News

Game of Thrones was known for its utter disregard for fan-favorite characters and brutal on-screen deaths. The show’s first season finale proved to fans that the series was not messing around and would not hesitate to kill even its biggest stars. While the later seasons may have become fan-pleasing, the deaths in the initial seasons set it apart.

Actress Sibel Kekilli, who played Shae in the show, reportedly begged the creators to not kill her off in the show. The character who becomes close to Tyrion Lannister and eventually betrays him, is strangled to death by the Imp after he escapes from prison, which is one of the most harrowing moments of the show.

Sibel Kekilli Begged Game of Thrones Creators To Not Kill Shae Tyrion Lannister and Shae in Game of Thrones | Credits: HBO

Sibel Kekilli played the role of Shae, a young pr*stitute who takes a...

Sex, a provocative and candid look at constricting gender roles by Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud, has won the Europa Cinemas Label as best European film in the Panorama section of the 2024 Berlin Film Festival.

Jan Gunnar Roise and Thorbjorn Harr star in Sex as two married and ostensibly heterosexual chimney sweeps whose experiences lead them to question their supposedly fixed sexual and gender identities. The film was a critical hit in Berlin, with The Hollywood Reporter comparing its “gentle subversiveness” of the male character study to Joachim Trier’s twist on the traditional rom-com in the Oscar-nominated The Worst Person in the World. [Coincidentally, Worst Person in the World breakout Renate Reinsve was one of the big stars of the Berlinale this year, with two films in competition.]

The Europa Cinemas jury praised Sex as “fresh, original, and, above all, great fun,” adding: “Yes, it is a talky film, but we feel strongly that the open...

Polish soldier and spy Witold Pilecki is getting the big-screen treatment via an international co-production between the United States and Poland.

Powder Hound Pictures and the Polish Film Institute have teamed up to finance and co-produce what is being titled Enemy Of My Enemy and being described as an epic drama.

Matt King wrote the script that adapts the acclaimed book Ochotnik (“The Volunteer”) by Marco Patricelli.

Jayne-Ann Tenggren, who acted as a producer on the Oscar-winning war drama 1917 and who was a protégé of Sam Mendes, is producing with Elizabeth Stillwell, who acted as an executive producer on 2018 Kristen Stewart period drama Lizzie.

A soldier with the Polish Army in World War II, Pilecki volunteered for a Polish resistance operation that involved infiltrating (and later escaping from) the Auschwitz concentration camp. In 1941, he penned what some say was the first comprehensive intelligence report on Auschwitz and the Holocaust, only...

İlker Çatak’s The Teachers‘ Lounge, a German drama set in a primary school, has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film in the Panorama section of the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival.

Leonie Benesch (Babylon Berlin, Around the World in 80 Days) stars in The Teacher’s Lounge as an idealistic and ambitious young teacher who finds herself at odds with fellow teachers, parents and an inflexible and frustrating bureaucracy. Leonard Stettnisch, Eva Löbau, Michael Klammer, Anne-Kathrin Gummich, Kathrin Wehlisch, Uygar Tamer, and Özgür Karadeniz co-star.

“The film explores key subjects like the prevalence of bureaucracy in schools and issues of race and class, but above all it is a compelling rollercoaster of a drama,” the Europa Cinemas jury said in a statement.

The Europa Cinemas prize is backed the Europa Cinemas theatre network, an association of independent theater owners, representing more than 3,000 screens in over 700 cities across Europe,...

Based on the same real-life “honor killing” that inspired fellow German Feo Aladag’s prize-winning 2010 feature “When We Leave,” Sherry Hormann’s “A Regular Woman” takes a compelling new approach to the contentious 2005 case that shocked Germany: By allowing the murdered woman — a 23-year-old German of Turkish-Kurdish ancestry shot point blank by her youngest brother — to narrate the action both before and after her death, the director (“Desert Flower”) restores the victim’s voice. Further fest screenings and niche arthouse play should follow the film’s Tribeca world premiere.

From a family of strict Sunni Muslims and the oldest daughter of nine siblings, Hatun “Aynur” Sürücü was forced to leave her Kreuzberg school in 1998, age 16, and marry a cousin in Istanbul. In her voiceover, which outlines the expectations assigned to a dutiful daughter, Aynur calls it “a change of owner,” as control over her person shifts from father to husband.

Richard Lormand has been a friend on the circuit of ours for may years.

He has an exciting new lineup of women directed films at Berlin.

Wow!!

Can't wait to see them all!

Following is his press release on them. Now you now what to watch (and buy!!) at Berlin!!

from Richard -

Hola Film Lovers!

I've been prepping my Berlinale films in sunny, sumptuous Buenos Aires, but I'm still excited to get back to the European winter. After recent debates about the sparse presence of female directors in competition at major film festivals, I'm pleased to announce that I'm handling three Berlinale Competition films directed by women! Here's my bottom line on all four of my Berlinale 2014 films (in order of appearance):

Goran Hugo Olsson's Concerning Violence: Swedish filmmaker Goran Hugo Olsson is a true talent at turning archival footage into thought-provoking pertinent films, as in the 2011 Sundance hit The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. His new film Concerning Violence was just shown at Sundance and will be presented in the Berlinale's Panorama Doc section. Based on radical political writer Frantz Fanon's post-colonial studies work, the film shows how the price of freedom in Africa has usually been paid with violence. Ms. Lauryn Hill's distinctive and asssertive voice bring extra force to the texts. Unique style and editing add to the powerful experience this important film offers.

Feo Aladag's Inbetween Worlds (Zwischen Welten): I admire directors for the persistence, focus and stamina the best of them demonstrate in sticking to the long and multifaceted process of making a film. Berlin-based director Feo Aladag is a fine example of a writer-director-producer's unshakeable commitment to a project. Feo puts the same passionate talent for cross-cultural interconnection into Inbetween Worlds as she did in the Tribeca winner When We Leave (Die Fremde). Ronald Zehrfeld (Christian Petzold's Barbara) as the troubled German soldier and the mostly non-professional Afghani cast are all terrific in this smart and compassionate human drama.

Celina Murga's The Third Side Of The River (La Tercera Orilla): Argentinian director Celina Murga gives us a tight exercise in teenage tension in her new film La Tercera Orilla (lit. The Third Bank). This rigorously-constructed film boasts a smoldering performance by first-timer Alian Devetec as the broody Nicolas. Celina keeps us guessing about her main character's path as his overbearing father begins to dictate Nicolas' future. Celina previously showed her knack for films about youth in her acclaimed features A Week Alone and Ana And The Others. Her former Rolex Arts Initiative mentor Martin Scorsese executive produced.

Sudabeh Mortezai's MacOndo: It's always a surprise when a first film makes it into Competition at a major festival. It's the prestigious festival way of saying "You must check out this amazing new filmmaker!" I definitely agree that's the case for Vienna-based Iranian Sudabeh Mortezai. She has successfully captured the heart and soul of the refugee condition in her touching first fiction feature. In the leading role, 11-year-old Ramasan Minkailov is phenomenal - sensitive, strong, charismatic.

Richard Lormand - Film|Press|Plus

www.FilmPressPlus.com...

We're getting to know the Film Experience community one-by-one. This is going to take us forever! (That's a good thing. Thank you so much for being part of such a big vibrant fanbase.) Today we're talking to Patrick who lives in Germany and writes for DieAcademy.de, a German site devoted to our favorite awards show.

Hi, Patrick. How long have you been reading The Film Experience?

Maybe 6 years? I like this site so much since it's always interesting topics and wonderful to read.

I know you're really into the Oscars but how about the Lolas, Germany's own movie awards. Which German stars do you recommend our international readers get to know?

The Lolas are not as big of a deal as they should be, but I love some German actors who are still too unknown abroad but doing great work all the time, like: Sibel Kikelli (two time Lola...

The festival circus of Germany‘s big A-film festival is little less then a week away and it‘s been four days since the whole programme of this year‘s Berlinale was released. With almost 400 films the list of title‘s comprises of about as many films as the studio system blasted out annually during its golden age. For ten days Berlin‘s movie theatres will host films from around the globe, and since it is an absolute impossibility to get a grip on everything that will be shown I‘ve decided to be more than happy if by the end of the festival I‘ve gotten the gist of this list.

While some might welcome the sudden start of winter in Berlin I am already dreading the freezing cold while waiting in line at the accreditation’s counter only to find out that the films I‘ve carefully selected to watch are already out.

Adriano Luz in Raúl Ruiz's The Mysteries of Lisbon At the 46th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, European Parliament member Olga Sehnalová, filmmaker Feo Aladag, actress Sibel Kekilli, and the Karlovy Vary Festival's artistic consultant Eva Zaoralová announced the ten films competing for the 2011 Lux Prize. They are, in alphabetical order: A Torinói ló (The Turin Horse) by Béla Tarr (Hungary, France, Switzerland, Germany) Attenberg by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Greece) Essential Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary) Habemus Papam by Nanni Moretti (Italy, France) Le Havre by Aki Kaurismäki (Finland, France, Germany) Les neiges du Kilimandjaro (The snows of Kilimandjaro) by Robert Guédiguian (France) Morgen by Marian Crisan (France, Romania, Hungary) Mistérios de Lisboa (The Mysteries of Lisbon) by Raúl Ruiz (Portugal) Pina by Wim Wenders (Germany, France, UK) Play by Ruben Östlund (Sweden, France, Denmark) Established in 2007, the annual Lux Prize nominees are selected by a...

Ten films have been selected to compete for Europe's Lux prize. Details below. The European Parliament unveiled, in the frame of the 46th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), the ten films pre-selected to compete for this year’s Lux Prize. These films, (co)produced in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland or UK, all reflect the excellence and richness of European cinema which the European Parliament is very pleased to support. The Lux Prize 2011 Official Selection was unveiled in Karlovy Vary by Ms Olga SEHNALOVÁ, member of the European Parliament, Ms Feo Aladag, director of the Lux Prize 2010 winner Die Fremde, and its leading actress Ms Sibel Kekilli, as well as Ms Eva ZAORALOVÁ, artistic consultant ...

When We Leave

Directed by Feo Aladag

Written by Feo Aladag,

Germany (2010)

Ironically, the winner of the European Parliament’s 2010 Lux prize, Feo Aladag’s feature debut “When We Leave”, would probably serve well the cause of some member states opposed to Turkey’s entrance into the Union (that the Parliament’s press release uses scare quotes around the egregious misnomer ‘honour killing’ is minorly heartening). The prize, which awards the winning film funding for subtitling into the 23 official EU languages, is in the case of “When We Leave” a double-edged recognition – in the four years of Lux’s existence, this is the second film treating the subject of intergenerational Turkish-German strife. While shedding zetetic light onto the cultural schism gnawing the union, “When We Leave” at times entangles its characters into ethno-cultural stereotyping, albeit as a counterpoint to its unmistakeably humanistic, not to say feminist drift.

And it doesn...

Weekly Box Office Wrap January 28-30 2011

There was a little strange movement in the past weekend box office. Two new films jumped into the top 3 and an oldie jumped back in to number 10. Warner Brothers new release The Rite, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, took possession of the top spot with $14,789,393 in 2,985 theaters with an average of $4,955 per location. The remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson flick The Mechanic, released by CBS and starring the rugged Jason Statham, put the hit out on the number three spot. Since it was a fairly slow weekend at the movies, it pulled in only $11,422,006 in 2,703 theaters averaging $4,226 per theater. Surprisingly, The Dilemma and Yogi Bear are still in the top ten. Perhaps the amount of theatres they are still in can account for this? One can only hope.

The remaining new releases for the weekend are not in the top ten, but a couple were close.

When Umay (Sibel Kekilli) flees Istanbul with Cem, her five-year-old son (Nizam Schiller), in order to escape her abusive husband (Ufuk Bayraktar), she never truly contemplates just how unwelcome her family reception in Berlin will be. Never mind that her husband beat her regularly and cruelly punishes their son, the worst evil committed is the loss of honor to her conservative Turkish immigrant family name. (“The hand that strikes is also the hand that soothes... A slap or two is no reason to run.”) Umay is dubbed the “deutschwhore” sister and shunned as the family outcast. Exiled from her family home Umay soldiers on, lugging her son between safe houses and friends’ homes all the while attempting to rebuild her life in Berlin. (It is worth noting that the German title, Die Fremde, translates to “The Foreign” or “The Stranger” -- Umay is clearly viewed by her family, as well...

In a surprising number of cultures, when women break out of traditional (and sometimes religious) roles, or choose to leave situations in which they are in danger or unhappy, their families feel bound by honor to punish them - in many cases, with death. While this practice seems unthinkable to the majority of us in Western society, honor killings are still horrifically common - a fact that inspired German actress Feo Aladag to write and direct her debut feature film, When We Leave (Die Fremde). We promise to not give away pivotal plot points, but here are the basics: Umay (Sibel Kekilli, of Head-On) is a Turkish-German young woman who lives with her husband and his family in Istanbul. In an effort to escape domestic violence, she takes her 5-year-old son to her family home in Berlin, where she announces she is not returning. Her family, in disbelief, tries to persuade her to return.

Currently making the rounds for a Foreign Oscar bid, Feo Aladag's Die Fremde (When We Leave) has just won the European Parliament's Lux prize beating out fellow nominees in Olivier Masset-Depasse "Illegal" and "Akadimia Platonos" by Greek helmer Filippos Tsitos. In previous years was awarded to: Fatih Akın's The Edge of Heaven, Dardenne Bros.' Lorna's Silence and last year's Philippe Lioret's Welcome. Olive Films will release When We Leave in January of next year. This win perhaps adds to the film's cred as an ideal dark horse pic for the first Foreign nom category shortlist. Gist: This examines one woman’s struggle for personal freedom. It is a riveting and heartbreaking story of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, who must not only free herself from that marriage, but also the cultural prejudices and judgments that would keep her there. Feo Aladag built the nuances of...

Roman Polanski's thriller has been nominated for 7 European Film Awards including best European film, director, actor (Ewan McGregor), screenwriter, editor, production design and composer. Other leading nominees are Samuel Maoz's Lebanon with 5 nods and Semih Kaplanoğlu's Honey with 3. This year's European Film Awards will take place in Tallinn, Estonia on December 4. The 2,300 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the winners. Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon won the European film, director and screenwriter awards last year. European Film 2010: Bal (Honey), Turkey/Germany Directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu Written by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Orçun Köksal Produced by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Johannes Rexin Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men), France Directed by Xavier Beauvois Written by Etienne Comar & Xavier Beauvois The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK Directed by Roman Polanski Written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski Produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski Lebanon,...

An English language feature film co-produced by Ireland and the Netherlands “Nothing Personal” has been shortlisted for the European Discovery-the Prix Fipresci at this years European Film Academy. The award is presented annually to a young and upcoming director. “Nothing Personal” is about Anne who leaves her life behind her in the Netherlands and moves to Ireland. “Alone in her empty flat, from her window Anne observes the people passing by who nervously snatch up the personal belongings and pieces of furniture she has put out on the pavement. Her final gesture of taking a ring off her finger signals she is leaving her previous life in Holland behind. She goes to Ireland, where she chooses to lead a solitary, wandering existence, striding through the austere landscapes of Connemara. During her travels, she discovers a house that is home to a hermit, Martin,” writes IMDb. The movie is written and...

The European Film Academy have announced this year’s nominations for the European Discovery - Prix Fipresci, an award presented annually as part of the European Film Awards (23rd edition) to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film, and leading the pack we have the front-runner and more known Venice winning title of 2009 in Samuel Maoz's Lebanon (an Israel/Germany/France co-production) and also from Venice of the same year, Giuseppe Capotondi's La doppia ora (The Double Hour). Completing the five noms, there's Florin Serban's Berlin Film Festival-winning If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle (Film Movement) along with Germany's Feo Aladag's When We Leave (Olive Films) and overwhelming 2009 Locarno winning favorite in Urszula Antoniak's Nothing Personal (Olive Films) - see pic above. Here are the trailers for the five nominated films - the winner will be announced on 4 December in Tallinn/Estonia.

The European Film Academy announces five nominees for its European Discovery Award, which recognizes emerging directors' first feature-length films. The nominees are selected by members of Fipresci, the International Federation of Film Critics. The 2,300 members of the Efa will watch and vote for the winner, which will be announced December 4th at the 23rd European Film Awards. The nominees are: La Doppia Ora (The Double Hour), Italy, directed by Giuseppe Capotondi Eu Cand Vreau Sa Fluier, Fluier (If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle), Romania, directed by Florin Serban Die Fremde (When We Leave), Germany, written & directed by Feo Aladag Lebanon, Israel/Germany/France, written & directed by Samuel Maoz [pictured] Nothing Personal, the Netherlands/Ireland, written & directed by Urszula Antoniak...

Five films from first-time directors, including two that have been submitted to the Academy’s Foreign-Language Film competition, have been selected as nominees for the European Film Academy’s European Discovery Prix Fipresci.

The two Oscar submissions nominated for the award are the Romanian film “Eu Cand Vreau Sa Fluier, Fluier” (“If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle”), directed by Florin Serban, and the German drama “Die Fremde” (“When We Leave”), directed by Feo Aladag.

Apart from the classic auteurs in the Special Presentations section, the 39th Festival du nouveau cinéma will be filled to the gills in new works from across the globe. I view the extremely popular film festival as sort of a B-side for film festival circuit items that generally find a spot in a major film fest such as Cannes and afterwards would normally fall through the cracks. Think the Nyff's much wilder, Canadian cousin. Over 295 films - this includes shorts, fiction and documentary, animation, retrospectives, tributes, professional panels, outdoor interactive installations, the festival which takes place between the 13th to the 24th of October, furiously promotes not only world talent, but local French Canadian filmmakers. Among the notable titles, we have Michelangelo Frammartino's Le Quattro volte, Olivier Assayas' Carlos and Alex de la Iglesia's The Last Circus and Wang Bing will be in town for a Master Class for Venice-winning The Ditch.

I'm not sure what the cutoff date is for from the individual countries for the Foreign Language Film nominations, but Sony Pictures Classics are glad to see Canada select Denis Villeneuve's Incendies. The company now has three horses in the race and once again, places the distributor in a pretty good position to grab the most of the spots in the final five nominations. Their solid trio so far includes: the Villeneuve film that played at Venice, Telluride and Tiff with Cannes items Xavier Beauvois' Of Gods and Men and Olivier Schmitz's Life, Above All. Having seen all three mentioned titles, I can say that this will please Academy voters. Cross your fingers for Dogtooth folks. Algeria: Outside the Law, Rachid Bouchareb Austria: La Pivellina, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel Azerbaijan: The Precinct, Ilgar Safat Belgium: Illègal, Olivier Masset-Depasse Bosnia and Herzegovina: Circus Columbia, Danis Tanovic Bulgaria: Eastern Plays,...

Cologne, Germany -- Olive Films has picked up U.S. rights to "When We Leave," the debut drama from German director Feo Aladag starring Sibel Kekilli ("Head-On") as a woman ostracized by her devout Muslim family.

"When We Leave" has been collection accolades since its debut at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year. The film won best feature and Kekilli best actress honors at Tribeca and Kekilli picked up the Best Actress Lola -- Germany's equivalent of the Oscar -- for her commanding performance as Umay, an abused wife whose family turns against her.

The deal was negotiated by Olive Films' president Farhad Arshad and Irina Ignatiew, evp of German world sales group Telepool.

"We felt strongly about this title from the very beginning," Arshad said. "A delicate examination of a painful reality, the film affords the audience the space needed to experience the anxieties of the characters...

Cologne, Germany -- Cinematographer Judith Kaufmann has won the 20th German Camera Prize for her framing of "When We Leave," Feo Aladag's debut feature on honor killings.

The drama stars Sibel Kekilli ("Head-On") as a young Muslim woman ostracized by her family for daring to leave an abusive husband. The top editing honor went to Moritz Reinecke, who won for his cut of Oliver Kienle's coming-of-age-Drama "Bis aufs Blut."

Patrick Eppler's work on Gerardo Milsztein's "To Fight For: The Year of Decision" won top honors for best cinematography in a documentary. The doc follows German juvenile delinquents trying to box their way out of a life a crime. Henk Dress won best editing for a documentary for his work on Insa Onken's "Rich Brother," about the fate of a young man from Cameroon living in Germany.

The small screen nods went to Andreas Hofer, who shot...

(German title Die Fremde, meaning The Stranger) At this year's Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, the movie When We Leave received the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature. And its star, Sibel Kekilli, walked away with the Founders Award for Best Actress in a Narrative Feature. It was no surprise to me when I heard the announcements because I'd been raving about this film and about Sibel's performance for days. I consider When We Leave one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is Bicycle Thief good, and the kind of movie I like the most: a simple yet meaningful story told without bells and whistles and with a small number of major characters. Prior to winning the Tribeca awards, the film had won the Lola (the German equivalent of an Oscar) for Best Picture, and Sibel had...

2010 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Awards

* * *

When We Leave (Die Fremde), Dog Pound, Monica & David, And The Arbor Win Top Awards In Juried World Competitions

* * *

More Than $150,000 Handed Out In Cash Prizes

[April 29, 2010 – New York, NY] –The ninth annual Tribeca Film Festival, co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by founding sponsor American Express, announced the winners of its world competition categories tonight at a ceremony hosted at the W Union Square in New York City.

The world competition winners for narrative and documentary films were chosen from 12 narrative and 12 documentary features from 20 countries. Two awards were given to honor New York films, which were chosen from seven narrative and six documentary features. Awards were also given for the best narrative, best documentary and student visionary films in the short film competitions. This year’s Festival included 85 features and 47 short films from 38 countries.

Also announced at the awards were the...

The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival handed out its jury awards last night, in a reportedly swift ceremony held at NYC's W Union Square hotel. The winners of the narrative competition were chosen and presented by a group including actresses Hope Davis and Cheryl Hines, actor Aaron Eckhart, writer John Ridley (U Turn) and directors Gary Winick (13 Going on 30), Gary Ross (Pleasantville) and John Hamburg (I Love You, Man). The German drama Die Fremde (When We Leave) took the top prize, called The Founders Award, while the film's star, Sibel Kekilli, won Best Actress. Other narrative honors went to director Kim Chapiron (Dog Pound), actor Eric Elmosnino (Gainsbourg, Je t'Aime...Moi Non Plus) and the Italian film Mine vaganti (Loose Cannons), which received a special jury mention "for making us laugh, cry and immediately want to book a trip to Southern Italy."

Documentary winners Monica & David, Budrus and director Clio Barnard (The Arbor...

Actor Aaron Eckhart and Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Sibel Kekilli (When We Leave) Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival The big winners last night were Monogamy, When We Leave (Die Fremde), Monica and David, Dog Pound, and The Arbor. Cinemablend's Katey Rich calls Monogamy "a pretty satisfying take on a basic story that's fascinated filmmakers for decades," while Eric D. Snider at Cinematical writes, "As a director and writer, Shapiro demonstrates a knack for authenticity - not surprising, given his background - that makes Monogamy a thoughtful and engrossing character study." New York's Vulture blog interviewed the two stars, Chris Messina and Rashida Jones, who talked about the ups and downs of, well, monogamy. Over at indieWIRE, Eric Kohn reviews The Arbor, noting, "Documentaries often toy with the conventions of non-fiction storytelling to the detriment of their content, but Clio Barnard's innovative The Arbor...

The ninth annual Tribeca Film Festival announced its winners Thursday night at a ceremony hosted at the W Union Square in New York City.

“The award winning films selected by the jury each features strong characters and subjects; these films challenge you to see the world from another perspective,” said Jane Rosenthal. “I wish all the filmmakers continued success and hope that they will bring their work back to Tribeca in the years to come.”

Following are the winners and their awards:

The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – When We Leave (Die Fremde), directed and written by Feo Aladag. (Germany).

Special Jury Mention: Loose Cannons, directed by Ferzan Ozpetek and written by Ferzan Ozpetek and Ivan Cotroneo.

Best New Narrative Filmmaker – Kim Chapiron for Dog Pound, written by Kim Chapiron and Jeremie Delon. (France).

Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film – Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg in Gainsbourg, Je t’Aime … Moi Non Plus,...

Sibel Kekilli in Feo Aladag’s When We Leave (top); Riccardo Scamarcio in Ferzan Ozpetek’s Loose Cannons (upper middle); Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg, Lucy Gordon as Jane Birkin, in Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg, Je t’Aime… Moi Non Plus (lower middle); Kim Chapiron’s Dog Pound (bottom) Tribeca 2010 Winners: When We Leave, Monica & David, Sibel Kekilli, Eric Elmosnino World Narrative Competition 2010 World Narrative Feature Competition Jurors: Hope Davis, Aaron Eckhart, John Hamburg, Cheryl Hines, John Ridley, Gary Ross and Gary Winick The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature When We Leave (Die Fremde) Directed and written by Feo Aladag (Germany) Special Jury Mention Loose Cannons Directed by Ferzan Ozpetek, written by Ferzan Ozpetek and Ivan Cotroneo Best New Narrative Filmmaker Kim Chapiron for Dog Pound Written by Kim Chapiron [...]...

Sibel Kekilli in Feo Aladag’s When We Leave (top); Alexandra Codina’s Monica & David (middle); Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg, Laetitia Casta as Brigitte Bardot in Joann Sfar’s Gainsbourg, Je t’aime … Moi Non Plus (bottom) Feo Aladag’s Turkish-German drama Die Fremde / When We Leave, which recently received six Lola nominations, was voted best narrative film at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. In When We Leave, Sibel Kekilli, the star of Fatih Akin’s 2004 European Film Award winner Head-On, plays a determined Turkish woman who flees her abusive husband in Istanbul, settling with her five-year-old son in Berlin. Once there, she finds herself at odds with her [...]...

Tonight, as the Tribeca Film Festival comes to an end, the Festival Awards were announced. This year the jury was comprised of Aaron Eckhart, Jessica Alba, Cheryl Hines, America Ferrera, Justin Bartha, Brooke Shields, Alicia Keys, Zach Braff, Aidan Quinn, Hope Davis, Gary Ross, Selma Blair, Peter Facinelli, Whoopi Goldberg and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey were among the 35 festival jurors.

The big prize for Best Narrative Feature went to, “When We Leave” (Germany), written and directed by Feo Aladag. Also Best Documentary Feature went to, “Monica & David” (USA) directed by Alexandra Codina. You can read my review of “Monica & David”. The film follows a married couple with Down Syndrome, learning to live together and wanting to gain more adult responsiblities was the most charming film I’ve seen during the festival. The couple accepted the award in New York City.

Although I am personally disappointed my favorite documentary, “The Arbor” didn’t get the award,...

Posted on the Wall Street Journal: 2010 World Narrative Competition The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – When We Leave (Die Fremde), directed and written by Feo Aladag. (Germany). Best New...

The Tribeca Film Festival dished awards and over $150,000 in prize money to a slew of competition films tonight. In the World Competition, the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature went to When We Leave (Die Fremde), the German film written and directed by Feo Aladag. The Best New Narrative Filmmaker prize went to Kim Chapiron for Dog Pound, the French film written by Chapiron and Jeremie Delon. Best Actor in a Narrative Feature went to Eric Elmosnino for Gainsbourg, Je t'Aime...Moi Non Plus, the French film diected by Joann Sfar. Best Actress in a Narrative Feature went to Sibell Kekilli [...]...

Expressing "gratitude" and "surprise," German director Feo Aladag's "When We Leave" (Die Fremde) took the Tribeca Film Festival's Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, while American director Alexandra Codina's "Monica & David" won Best Documentary Feature at a ceremony in Manhattan's Union Square Thursday evening. Both winner received $25,000 in cash and their respective original pieces of art. Ferzan Ozpetek's "Loose Cannons" received a Special Jury Mention in the narrative category, ...

Everyone remembers the old saying, "Blood is thicker than water." When We Leave (Die Fremde), directed by Feo Aladag, gives audiences a moment to reconsider this cliched notion - that maybe longstanding social constructs are the blood thinners that dilute familial loyalties. Sibel Kekilli masterfully plays Umay, a role for which she recently won the Lola Prize in Germany. Her story is one of a constant struggle to keep her and her son safe from Umay's abusive husband, who conspires to take away their son for himself. Her efforts are hindered at every pass, from Istanbul to Berlin. She is even betrayed by those closest to her in a time of need, due to the way her community - very traditional Turkish families living in Germany - looks down on her choice to leave her abusive husband. They reject any sympathetic action toward the disgraced 'whore' for leaving, and for...

Everyone remembers the old saying, "Blood is thicker than water." When We Leave (Die Fremde), directed by Feo Aladag, gives audiences a moment to reconsider this cliched notion - that maybe longstanding social constructs are the blood thinners that dilute familial loyalties. Sibel Kekilli masterfully plays Umay, a role for which she recently won the Lola Prize in Germany. Her story is one of a constant struggle to keep her and her son safe from Umay's abusive husband, who conspires to take away their son for himself. Her efforts are hindered at every pass, from Istanbul to Berlin. She is even betrayed by those closest to her in a time of need, due to the way her community - very traditional Turkish families living in Germany - looks down on her choice to leave her abusive husband. They reject any sympathetic action toward the disgraced 'whore' for leaving, and for...

A woman and a small child are walking down a city sidewalk, accompanied by a young man she seems to know. Then the man points a gun at her. How this happens, and why, is the mystery lingering underneath the thoughtful and frequently heartbreaking drama When We Leave, a German film that touches on some of that country's own conflicts with its large Turkish immigrant population, but primarily serves as a very specific type of family melodrama. The original German title Die Fremde translates roughly into "the foreign" or even "the alien," a better title than the English When We Leave that carries any number of equally satisfying meanings. It could refer to Umay (Sibel Kekilli), a 25-year-old woman living in Istanbul with her abusive husband who makes the radical decision of taking her young son Cem and moving back in with her family in Berlin. Or it could refer...

While most eyes are on Austin, Texas this week for SXSW, many people on the East Coast eagerly await a closer show as this year’s Tribeca Film Festival kicks off on April 21st. The festival is mainly for indie pictures, rather than the larger, blockbuster films, but is also a great place for up-and-coming directors and writers to showcase their work.

With the festival coming up in just over a month, they are already rolling out this year’s schedule and have announced the first 34 films out of a total of 85 feature length and 47 shorts screening at this year’s fest. Among the titles were those submitted to the World Narrative and Documentary competition, as well as the Showcase and Special Events.

Some of the titles look to be quite intriguing, and could include some of the bigger names of the next decade. Be sure to check out the...

9th Annual Festival to Present 85 Feature-Length and 47 Short Film Selections from April 21 – May 2, 2010

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Tribeca Film Festival Virtual and Tribeca Film Boost Festival Reach

New York, NY [March 10, 2010] – The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, the Founding Sponsor of the Festival, today announced the first 34 films to be presented among the 85 feature length and 47 short films at this year’s Festival. The 34 titles include 24 World Narrative and Documentary Competition films, as well as out-of-competition feature film selections in the Showcase and Special Events sections.

The 2010 Tff will take place from April 21 to May 2 in lower Manhattan. The 2010 film selection encompasses feature films from 38 different countries, including 45 World Premieres, 7 International Premieres, 14 North American Premieres, 6 U.S. Premieres and 12 New York Premieres, among which are 7 titles which are part of the fourth annual Tribeca/Espn Sports Film Festival. 96 directors will be presenting feature works at the Festival, with 38 of these filmmakers presenting...

The 2010 Tribeca Film Festival has announced its scheduled lineup -- and just like its home, New York City, its got a little bit of everything.

The Festival will kick off with the world premiere of DreamWorks' 3D "Shrek Forever After."

But then it launches into a darker realm with documentaries like Alex Gibney's latest. The Oscar-winning director ("Taxi to the Dark Side") will screen his new untitled doc on the former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, who resigned his post in 2008 due to a sex scandal, as a work-in-progress. The film will screen as one of three special events that festival organizers announced Wednesday (Mar. 10).

The Special Events section also includes another work-in-progress screening of "The Western Front." This documentary follows its writer/director and Marine, Zachary Iscol, who returns to his battle site in Iraq's Al Anbar province. David Lean's 1965 classic "Doctor Zhivago" got a make-over for its 45th anniversary,...

Tribeca International Film Festival announced the first 34 feature films of the 2010 festival slate. “This year’s competition, the core of the Festival, represents contemporary international filmmaking at its finest, bringing together fresh voices with established storytellers. These stories will leave audiences engaged, as well as entertained, which is what our Festival is all about,” said David Kwok, Director of Programming for the Tribeca Film Festival.

Representing 8 countries, this year’s World Narrative Feature Competition will be an international film collection created by many first- and second-time directors. 7 of the films here in this section are World Premieres. Road, Movie directed by Dev Benegal will be screened in ‘Showcase’ section of the festival. The lineup is as follows:

World Narrative Feature Competition "Buried Land," directed by Geoffrey Alan Rhodes and Steven Eastwood, written by Rhodes, Eastwood and Dzenan Medanovic. Set in a war-torn town in Bosnia that attracts tourists visiting ancient pyramids.

Alex Gibney's latest documentary, a portrait of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, who resigned his post in 2008 because of a sex scandal, will be spotlighted at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, which runs from April 21 to May 2 in New York.

The currently untitled film from the director of the Oscar-winning "Taxi to the Dark Side," will screen as a work-in-progress as one of three special events that festival organizers unveiled today.

"I think people will be really surprised," said David Kwok, the festival's director of programming. "It doesn't just focus on the scandal. It's more comprehensive than that, looking at Eliot Spitzer as a person and at his entire career."

Also playing in the fest's Special Events section are David Lean's 1965 epic "Doctor Zhivago," marking its 45th anniversary with a new restoration that will be released by Warner Home Video, and a work-in-progress screening of the doc "The Western Front,...

With Berlinale wrapped, let's take one last looksie at random celebs working the premieres and photo ops. Part of our irregular red carpet lineup tradition. And then the awardage.

From left to right: I didn't know what Michael Winterbottom looked like, so I've included him here. He's a boyish 48. I think his career is pretty fascinating because it covers so much global ground and differing genre terrain. He's so prolific while still making intelligent films. I'm impatient so prolific works for me. That said, his new noir The Killer Inside Me might be one I'll have to skip. If festival types are so horrified by the violence I'm sure it's more than I can take.

Julianne Moore looking foxy on her way to fifty. She's gone a bit goth here with smoky eyes, black dress and black fingernails. More on her in a bit.

Two-time Oscar nominee Isabelle Adjani, who hasn't been working much,...

Berlin -- The Berlin film festival's Panorama sidebar is coming back loud and proud this year with a lineup packed with films examining gender identity and the gay movement.

The 2010 Panorama opens Feb. 11 with the Russian film "Jolly Fellows," director Felix Mikhailov's look at the drag queen subculture of a Moscow club.

This year's lineup also features Cheryl Dunye's thriller "The Owls," in which aging lesbians try to get away with murder; and Jake Yuzna's "Open," a series of intertwined love stories featuring gay and trans-gendered partners.

Several of Panorama's documentary selections explores related themes -- such as Crayton Robery's "Making The Boys" about Matt Crowley's ground breaking gay play "The Boys in the Band;" "Cuchillo de Palo," Renate Costa's expose of persecution of homosexuals during the Paraguayan dictatorship and the German doc "Rock Hudson – Dark and Handsome Stranger" from directors Andrew Davies and Andre Schaefer.