1. Midwives (2022) by Hnin Ei Hlaing
The core of the film is truthfully, a study of the complex relationship between Nyo Nyo and Hla, who in turn, represent both sides at the front of the racial conflict. At first glance, the bond between the two women seems to be unshakable. But after spending an hour with them, you start to observe the inklings of verbal abuse slipping in. At one point, Hla even compares Nyo Nyo's people to cows; this is the confounding enigma that makes “Midwives” so compelling and reason enough for Hnin to film the documentary. (Leon Overee)
2. What Should We Have Done? (2023) by Tomoaki Fujino
Tomoaki Fujino's deeply personal documentary, “What Should We Have Done?” serves as a poignant testament to the devastating impact of mental illness on families, and the profound consequences of denial and societal stigma. Through his unflinching lens, he lays bare the complex emotions,...
The core of the film is truthfully, a study of the complex relationship between Nyo Nyo and Hla, who in turn, represent both sides at the front of the racial conflict. At first glance, the bond between the two women seems to be unshakable. But after spending an hour with them, you start to observe the inklings of verbal abuse slipping in. At one point, Hla even compares Nyo Nyo's people to cows; this is the confounding enigma that makes “Midwives” so compelling and reason enough for Hnin to film the documentary. (Leon Overee)
2. What Should We Have Done? (2023) by Tomoaki Fujino
Tomoaki Fujino's deeply personal documentary, “What Should We Have Done?” serves as a poignant testament to the devastating impact of mental illness on families, and the profound consequences of denial and societal stigma. Through his unflinching lens, he lays bare the complex emotions,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
When she was honing her skills as a freelance filmmaker in Yangon during the early 2010s, first time documentarian Hnin Ei Hlaing was appalled at the state of racial tension towards the ethnic Muslim Rohingya, leading her to return to her hometown to discover the truth. As a female filmmaker, she wanted a female-centric thought piece concerning birth control and pregnancy: “Midwives” is the fruit of her labor (no pun intended) that resulted from her meeting two of these women who run an antenatal clinic in Rakhine state.
Midwives is screening at Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival
A heavily pregnant women is whisked down a well-trodden street of curious onlookers, towards a makeshift clinic; a back-to-basics wooden framed shelter with an IV fluid drip coiled around one of its foundations. This is the antenatal clinic run by a no-nonsense Buddhist midwife, Hla, who is joined by her muslim “kalar” (Local...
Midwives is screening at Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival
A heavily pregnant women is whisked down a well-trodden street of curious onlookers, towards a makeshift clinic; a back-to-basics wooden framed shelter with an IV fluid drip coiled around one of its foundations. This is the antenatal clinic run by a no-nonsense Buddhist midwife, Hla, who is joined by her muslim “kalar” (Local...
- 5/10/2024
- by Leon Overee
- AsianMoviePulse
‘AHS: Delicate’ concludes with one of ‘American Horror Story’s’ most disappointing finales that makes up its own rules, hammers in rote themes, and then turns to dust.
“When are they going to let us tell our own stories?”
A pregnancy brings genetic material together until it culminates into a person and American Horror Story: Delicate also tells a story where its success is dependent upon the season’s ability to tie all of its ideas together into a satisfying finale. Pregnancy stories are all about the ending and one’s enjoyment of “The Auteur” really comes down to what you want out of an American Horror Story finale. Anyone who’s watched the series has been burnt by past finales that are underbaked or overwrought. There are also only so many places that a season finale that begins with Anna in labor can go. Most pregnancy horror stories are...
“When are they going to let us tell our own stories?”
A pregnancy brings genetic material together until it culminates into a person and American Horror Story: Delicate also tells a story where its success is dependent upon the season’s ability to tie all of its ideas together into a satisfying finale. Pregnancy stories are all about the ending and one’s enjoyment of “The Auteur” really comes down to what you want out of an American Horror Story finale. Anyone who’s watched the series has been burnt by past finales that are underbaked or overwrought. There are also only so many places that a season finale that begins with Anna in labor can go. Most pregnancy horror stories are...
- 4/25/2024
- by Daniel Kurland
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Taiwan International Documentary Festival (Tidf), organized by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute (Tfai), scheduled for May 10-19, 2024, has unveiled its Focus Programme titled “Metaphors of the Times: The Reality Named Myanmar.” This segment will showcase 26 cross-genre films from Myanmar, spanning mood diaries, frontline documentaries, futuristic fantasies, audio-visual experiments, and more. These works capture real-world situations or articulate inner experiences, collectively portraying Myanmar's distinctive reality. Selected films include IDFA selection, The Clinic by Midi Z, Midwives, the winner of Special Jury Award at the 2022 Sundance Ff, and Ten Years Myanmar screened at the 2023 Busan Iff.
The independent film scene in Myanmar has been closely linked to the country's democratic development, where visual storytelling not only serves as a means of recording reality, but also provides a medium for filmmakers to voice their perspectives. Despite facing substantial challenges such as military coups and film censorship, Myanmar has steadily fostered a...
The independent film scene in Myanmar has been closely linked to the country's democratic development, where visual storytelling not only serves as a means of recording reality, but also provides a medium for filmmakers to voice their perspectives. Despite facing substantial challenges such as military coups and film censorship, Myanmar has steadily fostered a...
- 3/15/2024
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Cph:forum, the financing and co-production section of the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (also known as Cph:dox), will showcase 32 projects, including new works from producers such as Sidsel Lønvig Siersted, Signe Byrge Sørensen (“Flee”), Diane Becker (“Navalny”) and Mandy Chang, the creative director of Fremantle label Undeniable and former head of BBC documentary strand Storyville, as well as directors Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh (“Writing With Fire”), and Mads Brügger (“Cold Case Hammarskjöld”).
Other projects include those by directors Sky Hopinka (“Kicking the Clouds”), Talal Derki (“Of Fathers and Sons”), and Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche (“Advocat”), and producers Lindsey Dryden (“Trans in America”), Mila Aung-Thwin (“Midwives”) and Kat Mansoor (“Cow”).
Cph:forum will bring together more than 65 filmmakers and producers from 26 countries between March 18-21.
The selected projects will compete for a number of long-standing as well as newly-introduced awards at Cph:Industry, the professional section of the festival.
Other projects include those by directors Sky Hopinka (“Kicking the Clouds”), Talal Derki (“Of Fathers and Sons”), and Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche (“Advocat”), and producers Lindsey Dryden (“Trans in America”), Mila Aung-Thwin (“Midwives”) and Kat Mansoor (“Cow”).
Cph:forum will bring together more than 65 filmmakers and producers from 26 countries between March 18-21.
The selected projects will compete for a number of long-standing as well as newly-introduced awards at Cph:Industry, the professional section of the festival.
- 2/8/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Midwives (originally titled Sages-femmes) is a touching 2023 film that unfolds the heartfelt narrative of two close friends, Sofia and Louise, who embark on their journey as midwives in a public hospital. The movie delves into the poignant challenges these passionate midwives encounter within a flawed healthcare system. As they step into the hospital, the film vividly captures the struggles they face and sheds light on the difficulty of surviving. The story explores the lives of these selfless midwives, whose dedication to their patients does not waver even when they are faced with personal battles. Midwives takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster, unraveling the profound journey of midwives who pour their hearts into their profession. It lays bare the stark reality that they care for others with the utmost compassion but often lack the support and care in their own lives. Through heartfelt moments, the film paints a vivid picture...
- 1/18/2024
- by Sutanuka Banerjee
- Film Fugitives
“Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World,” from Romania’s Radu Jude, added to its ever larger silverware collection, winning the top Albar Award at Spain’s Gijón Festival.
Gijón’s big win join not only a Special Jury Prize at August’s Locarno Film Festival, where the film was the most talked about – one of Jude’s aims– and lauded of competition titles among reviewers, plus a Chicago Silver Hugo best performance nod (Ilinca Manolache) in October and a Lisbon Fest Jury Prize late last month.
Over 61 editions, and most especially when José Luis Cienfuegos, now Valladolid chief, took over its reins in 1995, the Gijón-Xijón Film Festival (Ficx) has carved out an identity as highlighting edgier international auteurs and indie fare, moving into promoting often more singular movies from a burgeoning new generation of Spanish filmmakers, greeted with enthusiasm by discerning and predominantly YA audiences...
Gijón’s big win join not only a Special Jury Prize at August’s Locarno Film Festival, where the film was the most talked about – one of Jude’s aims– and lauded of competition titles among reviewers, plus a Chicago Silver Hugo best performance nod (Ilinca Manolache) in October and a Lisbon Fest Jury Prize late last month.
Over 61 editions, and most especially when José Luis Cienfuegos, now Valladolid chief, took over its reins in 1995, the Gijón-Xijón Film Festival (Ficx) has carved out an identity as highlighting edgier international auteurs and indie fare, moving into promoting often more singular movies from a burgeoning new generation of Spanish filmmakers, greeted with enthusiasm by discerning and predominantly YA audiences...
- 11/27/2023
- by Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
16 nominees in each category will compete in the first round of voting.
France’s Cesar Academy has revealed the breakout stars selected for its annual Revelations list of local up-and-coming talent who will vie in the most promising actor and actress categories at the 2024 awards set for February 23 in Paris.
16 nominees in each category will compete in the first round of voting among Academy members, that will then be whittled down to five in each category.
The Revelations committee is comprised of 18 casting directors active in French film production and is then validated by the board of the Academy.
Scroll...
France’s Cesar Academy has revealed the breakout stars selected for its annual Revelations list of local up-and-coming talent who will vie in the most promising actor and actress categories at the 2024 awards set for February 23 in Paris.
16 nominees in each category will compete in the first round of voting among Academy members, that will then be whittled down to five in each category.
The Revelations committee is comprised of 18 casting directors active in French film production and is then validated by the board of the Academy.
Scroll...
- 11/16/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
France’s César Academy has unveiled its annual Revelations list showcasing 32 emerging acting talents making their mark in the French-speaking cinema world.
The 16 selected actresses include Suzy Bemba for her performance year in Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming. Bemba was also seen in Venice Golden Lion winner Poor Things this year.
The selection also features Rebecca Marder for Corsica-set thriller Grand Expectations; Garance Marillier, for bio-pic Marinette about French female soccer pioneer Marinette Pichon, and Park Ji-min for her award-winning performance in Return To Seoul.
The actor list includes Milo Machado Graner, who plays the visually impaired son in Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, Marc Zinga’s for his performance in Belgium’s Oscar entry Omen and Samuel Kircher for Catherine Breillat’s taboo-breaking drama Last Summer. His brother Paul Kircher is also in the selection for The Animal Kingdom.
The talents were selected by a committee of...
The 16 selected actresses include Suzy Bemba for her performance year in Catherine Corsini’s Homecoming. Bemba was also seen in Venice Golden Lion winner Poor Things this year.
The selection also features Rebecca Marder for Corsica-set thriller Grand Expectations; Garance Marillier, for bio-pic Marinette about French female soccer pioneer Marinette Pichon, and Park Ji-min for her award-winning performance in Return To Seoul.
The actor list includes Milo Machado Graner, who plays the visually impaired son in Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, Marc Zinga’s for his performance in Belgium’s Oscar entry Omen and Samuel Kircher for Catherine Breillat’s taboo-breaking drama Last Summer. His brother Paul Kircher is also in the selection for The Animal Kingdom.
The talents were selected by a committee of...
- 11/16/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Piper Laurie, who blossomed as an actress only after extricating herself from the studio system and went on to rack up three Oscar nominations, has died. She was 91.
Laurie’s manager Marion Rosenberg confirmed the news to Variety, writing, “A beautiful human being and one of the great talents of our time.”
Laurie scored her first Oscar nomination for her work opposite Paul Newman in 1961’s classic poolhall drama “The Hustler,” in which she played an alcoholic who memorably tells Newman’s character, “Look, I’ve got troubles and I think maybe you’ve got troubles. Maybe it’d be better if we just leave each other alone.”
Though she informally retired to raise a family for more than a decade, she returned to film and television in the mid-’70s and racked up an impressive roster of characterizations, including Oscar-nominated turns in “Carrie” and in “Children of a Lesser God,...
Laurie’s manager Marion Rosenberg confirmed the news to Variety, writing, “A beautiful human being and one of the great talents of our time.”
Laurie scored her first Oscar nomination for her work opposite Paul Newman in 1961’s classic poolhall drama “The Hustler,” in which she played an alcoholic who memorably tells Newman’s character, “Look, I’ve got troubles and I think maybe you’ve got troubles. Maybe it’d be better if we just leave each other alone.”
Though she informally retired to raise a family for more than a decade, she returned to film and television in the mid-’70s and racked up an impressive roster of characterizations, including Oscar-nominated turns in “Carrie” and in “Children of a Lesser God,...
- 10/14/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
The 20th edition of Skip City International D-Cinema Festival had been physically held from July 15 to July 23 (and virtually from July 22 to July 26), and wrapped at the Closing Ceremony, Sunday July 23. Jury and Audience award winners were announced at the Ceremony.
For the International Compeition, an Asian Premiere film, When the Seedlings Grow (Syria), directed by Rêger Azad Kaya, received the Grand Prize. I Woke Up with a Dream (Argentina, Uruguay), directed by Pablo Solarz, won the Best Director and Six Weeks (Hungary), directed by Noémi Veronika Szakonyi received the Special Jury Prize. This year's jury members were Masao Teshima, President of the Jury and a renowned producer from Asmik Ace, Naomi Akashi, the producer of Egoist (Dir. Daishi Matsunaga) and Patrice Nezan, a French producer, who produced the festival's 2019 winner The Tower (Dir. Mats Grorud). In addition, Midwives (France), directed by Léa Fehner, was chosen for the Audience Award.
For the International Compeition, an Asian Premiere film, When the Seedlings Grow (Syria), directed by Rêger Azad Kaya, received the Grand Prize. I Woke Up with a Dream (Argentina, Uruguay), directed by Pablo Solarz, won the Best Director and Six Weeks (Hungary), directed by Noémi Veronika Szakonyi received the Special Jury Prize. This year's jury members were Masao Teshima, President of the Jury and a renowned producer from Asmik Ace, Naomi Akashi, the producer of Egoist (Dir. Daishi Matsunaga) and Patrice Nezan, a French producer, who produced the festival's 2019 winner The Tower (Dir. Mats Grorud). In addition, Midwives (France), directed by Léa Fehner, was chosen for the Audience Award.
- 7/24/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The festival will open with ‘Confetti’, produced to commemorate two key anniversaries.
Japan’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival has revealed a raft of world premieres for its 20th edition, including opening film Confetti and a live-action adaptation of manga A Tail’s Tail.
The festival will open on July 15 with the world premiere of Confetti, which was produced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Skip City as well as the 90th anniversary of Kawaguchi City, where the event is held. The coming-of-age drama marks the feature debut of director Naoya Fujita, whose film Stay won best Japanese short at...
Japan’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival has revealed a raft of world premieres for its 20th edition, including opening film Confetti and a live-action adaptation of manga A Tail’s Tail.
The festival will open on July 15 with the world premiere of Confetti, which was produced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Skip City as well as the 90th anniversary of Kawaguchi City, where the event is held. The coming-of-age drama marks the feature debut of director Naoya Fujita, whose film Stay won best Japanese short at...
- 6/14/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The Skip City International D-Cinema Festival, in Saitama, on the outskirts of Tokyo, will hold its 2023 edition with both in-person and online components, long after Covid, which necessitated such hybrid formats, has retreated.
The festival, which sees itself as a gateway for emerging talent, and has operated since 2004, will hold its physical edition July 15-23 and its online from July 22- 26, organizers said on Wednesday.
This year, the festival will begin with the world premiere of “Confetti,” which was produced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the festival as well as the 90th anniversary of its Kawaguchi City base.
The ten-title international competition includes: “Banu,” an Azerbaijani film depicting a woman fighting her socially powerful husband over custody of her son; “Eflatun,” a romantic story from Turkey involving a blind woman and a man whose hobby is photography; “ I Woke Up with a Dream,” the latest work from director Pablo Solarz; “Into the Ice,...
The festival, which sees itself as a gateway for emerging talent, and has operated since 2004, will hold its physical edition July 15-23 and its online from July 22- 26, organizers said on Wednesday.
This year, the festival will begin with the world premiere of “Confetti,” which was produced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the festival as well as the 90th anniversary of its Kawaguchi City base.
The ten-title international competition includes: “Banu,” an Azerbaijani film depicting a woman fighting her socially powerful husband over custody of her son; “Eflatun,” a romantic story from Turkey involving a blind woman and a man whose hobby is photography; “ I Woke Up with a Dream,” the latest work from director Pablo Solarz; “Into the Ice,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
It’s easy to think of hatred in the abstract when you don’t see it play out in real life. That’s the most valuable lesson of Midwives, a documentary that studies life in the Rakhine State of Myanmar, where the Muslim minority is treated with unrelenting disdain, persecution and violence. While the movie brings attention to civil unrest and military persecution, its most valuable observations take place at the human level.
The film follows Hla, a Buddhist midwife, and Nyo Nyo, her Muslim apprentice. Due to travel restrictions, Hla’s clinic is the only one that members of the Rohingya Muslim minority are able to access. Title cards reveal that the Un considers the Rohingya one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, and that truth plays out in political demonstrations based around hate speech and descriptions of the Muslims as “terrorists,” even though they have scarce resemblance to fundamentalist sects.
The film follows Hla, a Buddhist midwife, and Nyo Nyo, her Muslim apprentice. Due to travel restrictions, Hla’s clinic is the only one that members of the Rohingya Muslim minority are able to access. Title cards reveal that the Un considers the Rohingya one of the world’s most persecuted minorities, and that truth plays out in political demonstrations based around hate speech and descriptions of the Muslims as “terrorists,” even though they have scarce resemblance to fundamentalist sects.
- 8/15/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
On a sunny day, a woman nurses a baby, a man sings a song to amuse the patients in a clinic, children recite their lessons at school, and all the while in the background bombs explode. This is what passes for normal in the Rakhine region of Myanmar. Many of us may remember the moment in 2016 when the Myanmar military began a crackdown against the Rohingya, the Muslim minority living mainly in the Rakhine region of the country. The United Nations described it as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”, in which tens of thousands of Muslims were killed, and almost one million fled the country, many to neighbouring Bangladesh.
In the midst of all of this, Hla, a Buddhist, runs a clinic, assisted by Nyo Nyo, a Muslim. Hla’s husband says that they only have a handful of Buddhist patients – the rest are all Muslim. Although Hla has...
In the midst of all of this, Hla, a Buddhist, runs a clinic, assisted by Nyo Nyo, a Muslim. Hla’s husband says that they only have a handful of Buddhist patients – the rest are all Muslim. Although Hla has...
- 4/15/2022
- by Katherine Matthews
- Bollyspice
Fremantle’s global head of documentaries Mandy Chang insisted on Thursday that “the golden age of documentary is a cliché” and urged filmmakers to avoid “a two-tier system of haves and have nots,” where independent documentaries are crowded out by splashier commercial projects bankrolled by streaming platforms.
“Mainstream docs are popular, but not all documentaries are popular or given prominence,” Chang said to an audience in Copenhagen. “And success for me is a golden age not just for the mainstream, but for a plethora of smaller, less expensive, but still important and powerful films made by…a much more diverse group of filmmakers.”
The Fremantle executive was speaking during the four-day conference program at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (Cph:dox), which runs March 23-April 3.
During her address, Chang warned against the influence of global streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV Plus, whose deep pockets...
“Mainstream docs are popular, but not all documentaries are popular or given prominence,” Chang said to an audience in Copenhagen. “And success for me is a golden age not just for the mainstream, but for a plethora of smaller, less expensive, but still important and powerful films made by…a much more diverse group of filmmakers.”
The Fremantle executive was speaking during the four-day conference program at the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (Cph:dox), which runs March 23-April 3.
During her address, Chang warned against the influence of global streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV Plus, whose deep pockets...
- 4/1/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Indie Meme Film Festival, Austin’s leading cinema event curating South Asian independent cinema, returns to movie theaters for the first time in two years. The festival, which was presented virtually in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, comes back in a hybrid format.
The festival will showcase nearly three dozen films from South Asian filmmakers, covering a variety of poignant topics. Each film tells a unique and diverse story of South Asian lives: a child’s struggle in remote India, an Iranian family seeking asylum in Europe, domestic abuse, alcoholism, mental health, patriarchy and colonialism.
Many of the films in this year’s festival focus on issues important to women, including sexuality, education and the family unit.
Through it all, this year’s lineup is a testament to the importance of accepting people for who they are, and each story is told so that audiences of all backgrounds can relate.
The festival will showcase nearly three dozen films from South Asian filmmakers, covering a variety of poignant topics. Each film tells a unique and diverse story of South Asian lives: a child’s struggle in remote India, an Iranian family seeking asylum in Europe, domestic abuse, alcoholism, mental health, patriarchy and colonialism.
Many of the films in this year’s festival focus on issues important to women, including sexuality, education and the family unit.
Through it all, this year’s lineup is a testament to the importance of accepting people for who they are, and each story is told so that audiences of all backgrounds can relate.
- 3/22/2022
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
At Sundance last week, Shaunak Sen’s “All That Breathes” won the Grand Jury World Cinema: Documentary Award. This marks yet another milestone in this relatively new filmmaker’s career. His debut documentary, “Cities of Sleep” (2016) won reaped accolades after its premiere at Dok Leipzig. In 2019, he earned the Sundance Documentary Grant to work on this project – then called “Airborne.” Now, with his finished feature in 2022, Sen walks away from the festival as the only Asian contestant to win a Grand Jury prize this year.
In Sen’s sophomore feature, two Muslim men (Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad) work on their bird rehabilitation clinic in India. They are specialists in “black kites” – the common birds that populate the Delhi skies. Their dedication to the avians knows no bounds. They swim across inlets to rescue injured animals; hide rodents in their pockets; tirelessly apply for grants to keep operations running. The...
In Sen’s sophomore feature, two Muslim men (Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad) work on their bird rehabilitation clinic in India. They are specialists in “black kites” – the common birds that populate the Delhi skies. Their dedication to the avians knows no bounds. They swim across inlets to rescue injured animals; hide rodents in their pockets; tirelessly apply for grants to keep operations running. The...
- 2/3/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
This year’s Sundance Film Festival featured 84 feature films, 59 short films, and 26 jury-awarded prizes — with at least 7 of them distributed to Asian productions. Unsurprisingly, most of the Asian award winners revolved around tales of precarity. Shaunak Sen’s Delhi-based ecology-conscious film “All That Breathes” won a Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary category. Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing’s on-the-ground documentary about Rohingya discrimination in the Rakhine State, “Midwives” won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Excellence in Verite Filmmaking. Maryna Er Gorbach’s Ukraine-Turkey co-production about a family living along the precarious Ukraine-Russian border, “Klondike”, took home the Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic.
Several dramatic films took their pickings, too. Philippines-based Martika Ramirez Escobar’s love letter to cinema, “Leonor Will Never Die,” also was selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit. Shorts “Night Bus” (Joe Hsieh) and “Warsha” (Dania Bdeir) likewise swept the shorts fiction awards,...
Several dramatic films took their pickings, too. Philippines-based Martika Ramirez Escobar’s love letter to cinema, “Leonor Will Never Die,” also was selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit. Shorts “Night Bus” (Joe Hsieh) and “Warsha” (Dania Bdeir) likewise swept the shorts fiction awards,...
- 1/30/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Chicago – The 2022 Sundance Film Festival announced their Grand Jury Prizes on January 28th, and the top films were “Nanny” (U.S. Dramatic), “The Exiles” (U.S. Documentary), “Utama” (World Cinema Dramatic) and “All That Breathes” (World Cinema Documentary).
After nine days, 84 feature films and 59 Short Films, honors were also given for Audience Awards, Festival Favorite Award, Jury Awards for Directing, Screenwriting & Editing and Special Jury Awards.
The list of all award winners are below.
Grand Jury Prize
‘Nanny’
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Nanny” directed by Nikyatu Jusu
U.S. Documentary: “The Exiles,” directed by Ben Klein & Violet Columbus
World Cinema Dramatic:: “Utama” (Bolivia/Uraguay/France) directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi
World Cinema Documentary: “All That Breathes” (India/UK) directed by Shaunak Sen
Audience Awards
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Cha Cha Real Smooth” directed by Cooper Raif
U.S.
After nine days, 84 feature films and 59 Short Films, honors were also given for Audience Awards, Festival Favorite Award, Jury Awards for Directing, Screenwriting & Editing and Special Jury Awards.
The list of all award winners are below.
Grand Jury Prize
‘Nanny’
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Nanny” directed by Nikyatu Jusu
U.S. Documentary: “The Exiles,” directed by Ben Klein & Violet Columbus
World Cinema Dramatic:: “Utama” (Bolivia/Uraguay/France) directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi
World Cinema Documentary: “All That Breathes” (India/UK) directed by Shaunak Sen
Audience Awards
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Photo credit: Sundance Film Festival
U.S. Dramatic: “Cha Cha Real Smooth” directed by Cooper Raif
U.S.
- 1/29/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
The virtual Sundance Film Festival concluded with a virtual awards show — no host this year, just a series of statements and videos parceled out across two hours by Twitter. It was a strangely anti-climactic way of wrapping a low-key festival, while giving winners a chance to prep polite, crew-inclusive acceptance speeches.
Among the audience prizes, U.S. Dramatic winner “Cha Cha Real Smooth” represents the biggest sale of the festival so far, scooped up by Apple for $15 million — 1,000 times the budget of writer-director-star Cooper Raiff’s shoestring-budgeted debut, “Shithouse.”
The Festival Favorite award went to “Navalny.” This prize, selected by audiences from across all sections of the festival, recognizes a late addition to the lineup (“Navalny” was not announced until this past Monday), protected on account of its political sensitivity, as the documentary tracks Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny while he was recovering from an assassination attempt in Berlin. Accepting the honor,...
Among the audience prizes, U.S. Dramatic winner “Cha Cha Real Smooth” represents the biggest sale of the festival so far, scooped up by Apple for $15 million — 1,000 times the budget of writer-director-star Cooper Raiff’s shoestring-budgeted debut, “Shithouse.”
The Festival Favorite award went to “Navalny.” This prize, selected by audiences from across all sections of the festival, recognizes a late addition to the lineup (“Navalny” was not announced until this past Monday), protected on account of its political sensitivity, as the documentary tracks Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny while he was recovering from an assassination attempt in Berlin. Accepting the honor,...
- 1/28/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
In 2015, tens of thousands of Rohingya people fled their homeland of Myanmar. Buddhist extremists actively campaigned for this majority Muslim peoples’ demise. Despite Aung San Suu Kyi’s promises of democracy, governmental and military institutions devoted themselves to mass arson, forced displacement, and apartheid-like discrimination. At the time, news coverage of the ethnic cleansing flooded the Western media. National Geographic, PBS, Vice, and even Ai Weiwei have released documentaries about the mass exodus. The rest of the world turned their eyes to the Rohingya refugee crisis.
But what about those who stayed?
“Midwives” is playing in the Sundance World Cinema – Documentary Competition. This film’s distribution is managed by Dogwoof.
Myanmar-based filmmaker Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing investigates this in her documentary debut, “Midwives,” which is now playing in the Sundance World Cinema – Documentary Competition. Here, she follows two women – one Buddhist (Hla) and one Muslim (Nyo Nyo) – in a Rakhine State village.
But what about those who stayed?
“Midwives” is playing in the Sundance World Cinema – Documentary Competition. This film’s distribution is managed by Dogwoof.
Myanmar-based filmmaker Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing investigates this in her documentary debut, “Midwives,” which is now playing in the Sundance World Cinema – Documentary Competition. Here, she follows two women – one Buddhist (Hla) and one Muslim (Nyo Nyo) – in a Rakhine State village.
- 1/27/2022
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
PBS’s long-running documentary showcase “Pov” has picked up Sundance documentary contender “Midwives.”
Directed by Snow Hnin El Hlaing and filmed over five years, the film — which premiered on Monday as part of the World Documentary Competition at the virtual Sundance Film Festival — is set in western Myanmar and tells the story of a makeshift medical clinic run by two women, Hla and Nyo Nyo, in a region torn apart by violent ethnic divisions.
Hla, the owner of the clinic, is a Buddhist in the western region of the country, where Muslim minority community the Rohingya are persecuted and denied basic rights. Nyo Nyo is a Muslim and an apprentice ze who acts as an assistant and translator at the clinic. Her family has lived in the area for generations, yet they’re still considered intruders.
Encouraged and challenged by Hla, who risks her own safety daily by helping Muslim patients,...
Directed by Snow Hnin El Hlaing and filmed over five years, the film — which premiered on Monday as part of the World Documentary Competition at the virtual Sundance Film Festival — is set in western Myanmar and tells the story of a makeshift medical clinic run by two women, Hla and Nyo Nyo, in a region torn apart by violent ethnic divisions.
Hla, the owner of the clinic, is a Buddhist in the western region of the country, where Muslim minority community the Rohingya are persecuted and denied basic rights. Nyo Nyo is a Muslim and an apprentice ze who acts as an assistant and translator at the clinic. Her family has lived in the area for generations, yet they’re still considered intruders.
Encouraged and challenged by Hla, who risks her own safety daily by helping Muslim patients,...
- 1/26/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: London-based documentary sales outfit Dogwoof has picked up world rights to Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing’s debut feature documentary Midwives, which will premiere at Sundance this year.
The movie follows two midwives, one Buddhist and one Muslim, who defy strict ethnic divisions to work side by side in a makeshift clinic in western Myanmar, providing medical services to the Rohingya of Rakhine State. Over five years we witness their struggles, hopes and dreams amidst an environment of ever-increasing chaos and violence.
Production companies on the project ate Eyesteelfilm, Ama Film, and Snow Films. Mila Aung-Thwin edited and produces alongside Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, with Ulla Lehmann and Bob Moore in co-production with Pov Documentary Films.
The pic will debut in Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Competition on January 24.
“Women have a lot of layers. They are multitalented and out-spoken – they have humor. This film is about courage, community. It...
The movie follows two midwives, one Buddhist and one Muslim, who defy strict ethnic divisions to work side by side in a makeshift clinic in western Myanmar, providing medical services to the Rohingya of Rakhine State. Over five years we witness their struggles, hopes and dreams amidst an environment of ever-increasing chaos and violence.
Production companies on the project ate Eyesteelfilm, Ama Film, and Snow Films. Mila Aung-Thwin edited and produces alongside Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing, with Ulla Lehmann and Bob Moore in co-production with Pov Documentary Films.
The pic will debut in Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Competition on January 24.
“Women have a lot of layers. They are multitalented and out-spoken – they have humor. This film is about courage, community. It...
- 1/12/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.