Bombs" (USA) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert, "Men & Chicken" (Denmark) starring Mads Mikkelsen, "Papa (Cuba)" directed by Bob Yari and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly, "A Perfect Day" (Spain) starring Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko, "The Seventh Fire" (Us) executive produced by Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and "Where to Invade Next" (Us) directed by Michael Moore.

The complete line-up will be available on December 18 at www.psfilmfest.org.

Top brass at the 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (Psiff) on Monday announced the Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters programmes.

Films from 60 countries, including 54 premieres (seven world, 17 North American and 30 Us), will screen during the festival, which runs from January 1-11, 2016.

World premieres include: 50 Days In The Desert (Luxembourg) by Fabrizio Maltese; Agnes (Germany-Belgium); documentary Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age (Us) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford; The Carer (Hungary-uk); Going Going Gone (UK); Searchdog (Us); and Set The Thames On Fire (UK).

New Voices/New Visions

Twelve Us premieres from emerging international directors marking their feature film without Us distribution. The winner is selected by a jury of Us distributors comprising Gary Rubin of Cohen Media, Dan Berger of Oscilloscope and Ryan Kampe of Visit Films/Monument Releasing. The winner will receive use of a $60,000 Panavision camera package and a glass sculpture designed...