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French cinema rarely ventures into full-blown sci-fi — a genre largely dominated by deep-pocketed U.S. productions — but filmmaker Aude Lea Rapin (“Heroes Don’t Die”), rose to the challenge with “Planet B,” a dystopian thriller headlined by Adele Exarchopoulos and Souheila Yacoub (“Dune 2”) playing rebels with a cause. The movie world premieres at Venice where it kicks off the Critics’ Week section.

Like many sci-fi movies, “Planet B” has a politically charged storyline, centering on hardcore climate activists who get locked up in a virtual prison in a seemingly idyllic location. Among the hot-button topics explored in the movie are immigration, police brutality, the limits of radical activism and threats to democracy.

Yacoub and Exarchopoulos star alongside an ensemble cast of up-and-comers, including India Hair, Jonathan Couzinié, Yassine Stein, Paul Beaurepaire and Eliane Umuhire.

Exarchopoulos plays Julia, the leader of the group of eco-activists who are imprisoned and tortured psychologically,...

One of the most highly anticipated prequel films of 2024, finally came out in June and it actually made money at the box office unlike Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, A Quiet Place: Day One is an apocalyptic horror thriller film. Based in the world created by John Krasinski and Michael Sarnoski, Day One is a prequel to the 2018 horror sci-fi film A Quiet Place.

A Quiet Place: Day One is set before the events of the A Quiet Place films as it takes us on the day of the alien invasion in New York City. We follow the story of a terminally ill young woman as she tries to survive with a young English law student and her cat. They soon learn that they have to be absolutely quiet if they want to survive the day.

A Quiet Place: Day One – Streaming & VOD Release...

A Quiet Place: Day One is the highly anticipated prequel film to John Krasinski‘s sci-fi film franchise A Quite Place. Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, the apocalyptic horror film shows us the day when the aliens in A Quiet Place franchise invaded Earth, and instead of the Abbott family, we see the story of a terminally ill woman who tries to survive in New York City with her cat and an English law student named Eric. A Quiet Place: Day One stars Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn in the lead roles, with Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Eliane Umuhire, and Nico & Schnitzel starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved the intense survival thriller and alien invasion elements in A Quiet Place: Day One, here are some similar films you could watch next.

A Quiet Place Part I & Part II (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Paramount Pictures

While...

On June 28, 2024, Paramount Pictures released “A Quiet Place: Day One,” in which A woman named Samira (Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o) finds herself trapped in New York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing. The thriller written and directed by Michael Sarnoski is the third film in the franchise and co-stars Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou and Eliane Umuhire.

Reviews for the film are positive, holding fresh at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes. The critics consensus reads, “Grounded in raw humanity by Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, this sideways entry into ‘A Quiet Place’ finds fresh notes of fright to play amongst the silence. Read our full review round-up below.

See ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ trailer: Lupita Nyong’o stars in blockbuster prequel [Watch]

Andrew Parker of The Gate writes, “Not only is ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ an unexpectedly excellent third entry in a franchise…...

The 2024 Cannes Film Festival was officially closed yesterday, on May 25, 2024, as the prizes for the movies and the actors were awarded at the closing ceremony. It was a very exciting and content-filled event, and we have also reported on numerous movies that had their premiere at Cannes, some of which were received well, while others… not so much. But, naturally, everyone wants to know who won and who lost at Cannes, and that is what we are going to report about in this article.

The article will be divided into two main sections. The first one will list all the juries at Cannes, since they are the ones who chose the winners at the film festival, so we think that it is only fair that you know who picked the winners. After that, we are going to list all the winners in each of the categories.

As we have said,...

Simon of the Mountain, the debut feature from Argentinian director Federico Luis, has won the Grand Prize at the 63rd edition of Cannes Critics’ Week.

Argentinian actor and singer/songwriter Lorenzo Ferro stars in the coming-of-age story of a young man struggling with a mental disorder. Luxbox is handling international sales on the film.

Blue Sun Palace from U.S.-Chinese filmmaker Constance Tsang won the French Touch Prize of the Jury for best first feature in the Cannes sidebar. The drama is a look at the lives of Chinese immigrants living in Queens. Charades are selling Blue Sun Palace internationally, with WME representing rights in North America.

The Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for best actor went to Ricardo Teodoro for his performance in the Queer romantic drama Baby from Brazilian director Marcelo Caetano, where Teodoro plays an outsider trying to survive in the mean streets of São Paolo.

Argentinian director Federico Luis’s first film Simon of the Mountain has won the Grand Prize at the 63rd edition of Cannes Critics’ Week.

The coming-of-age tale stars rising Argentinian actor, singer and song writer Lorenzo Ferro as a young man grappling with the challenges of a mental disorder.

It is produced by Patricio Alvarez Casado at Argentinian production house 20/20 in coproduction with Fernando Bascuñan at Chilean company Planta, Ignacio Cucucovich’s Uruguayan company Mother Superior and L.A. and Mexico City based producer Carlos Rincones at Twelve Thirty Media, with Luxbox handling international sales.

In other key prizes, U.S.-Chinese filmmaker Constance Tsang’s won the French Touch Prize of the Jury for first feature Blue Sun Palace, a bittersweet chronicle of the tumultuous destiny of Chinese immigrants living in Queens.

It is produced by Eli Raskin at Field Trip Media and Tony Yang at Big Buddha Productions,...

French producer Sylvie Pialat will replace Spanish director Rogrigo Sorogoyen as Cannes Critics’ Week president.

“Due to personal circumstances, and much to our regret, Rodrigo Sorogoyen has had to step down as president of the jury for the 63rd Semaine de la Critique,” Critics’ Week said on Saturday (May 11).

The 11th-hour changeover will also see French filmmaker Iris Kaltenback join the jury alongside previously announced members Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.

Pialat was originally on the jury, and will now act as the group’s president.

Pialat...

Cannes Critics’ Week has appointed French producer Sylvie Pialat as president of the jury for its upcoming edition after Spanish director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who was originally announced for the role, was forced to cancel for personal reasons.

French director Iris Kaltenbäck has also been been named as a new jury member. Her first film The Rapture premiered to acclaim in Critics’ Week last year. The drama, starring Hafsia Herzi as a midwife who passes off her best friend’s newborn child as her own, won the Prix Sacd.

Previously announced members of the jury include Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (Augure by Baloji, My New Friends, Haven of Grace), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej (The Blue Caftan, Our Mothers, Casablanca Beats), and Canadian film critic and journalist Ben Croll.

Producer Pialat spent the first part of her cinema career collaborating with her husband Maurice Pialat, co-writing the screenplays for a number of...

Paramount Pictures has released a new trailer for Michael Sarnoski’s A Quiet Place: Day One, the highly anticipated prequel to the series created by John Krasinski. The trailer provides our first extended look at the shocking events that led to the terrifying alien arrival depicted in A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II.

The trailer shows glimpses of the start of the end of the world as aliens overrun New York City. A woman named Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) struggles to survive the carnage wrought by the creatures with ultrasonic sound hearing, eventually joining forces with Sam (Joseph Quinn). The film also stars Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, and Eliane Umuhire.

Paramount Pictures will release A Quiet Place: Day One on June 28.

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If you had told me back in 2009 or so that one day the guy who played Jim on "The Office" was going to helm one of the most successful horror movie franchises of the 21st century, I would have first been very impressed to learn that time travel was real, then immediately questioned what sort of future you came from where this was a possibility. And yet, in 2018, John Krasinski did exactly that, joining forces with the creative duo of Bryan Woods and Scott Beck to deliver, "A Quiet Place."

Set in a world where mysterious creatures hunt by sound, forcing what's left of humanity to go silent, "A Quiet Place" is centered on a family fighting for survival. The film was a massive success at the box office, inspiring the sequel film "A Quiet Place Part II," which saw the family moving on without their father after he was killed in the previous film,...

Cannes’ Critics Week has rounded out the jury for its 63rd edition running running May 15-23.

The previously announced Spanish writer-director-producer Rodrigo Sorogoyen will preside over the festival’s parallel selection dedicated to first and second features alongside Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire, French producer Sylvie Pialat, Belgian director of photography Virginie Surdej, and Canadian journalist and film critic Ben Croll.

Sorogoyen is known for psychological thriller The Beasts which premiered in the Cannes Premiere strand in 2022 and won nine Goya awards, plus 2019 drama Mother, 2018 Spanish-French thriller The Realm, 2016 crime thriller May God Save Us, 2013 romantic drama Stockholm, and 2008’s 8 Dates co-directed with Peris Romano.

Cannes Critics’ Week has unveiled the jury members for its upcoming 63rd edition, who join previously announced jury president Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

They are Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (Augure by Baloji, My New Friends, Haven of Grace), French producer Sylvie Pialat (Timbuktu, Staying Vertical, The Whistlers), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej (The Blue Caftan, Our Mothers, Casablanca Beats), and Canadian film critic and journalist Ben Croll.

The section, which is overseen by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, focuses on first and second features as well as shorts by emerging talents.

Sorogoyen and his jury will decide the winners of the Semaine de la Critique Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for best actor and actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery for best short film.

The traditionally compact selection of 11 features, seven in competition, and a competitive and non-competitive shorts line-up,...

Rwandan actress Eliane Umuhire (“Augure by Baloji,” “My New Friends”), French producer Sylvie Pialat (“Timbuktu,” “Staying Vertical”), Belgian cinematographer Virginie Surdej and Canadian film critic, journalist and frequent Variety contributor Ben Croll have been named on the jury for the Critics’ Week section of the Cannes Film Festival.

The four will now join Spanish filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who last week was named Critics’ Week jury president, with the group set to choose the sidebar competition’s award winners, including the Grand Prize for best feature film, the French Touch Prize of the Jury, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star award for best actor or actress and the Leitz Ciné Discovery Prize for best short film.

The 2024 Critics Week lineup is set to be unveiled on April 15, four days after the Cannes official selection is announced on April 11.

Last year, Venice Golden Lion-winning “Happening” director Audrey Diwan presided over a Critics...

In Omen, one fractured family attempts to reconcile two irreconcilable yet inextricable realities, that of the Republic of the Congo and its one-time colonial possessor, Belgium. In his feature directorial debut, Belgian-Congolese rapper Baloji avoids romanticizing either, preferring to depict their uneasy relation as it manifests in family squabbles.

The film is broken up into four sections, each with their own mood and color palette, titled after the central characters: Koffi (Marc Zinga), Paco (Marcel Otete Kabeya), Tshala (Eliane Umuhire), and Mujila (Yves-Marina Gnahoua). These sections intersect one another, though Koffi remains the overall protagonist. Ostracized for a port-wine stain birthmark that his family sees as a sign of evil sorcery, he returns from Belgium to the Congo after many years, hoping to obtain his parents’ blessing to marry Alice (Lucie Debay), his white Belgian fiancée, who’s pregnant with twins. From the outset, nothing goes as planned.

Omen makes...

Deadline on Monday launched the streaming site for its Contenders Film: International, featuring the full panel videos from Saturday’s award-season showcase of 12 movies submitted by their countries to this year’s Oscar International Feature race.

Click here to launch the streaming site.

Actors who took part in the discussions included South Korean entry Concrete Utopia‘s Lee Byung-hun, Renée Soutendijk from Netherlands’ Sweet Dreams, Eli Skorcheva from Bulgaria’s Blaga’s Lessons and Eliane Umuhire from Belgium’s Omen.

They were joined among others by directors including J.A. Bayona from Netflix’s Society of the Snow, Hugh Welchman from Poland’s The Peasants, Noora Niasari from Australia’s Shayda, llker Çatak from Germany’s The Teachers’ Lounge, Concrete Utopia‘s Um Tae-hwa, Ena Sendijarević from Sweet Dreams, Stephan Komandarev from Blaga’s Lessons, Omar Hilal from Egypt’s Voy! Voy! Voy!, Jude Anthany Joseph from India’s 2018 – Everyone Is a Hero,...

Omen is the official submission from Belgium for the International Feature Oscar category and comes from multi-hyphenate interdisciplinary artist Baloji, who makes his feature directing debut. The film had its world premiere in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section this year where it won the New Voice Prize, before going on to play myriad festivals. Utopia is the North American distributor.

Omen uses magical realism to examine the intricacies of identity, culture and belief systems. It kicks off with, and often returns to, the story of Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man who has spent years living in Belgium. With his pregnant wife in tow, he returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront his family and homeland culture. But secrecy and sorcery erupt when a nosebleed is mistaken for a curse.

His family includes independent spirit sister Tshala played by Eliane Umuhire, and mother Mama Mujila (Yves-Marina Gnahoua). Along...

Deadline’s Contenders Film: International award-season event launches Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. Pt, the latest in our series of showcases that this time turns the focus toward global cinema via discussions with the casts and creatives of 12 movies submitted by their countries for the 2024 Academy Awards’ International Feature race.

Click to sign up for and watch today’s livestream.

The 2023 Oscar ceremony was a triumph for international film. Going into the ceremony, Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front was a winner already, having earned a spectacular seven nominations. If that wasn’t enough, it came away with four statuettes: one for International Feature, and three for Cinematography, Music and Production Design. Clearly this can’t happen every year, but, like Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite before it, Berger’s World War I epic proved that boundaries are being broken down, and international film, once synonymous with arthouse,...

At first glance, “Omen” appears to be another entry in the long tradition of immigrant narratives dedicated to the old adage that you can’t go home again. Returning to the country of his birth, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgian resident Koffi (Marc Zinga) finds himself not just a stranger in a strange land, but a pariah in his own family. But things are more nuanced than that in this hazy, head-turning first feature from Belgian-Congolese rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji: The deeper it delves into and across Koffi’s tortured family history, the clearer it becomes that his homeland was never a home to him at all. In “Omen,” cultural tradition is as much a force in dividing families as the gentrifying pull of the west, though Baloji lets viewers draw their own political conclusions amid a mist of vividly realized folklore.

A boldly outward-looking pick from Belgium as...

"Here they tell you to do something, and you do it." Utopia has unveiled the first trailer for an atmospheric thriller from Africa titled Omen, the feature directorial debut of the artist / filmmaker known as "Baloji". This premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year as one of the most unique discoveries from the fest. It's also now Belgium's submission to the 2024 Academy Awards. "Zabolo. It means the mark of the Devil." After years in Belgium, a young Congolese man comes back to his hometown of Kinshasa to face the complexities of his family and his culture. Omen is an ensemble film about people accused of being witches & sorcerers. Despite their misfortune they find the way to guide each other away from their destinies and into the phantasmagoria of Africa. Starring Marc Zinga, Lucie Debay, Eliane Umuhire, Yves-Marina Gnahoua, and Marcel Otete Kabeya. This trailer plays like a full-on horror movie,...

Exclusive: United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed up Belgium’s buzzy rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji.

Baloji, who made his directorial debut earlier this year with Omen, has signed with UTA for representation in all areas and will continue to be represented by Juanita Fellag at As Talents.

Omen debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it picked up the New Voice Prize in Un Certain Regard. The pic has also secured 13 nominations from the African Movie Academy Awards, the highest number of nominations from Amaa this year.

Described as a “magical-realist drama” and set in Baloji’s native Congo, the film follows Koffi, a young Congolese man who — after spending years living in Belgium — returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront the intricacies of his family and culture.

A Belgian-Dutch-Congolese-French-South African co-production, Omen stars Marc Zinga, best known for his work with the Dardenne brothers alongside Lucie Debay, Eliane Umuhire,...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...

Belgium has picked Omen, the first feature from rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji to be its official entry for the 2024 Oscars in the best international feature category.

The magical realist drama follows Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man who, after years of living in Belgium, returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa hoping to reconnect with his family. Koffi was born with a large Rorschach-esque birthmark that frightened his mother, Mujila (Yves-Marina Gnahoua), who labeled him a sorcerer and banished him to Europe. Over the course of the film, Baloji intertwines four stories of people ostracized by their communities and navigating accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. Lucie Debay, Eliane Umuhire and Marcel Otete Kabeya co-star.

A Belgian-Dutch-Congolese-French-South African co-production, Omen premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, where it won Baloji the New Vision Award. In her review, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye called the film “an artful and intriguing take on the African diasporic experience.

Belgium has selected Omen, the debut feature from rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji, as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.

The pic, which debuted in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes 2023, follows Koffi, a young Congolese man who — after spending years living in Belgium — returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront the intricacies of his family and culture.

A Belgian-Dutch-Congolese-French-South African co-production, Omen picked up the New Vision Award at Cannes. Starring is Marc Zinga, best known for his work with the Dardenne brothers alongside Lucie Debay, Eliane Umuhire, Yves-Marina Gnahoua, and Marcel Otete Kabeya.

The film is set for a theatrical release in Belgium on November 15. Pan Distribution is the French distributor, while Memento International is handling world sales. Production companies are Special Touch Studios, Wrong Men, New Amsterdam Film Company, Tosala Films, RadicalMedia, Serendipity Films, and Big World Cinema.

Belgium’s Oscar pick...

Screen is profiling every submission for best international feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

Entries for the 2024 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 96th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 10, 2024 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between December 1, 2022, and October 31, 2023. The deadline...

A theatrical release is plotted for spring 2024.

Aya Films has picked up Cannes title Omen (Augure), the directorial debut from Belgium-Congolese rapper, Baloji, from Paris-based Memento International.

A theatrical release is plotted in the UK and Ireland for spring 2024.

The magic realist film will premiere in the UK at BFI London Film Festival this October, following Baloji’s win of the Un Certain Regard – new voice prize at this year’s Cannes.

It centres on a young Congolese man who travels back to his hometown in Kinshasa to reunite with his family and culture, alongside his European fiancée. Complexities abound...

Girls Supports Girls, the French film sorority launched by producer Vanessa Djian and publicist Karolyne Leibovici, made its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival with the backing of Orange, in association with Kering. A flurry of French female talent, notably “Simone” actress Elsa Zylberstein and “Houria” director Mounia Meddour, took part in the networking luncheon which was hosted on the rooftop terrasse of Kering’s Women in Motion event at the Majestic hotel.

Djian, whose production banner Daïdaï Films recently became part of Newen Group, and Leibovici, the founder of A&k communication, launched Girls Supports Girls four years ago to connect and create opportunities for female producers, actresses, executives and diverse talent coming from the film, TV and media industries.

Previous events were organized in Paris, at the prestigious restaurant Le Fouquet’s, and during Canneseries in Cannes. Each event kicks off with guests standing up and introducing themselves.

Baloji, the Belgian-Congolese rapper, explores a familiar set of themes with an artful and impressionistic touch in his directorial debut Omen (Augure).

Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, the magical-realist drama tackles displacement and belonging through four characters who’ve been ostracized by their communities. The musician pulls from his personal experiences and uses a visual language honed in his short films, like 2018’s Zombies, to craft a beguiling tale.

The journey begins with Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man living in Europe with his white fiancée Alice (Lucie Debay). We see him preparing for an upcoming trip to Democratic Republic of Congo, where he hopes to amend his relationship with his family. Koffi’s birthmark — a large Rorschach-esque blot — frightened his mother, Mujila (a sharp Yves-Marina Gnahoua), when he came out of the womb. She labeled him a sorcerer and sent him to Europe.

Editor’s Note: This review originally published during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Utopia will release “Omen” in theaters Friday, April 12.

One of the innumerable tragedies that have resulted from the decades-long strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the suffocation of any kind of national cinema. For most of this century, the nation’s capital, Kinshasa, has not even had a film theater; due to chronic funding difficulties and the instability that plagues much of the country, the handful of non-documentary features about Congo that emerge are largely financed by foreign players.

“Omen,” the feature debut by hip-hopper-turned-filmmaker Baloji, is a Belgian, Dutch, and Congolese co-production, and even as it offers a deeply felt look at Congolese customs, sensibilities, and family dynamics, it foregrounds its own European perspective. What results is an intriguingly ambivalent reckoning with Baloji’s mother country, a genre-hopping, beautifully slippery exploration of Congolese belief systems...

Memento International is set to represent global rights to “Omen,” the feature debut of Belgian-Congolese artist-turned filmmaker Baloji which is slated to world premiere at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.

Baloji previously directed several short films including “Zombies” which played at the BFI London film festival. Blurring the lines between reality and the realm of dreams, “Omen” follows Kofi, who return to his birthplace after being ostracized by his family. The movie explores the weight of beliefs on one’s destiny through four characters accused of being witches and sorcerers, all of them intertwined and guiding each other into the phantasmagoria of Africa.

The film stars Marc Zinga Lucie Debay (“Our Men”) and Eliane Umuhire (“Birds Are Singing in Kigali”).

“I like to describe ‘Omen’ as a chimerical film, an ode to the imaginary and the visceral, evoking the spirits of the departed as much as the boundless energy of childhood,...

Eliane Umuhire in Bazigaga

Jo Ingabire Moys is a well presented, confident-looking woman with a steady gaze. She has been living in the UK since she was 14 and her slight foreign accent is no more distinct than that of many second or third generation immigrants. If you met her in the street, you would not guess that she’s a survivor of a bloody genocide which claimed the lives of as many as 800,000 people, including half of her own family. Yet genocide happens to ordinary people in ordinary places, Jo is keen to say. It can happen anywhere, and diligent efforts are needed to guard against the hate which precedes it.

Her new short film, Bazigaga, which is now part of the 2023 Oscar race, takes viewers back to Rwanda in 1994, when the genocide there occurred. It tells the story of a traditional healer – the title character – who is persuaded...

Somewhere between 500,000 and 800,000 people, mostly Tutsi, died during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Faced with numbers like these, it can be difficult to understand it in human terms. Jo Ingabire Moys, who escaped the conflict as a child but lost half her family, condenses aspects of what happened into this Oscar-qualifying short film and shows viewers around the world that genocide isn’t something remote and incomprehensible, but something which can happen to any society is hatred is allowed to build within it.

The title character, Bazigaga (Eliane Umuhire), is a traditional healer, a woman on who many members of her local community privately depend but who is publicly shunned as a result of the actions of Christian pastor Karembe (Ery Nzaramba), who has branded her a witch. This has made her life very difficult, but it has also given her a certain power. When Karembe and his young daughter...

The revolutionary vision of “Neptune Frost” – a politically charged Afrofuturist musical odyssey where Neptune, an intersex runaway, becomes part of an insurgent collective – plays like a social justice dream. For its intrepid filmmakers, hip-hop artist Saul Williams and Rwandan playwright Anisia Uzeyman, the journey to bring their alternative world into reality took nearly a decade and required a band of like-minded artisans capable of translating the narrative’s activist roots into cinematic wonder. “Neptune Frost” isn’t merely a film. It’s an aesthetic statement of intent.

That declaration draws from more than your usual science fiction fare. The Arab spring, African Diaspora movements, centuries of music, and the present blossoming of the continent’s art all influence “Neptue Frost,” a film that fights against exploitation, colonialism, and anti-gay laws.

Following the death of their aunt, Neptune (Elvis “Bobo” Ngabo/Cheryl Isheja) flees from their Rwandan village, crossing bodies of...

When “Trees of Peace,” a drama set during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, surged into the top 10 English-language films on Netflix in June, some may have been amazed that a low-budget, albeit critically acclaimed indie was among the most-watched movies of the week. But executive producer Nicole Avant (“The Black Godfather”) wasn’t among them.

“It was incredible. I was surprised how quickly it got so much attention, but I wasn’t surprised,” Avant tells Variety about learning that the film racked up more than 9.3 million hours viewed in those first few days.

To Avant, the numbers indicated that audiences was ready for and interested in stories like this, despite its heavy subject matter.

“We’ve all felt pretty beaten up for many years, with all this social unrest happening in the United States and everywhere around the world, and just so much negativity,” she explains. “Then here comes this film about strength,...

"It feels like a lifetime in this room, but I have never known..." Netflix has debuted a trailer for Trees of Peace, a true story film available for streaming later this summer. Four women from different backgrounds forge an unbreakable sisterhood while trapped and in hiding during the genocide in Rwanda. Inspired by true events. This premiered at film festivals last year, including at the American Black Film Festival in the fall, where it won the John Singleton Award for Best First Feature Film. In April of 1994, four women from different backgrounds and beliefs are trapped and hiding during the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Their fight for survival against all odds unites the women in an unbreakable sisterhood. Starring Eliane Umuhire, Charmaine Bingwa, Ella Cannon, Bola Koleosho, and Tongayi Chirisa. This really looks quite beautiful, a heart-wrenching story about the struggle of survival and resilience. See the preview below.

"One just algorithm. One little Black girl algorithm brings it to life." Kino Lorber has unveiled an official US trailer for the acclaimed, one-of-a-kind creation from Africa called Neptune Frost - a must watch film for anyone that is a fan of international cinema. This premiered at last year's 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight sidebar, and it also played at the Toronto, New York, London, and Sundance Film Festivals. Neptune Frost is the love story between an African intersex runaway and a coltan miner, and the virtual marvel born as a result of their union. The anti-capitalist, anti-colonialist feature is a radical, neon-drenched techno musical creation unlike any other, utilizing old parts and various found items as props and costume pieces. The film features Cheryl Isheja, Bertrand Ninteretse, Eliane Umuhire, and Dorcy Rugamba. I saw this last year and proclaimed it to be an instant cult classic, raving...

Streamer plans summer debut for Alanna Brown’s award-winning feature debut.

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Alanna Brown’s drama about the genocide in Rwanda Trees Of Peace.

The film won the top three jury prizes at American Black Film Festival including the John Singleton Award for best first feature and earned the top jury award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival after it premiered there last year.

Trees Of Peace is inspired by actual events and follows four women from different backgrounds who forge an unbreakable bond while trapped during the violence in Rwanda in 1994. Netflix plans to debut the film this summer.

Directors Anisia Uzeyman and multi-talented Saul Williams deep dive into Afro-Futurism with the new film Neptune Frost. The film first premiered at Director’s Fortnight in Cannes, was an official selection at the Toronto Film Festival, and now at the New York Film Festival. Frost is a bold story about how the power of music, technology and dreams can profoundly impact human connection. The sensual visuals, coupled with an anti-capitalist theme that is somewhat bleak, this is a film about finding happiness in community and embracing the future.

Set in Rwanda, this cyber-musical follows Matalusa (Bertrand Ninteretse), a poverty-stricken miner, and an intersex hacker, Neptune (played by Elivs Ngabo and Cheryl Isheja), and who find one another through cyberspace. Their chemistry is instant, and love emancipates them from the physical and internal struggle they face. Williams creates a tender dynamic between the two characters. Witnessing Black joy in cinema isn...

Chicago – The Chicago International Film Festival is a competitive fest, and the 53rd edition presented its awards on October 20th, 2017, at the AMC River East Theatre in Chicago. The winner of the Gold Hugo as Best Film was “A Sort of Family” (Argentina), directed by Diego Lerman.

The 53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards Night was October 20th, 2017

Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

The awards event was hosted by entertainment reporter Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times and FOX32. Presenters included Artistic Director Mimi Plauché, programmers Anthony Kaufman and Sam Flancher, plus various jury members. Local treasures Chaz Ebert of RogerEbert.com and Festival Founder Michael Kutza joined in as presenters. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.

International Feature Film Competition

“A Sort of Family,” Directed by Diego Lerman

Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

The Gold Hugo...

Czech title Little Crusader takes Crystal Globe; works in progress winners announced.

The 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 20 - July 8) closed last night with a packed awards ceremony, whose winners included Czech movie Little Crusader, UK director Ken Loach and Us stars Jeremy Renner and Uma Thurman.

Scroll down for full list of winners

According to organisers, the festival was attended by 13, 734 accredited visitors. Of that number 11, 554 had festival passes, 398 were filmmakers, 1,165 film professionals, and 617 journalists.

There were a total of 505 film screenings and a total of 140 067 tickets were sold. A total of 207 films were shown: 179 feature films (144 full-length and 35 short) and 28 documentary films.

23 films received their world premiere, while 18 had their international premiere and 13 their European premiere. 183 screenings were personally presented by delegations of filmmakers. 96 Press & Industry screenings were held.

According to a festival release, 1,248 film buyers, sellers, distributors, film festival programmers, representatives of film institutions, and other industry professionals were accredited for the...

Czech title Little Crusader takes Crystal Globe; works in progress winners revealed.

The 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (June 20 - July 8) closed last night with a packed awards ceremony, whose winners included Czech movie Little Crusader, UK director Ken Loach and Us stars Jeremy Renner and Uma Thurman.

Scroll down for full list of winners

According to organisers, the festival was attended by 13, 734 accredited visitors. Of that number 11, 554 had festival passes, 398 were filmmakers, 1,165 film professionals, and 617 journalists.

There were a total of 505 film screenings and a total of 140 067 tickets were sold. A total of 207 films were shown: 179 feature films (144 full-length and 35 short) and 28 documentary films.

23 films received their world premiere, while 18 had their international premiere and 13 their European premiere. 183 screenings were personally presented by delegations of filmmakers. 96 Press & Industry screenings were held.

According to a festival release, 1,248 film buyers, sellers, distributors, film festival programmers, representatives of film institutions, and other industry professionals were accredited for the...

Actor Andi Vasluianu with Rumanian actress Voica Oltean who an award for best debut actress for the film Breaking News at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Photo: Film Servis Kviff

It has been more than 15 years since a Czech film won the top prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The trend was reversed for the 52nd edition with the Crystal Globe for best fllm going to Little Crusader by Václav Kadrnka, described as “a meditative drama on fatherhood.”

The film also received a cash bonus of 25,000 dollars.

Karl Roden in Little Crusader, the Czech film that took the top prize at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Photo: Film Servis Kviff

Other prizes announced tonight (8 July) at the Festival’s closing ceremony included a special jury prize going to a hard-hitting drama on the trauma of the war in Yugoslavia, Men Don't Cry, by Bosnian director Alen Drljević.