The production had to abandon plans to film in Palestine after the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war.
Saleh Bakri and Adam Bakri are to star in All That’s Left Of You, the upcoming drama from Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis.
Salah is known for Cannes award-winner The Blue Caftan and recent Toronto title The Teacher, which plays in Competition at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival, while brother Adam made his feature debut in Hany Abu-Assad’s Oscar-nominated Omar, going on to star in Asif Kapadia’s Ali And Nino and award-winning Toronto 2022 title A Gaza Weekend.
Saleh Bakri and Adam Bakri are to star in All That’s Left Of You, the upcoming drama from Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis.
Salah is known for Cannes award-winner The Blue Caftan and recent Toronto title The Teacher, which plays in Competition at this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival, while brother Adam made his feature debut in Hany Abu-Assad’s Oscar-nominated Omar, going on to star in Asif Kapadia’s Ali And Nino and award-winning Toronto 2022 title A Gaza Weekend.
- 12/4/2023
- by Mona Sheded
- ScreenDaily
Some European crew evacuated in wake of Israel-Hamas conflict.
Filming on Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis’ upcoming feature All That’s Left Of You has been disrupted by the ongoing conflict in the region.
Dabis was on a tech recce in Jaffa for her third feature, a historical drama chronicling one Palestinian family over three generations, when the October 7 Hamas attacks took place, sparking Israeli retaliation in Gaza.
“We had to evacuate all of our foreign crew,” Dabis told Screen. “We were hearing bombs and fighter jets overhead. The tensions were really high for the first days we stayed there before evacuating.
Filming on Palestinian-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis’ upcoming feature All That’s Left Of You has been disrupted by the ongoing conflict in the region.
Dabis was on a tech recce in Jaffa for her third feature, a historical drama chronicling one Palestinian family over three generations, when the October 7 Hamas attacks took place, sparking Israeli retaliation in Gaza.
“We had to evacuate all of our foreign crew,” Dabis told Screen. “We were hearing bombs and fighter jets overhead. The tensions were really high for the first days we stayed there before evacuating.
- 10/16/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
A version of this story about female directors first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Comedy issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
This year was far from a landmark for female directors at the Emmys, with only 13 women nominated against 32 men across the seven directing categories. Sure, that’s better than last year, when 47 men and only 11 women were nominated, and it’s much better than 2018, when the lamentable total was 44 men and only four (!) women.
But this year’s total is a step down from 2020, when the record 16 female directors that were nominated made up a full 33 of the total; this year, that has slipped down to just below 29.
Still, there’s one bright spot to make up for women being shut out of the Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special category or only managing one nomination each in the limited series, documentary/nonfiction and reality categories. The...
This year was far from a landmark for female directors at the Emmys, with only 13 women nominated against 32 men across the seven directing categories. Sure, that’s better than last year, when 47 men and only 11 women were nominated, and it’s much better than 2018, when the lamentable total was 44 men and only four (!) women.
But this year’s total is a step down from 2020, when the record 16 female directors that were nominated made up a full 33 of the total; this year, that has slipped down to just below 29.
Still, there’s one bright spot to make up for women being shut out of the Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special category or only managing one nomination each in the limited series, documentary/nonfiction and reality categories. The...
- 8/10/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Jury
Italy’s Giuseppe Tornatore, director of the Oscar, BAFTA and Cannes winning film “Cinema Paradiso,” will preside over the features competition jury at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival (Dec. 6-15). Tornatore’s latest documentary, “Ennio,” about revered composer Ennio Morricone, which bowed at Venice, will have its Arab premiere at the festival out-of-competition in the International Spectacular strand.
Joining Tornatore on the jury are Tunisian actor Hend Sabry (“The Blue Elephant 2”) Palestinian-American director, writer, actor and producer Cherien Dabis (“Amreeka”), Morelia International Film Festival director Daniela Michel and Saudi filmmaker Abdulaziz Alshlahei (“Zero Distance”).
The Red Sea shorts competition jury will be led by Egypt’s Marwan Hamed, director of Tribeca winner “The Yacoubian Building”) who will be joined by Saudi Arabian actor and director Ahd Kamel (“Wadjda”) and Finnish-Somali director and writer Khadar Ayderus (“The Gravedigger’s Wife”).
Trailer
Universal Pictures has released a trailer for “Redeeming Love,...
Italy’s Giuseppe Tornatore, director of the Oscar, BAFTA and Cannes winning film “Cinema Paradiso,” will preside over the features competition jury at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival (Dec. 6-15). Tornatore’s latest documentary, “Ennio,” about revered composer Ennio Morricone, which bowed at Venice, will have its Arab premiere at the festival out-of-competition in the International Spectacular strand.
Joining Tornatore on the jury are Tunisian actor Hend Sabry (“The Blue Elephant 2”) Palestinian-American director, writer, actor and producer Cherien Dabis (“Amreeka”), Morelia International Film Festival director Daniela Michel and Saudi filmmaker Abdulaziz Alshlahei (“Zero Distance”).
The Red Sea shorts competition jury will be led by Egypt’s Marwan Hamed, director of Tribeca winner “The Yacoubian Building”) who will be joined by Saudi Arabian actor and director Ahd Kamel (“Wadjda”) and Finnish-Somali director and writer Khadar Ayderus (“The Gravedigger’s Wife”).
Trailer
Universal Pictures has released a trailer for “Redeeming Love,...
- 11/24/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Reagent Media has set Garrett Hedlund and Brady Jandreau for filmmaker Paxton Winters’ next feature, Outside the Wire, about an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival. The two are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, forces the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination.
Outside the Wire is Winters’ second script, which was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Zahraa Ghandour is also attached to star. Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea (Pacified) of Reagent Media are producing with Rick Rosenthal and Cherien Dabis serving as EPs. .Film Constellation is handling international rights with UTA Independent handling North American. Sales will launch at the upcoming Marché du Film Online.
Outside the Wire is Winters’ second script, which was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Zahraa Ghandour is also attached to star. Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea (Pacified) of Reagent Media are producing with Rick Rosenthal and Cherien Dabis serving as EPs. .Film Constellation is handling international rights with UTA Independent handling North American. Sales will launch at the upcoming Marché du Film Online.
- 6/18/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
“Mudbound’s” Garrett Hedlund and “The Rider’s” Brady Jandreau have signed on to star in writer/director Paxton Winters’ “Outside the Wire,” alongside Zahraa Ghandour (“Baghdad in My Shadow”). Film Constellation is handling international rights with UTA Independent handling North American. Sales will launch at next week’s Marché du Film Online.
The story follows an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival, as they are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, will force the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination. The movie is Winters’ second script, and was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea of Reagent Media will produce, following on from their collaboration with Winters on...
The story follows an American soldier and an Iraqi insurgent who find themselves dependent on each other for their survival, as they are thrust together on a road trip through the perils of the new Iraq. What starts as a journey of hate, will force the men to face their fears and navigate each other to reach their final destination. The movie is Winters’ second script, and was chosen to participate in the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriter’s Lab.
Paula Linhares and Marcos Tellechea of Reagent Media will produce, following on from their collaboration with Winters on...
- 6/18/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Friday marked the release of “Ramy,” the latest addition to Hulu’s comedy slate. Ramy Youssef stars in the series he co-created along with Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch — and executive produced by Jerrod Carmichael — following a young man navigating the complications that come with balancing family, faith, and everything else that comes with living as a twenty-something in New Jersey circa 2019.
In this exclusive featurette, Youssef gives his own overview of the show and explains why the 10-episode first season is more than just a personal story for him:
IndieWire’s TV Critic Ben Travers wrote the following about the series after its premiere at SXSW earlier this year:
Episodes dig into his disagreements with elders at the mosque, how difficult it is to date people who don’t understand his religion (or don’t understand why he abides by it), and the pluses and minuses of fully committing to Islam.
In this exclusive featurette, Youssef gives his own overview of the show and explains why the 10-episode first season is more than just a personal story for him:
IndieWire’s TV Critic Ben Travers wrote the following about the series after its premiere at SXSW earlier this year:
Episodes dig into his disagreements with elders at the mosque, how difficult it is to date people who don’t understand his religion (or don’t understand why he abides by it), and the pluses and minuses of fully committing to Islam.
- 4/22/2019
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Cherien Dabis, the writer-director behind such films as May in the Summer and Amreeka, has signed with CAA. The Palestinian-American filmmaker’s debut feature was Amreeka, which premiered at Sundance in 2009 and went on to win the Fipresci Prize at Cannes and a Humanitas Prize and earned three Indie Spirit Award nominations. Dabis returned to the Park City festival in 2013 with May in the Summer, which she wrote, directed and starred in alongside Alia Shawkat…...
- 3/7/2018
- Deadline
Paul Mason (How will the movie industry respond to the Trump era?, 15 November) might like to watch, for starters, Frozen River (Courtney Hunt), Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik), Middle of Nowhere (Ava DuVernay), Amreeka (Cherien Dabis), Drunktown’s Finest (Sydney Freeland), Tangerine (Sean Baker), American Honey (Andrea Arnold) and Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt) to get a fuller picture of how American cinema – albeit independent – is narrating a range of working-class lives. Yes, the protagonists – and directors – are predominantly women. Perhaps, beyond chastising the money-chasing studios, it’s more pertinent to insist that the media amplify these powerful, award-winning films that already exist, so that audiences can find and see them. Could it be, as Laura Dern’s character says in Certain Women, that no one is paying attention to them because they are (by and about) women?
Dr Sophie Mayer
Author, Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema
• Join the debate – email guardian.
Dr Sophie Mayer
Author, Political Animals: The New Feminist Cinema
• Join the debate – email guardian.
- 11/15/2016
- by Letters
- The Guardian - Film News
The Canadian distributor backed by Teddy Schwarzman’s Black Bear Pictures is expanding operations.
Elevation will partner on the new division with Canadian producer Christina Piovesan, whose credits include The Whistleblower, Amreeka and Red Lights.
The company will offer production services to Canadian and international projects shooting in Canada and move into in-house productions.
“As more producers from around the world have come to recognise the unmatched appeal of Canada as a production destination, and with the growing success of homegrown content as well as international co-productions, a move into production was a natural next step for the company,” said Dan Steinman (pictured), the Elevation Pictures CEO who played an integral role in launching the company in 2013 and also serves as co-president and COO at Black Bear.
“And Christina, who has tremendous production savvy and relationships and taste, is the perfect complement to Elevation as we execute this move.”
Back in May, Elevation co-presidents...
Elevation will partner on the new division with Canadian producer Christina Piovesan, whose credits include The Whistleblower, Amreeka and Red Lights.
The company will offer production services to Canadian and international projects shooting in Canada and move into in-house productions.
“As more producers from around the world have come to recognise the unmatched appeal of Canada as a production destination, and with the growing success of homegrown content as well as international co-productions, a move into production was a natural next step for the company,” said Dan Steinman (pictured), the Elevation Pictures CEO who played an integral role in launching the company in 2013 and also serves as co-president and COO at Black Bear.
“And Christina, who has tremendous production savvy and relationships and taste, is the perfect complement to Elevation as we execute this move.”
Back in May, Elevation co-presidents...
- 11/15/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Industry Days program at the recent Chicago International Film Festival wrapped up with a panel featuring four female film professionals who shared their experiences in the business and their thoughts on the state of gender equality in filmmaking. The panel, dubbed "Power Players: How Women Executives and Producers are Changing the Business," was moderated by Ilyse McKimmie (Labs Director, Feature Film Program at Sundance Institute) and featured Rebecca Green (producer, "It Follows"), Alicia Sams (producer, "Amreeka"), and Amy Hobby (Tangerine Entertainment). A cautious optimism permeated the room as they discussed the issue. Below are some highlights of the discussion. Read More: Attention, Female Filmmakers: The Film Fatales Are Here to Help You An uneven playing field McKimmie set the table for the conversation by bringing up some statistics. "Out of the 250 highest grossing films produced in 2014, 7% were directed by women, 23% had a...
- 11/2/2015
- by Adam Cook
- Indiewire
Coming up on six years ago, writer/director Cherien Dabis charted the convoluted waters of her own mixed cultural heritage in festival darling Amreeka. The film followed a West Bank mother, specifically a Palestinian Christian, and her struggles to adjust after transplanting to Indiana, USA. With a win at Cannes and nominations around the world, including at Sundance and the Spirit Awards, Dabis announced to the cinematic world that she had a little-shared story to tell. And then nothing. Six years and only one short film later, she has reappeared with May in the Summer, a less effective portrait of the other half of her identity.
Read more...
Read more...
- 3/15/2015
- by Kyle North
- JustPressPlay.net
Sundance Institute and The Royal Film Commission - Jordan announced the six projects selected for the 10th anniversary of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab, which took place October 28 to November 1 in Amman, Jordan. Created as a cornerstone of the Institute’s deep commitment to artists in the Middle East, the Lab has supported over seventy artists from more than a dozen countries.
The two first features produced from the inaugural 2005 Lab premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: "Pomegranates and Myrrh," written and directed by Najwa Najjar (Palestine) and "Amreeka," written and directed by Cherien Dabis (Palestine/Jordan/Us). Notable alums of the Lab also include Mohammed Al Daradji ( "Son of Babylon" ) and Sally El Hosaini ( "My Brother The Devil" ).
More recently, 2009 Rawi alumna Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia) premiered her first feature "Wadjda" at the 2012 Venice Film Festival. It was soon acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and was distributed to critical and audience acclaim from around the world. "Wadjda" is the first feature film shot entirely in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first ever by a Saudi female filmmaker.
The 10 th anniversary events in Amman included a panel on the craft of screenwriting led by Al Mansour, a public screening of "Zindeeq"by Lab Advisor Michel Khleifi, and a reception designed to connect local artists with filmmakers from across the region. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Stories told by independent artists, whether working in the U.S. or internationally, provide remarkable windows into other cultures, and deepen understanding. Ten years into our work in the Middle East, we look forward to continuing to give voice to artists in the region.”
Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Feature Film Program, said, “We deeply value our collaboration with the Royal Film Commission as well as the artists we have supported in the Middle East over the past 10 years. The films that have emerged from the Lab have reflected upon many of the region’s important cultural and political moments over the past decade. I am proud to see the work of these artists enriching the broader culture with unique and impactful stories."
George David, General Manager of the Royal Film Commission, said,“We are proud of what this Lab has accomplished over the past ten years. It is safe to say that Rawi, with the support of the Sundance Institute has become a recognized contributor to the development of Arab feature films. Cinematic works, which were born in Rawi, have been featured in major films festivals and released in cinema screens globally, exposing our Arab culture and heritage to the world.”
Modeled on the Institute’s renowned Us-based Screenwriters Labs, the Rawi Screenwriters Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the Middle East region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished screenwriters in an environment that encourages storytelling at its highest level. The Lab is led by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and managed by Deema Azar, in consultation with Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, under the direction of Founding Director Michelle Satter and International Director Paul Federbush.
The Creative Advisors this year included Pavel Jech (This Is Not An American Movie"), Rawi Screenwriting Lab alum Najwa Najjar ("Eyes Of A Thief" , "Pomegranates And Myrrh" ), Hanna Weg ( "Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet" ), Jon Raymond ( "Night Moves," "Wendy and Lucy" ), and Michel Khleifi ( "Zindeeq" ).
The six artists selected for the 2014 Rawi Screenwriters Lab include:
Shake
Writer and Director: Deema Dabis (Jordan)
Free-spirited Kareemah decides to leave her home in Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream when she accepts an offer to tour Palestine with an international circus troop. As she struggles to manage her insecurities as a first-time performer, she is continuously shaken up by the complexities of life in Palestine.
Dabis received an Mfa in Cinema from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. From a young age she has always been in love with stories and believes fiercely that the power of creation and a new vision will not only bring healing and insight into our world but also has the potential to create alternative narratives and realities. She is working on a number of projects including her first short film The Sri Lankan , which received funding from the Jordan Film Fund.
Baghdad Perfume
Writer and Director: Roua Ahmad (Iraq)
The tale of a middle-class family and their struggles during the darkest period in Iraq between 2004 and 2006. As the occupation becomes more oppressive and water and electricity begin to run out, the family of three tries to stay together through kidnapping, illness, and the increasing danger of staying in Baghdad.
Ahmad was born on 1983 in Iraq. She received a certificate of participation from USC School of Cinematic Art and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Programming. She later got her Mfa in Directing and Editing from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. Filmmaking has been her ambition since the age of 12. After graduation she worked as an editor and screenwriter for a television production company. Her short films include The Last Hour , and have been screened and nominated for awards in 12 film festivals around the world.
Killer of the Selawa
Writer and Director: Islam Azzazi (Egypt)
Co-Writer: Charles Akl (Egypt)
In the tense atmosphere following the revolution in Egypt, a man spends the night in a remote villa on the outskirts of Alexandria, trying to obtain a permit for his father’s weapons. After news spreads of a vicious, mythical beast in the area, the man finds himself caught up in a murderous accident.
Since his Dostoyevski inspired thesis project, Al-Kharaz (Beads) , Azzazi has directed and produced numerous Documentaries and short films. His documentaries include Wujouh Al-Fayoum (Fayoum Portraits) and Dominate Your Eyes. He has also produced and directed the short film Nahar we Leil (Day & Night), 2006. Azzazi has worked at El-Warsha Theatre Company where he coached actors and photographed theatrical productions. In 2007 he established a new production company Wika with three other filmmakers.
Charles Akl works as a writer, director, editor, art critic and photographer. After graduating from the University of Alexandria’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 2006, he has worked in several domains ranging from architecture design to writing and editing for several arts publications, including Magaz. Akl has also worked as the program coordinator at Al Mawred Al Thaqafy.
Tide
Writer and Director: Hussen Ibraheem (Lebanon)
A man and woman struggle in the aftermath of their son’s death. As the tide approaches their coastal home and they make their way by car to a relative’s house in the mountains, they must confront the tension the tragedy has created between them.
Ibraheem is an independent filmmaker, born in Beirut, Lebanon. After getting his BA in Architecture, Ibraheem followed his love for animation working as a freelance storyboard artist and character designer. Ibraheem was granted a scholarship from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts where he studied directing and cinematography. His second short film produced at Rsica, Typo, is currently touring 13 film festivals in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, USA, UK, and Italy.
The Golden Cap Club
Writer and Director: Merva Faddoul (Lebanon)
A young girl comes of age as the organized world of the adults crumbles during the invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s. Determined to win a trip to Disneyland, she collects bottle caps in an attempt to find the ‘golden cap,’ as her family tries to distract her from the sudden challenges they face.
Faddoul is an award-winning writer and director. She recieved an Mfa in Film Production from the University of Southern California and a BA in Communications from the Lebanese American University. Her short films have won grants from National Geographic and the Doha Film Institute and they have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide including the Cannes Short Film Corner, Human Rights Nights (Italy), Doha-Tribeca Film Festival, and Tricycle Cinema in London. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the International Academy of WebTV.
Snow
Writer and Director: Omaima Hamouri (Palestine)
Eight year-old Dina believes that an old family curse is behind the conflict that arises each summer between her parents, and becomes convinced that snow is the only way to solve their problems. With the help of her grandmother, she resolves to delay her parents’ divorce until the first snowfall.
Hamouri was born in 1988 in Jerusalem. She received her bachelor degree in Mass Media from Al-Quds University, followed by an Mfa in Editing and Screenwriting from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan. With a never-ending passion for telling human stories through film, Omaima is now working as an independent filmmaker.
The Sundance Institute Feature Film Program is supported by The Annenberg Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Rt Features, Time Warner Foundation, The Lincoln Motor Company, Red Crown Productions, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Hp, Steve Bing, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Microsoft, The Rockefeller Foundation, Nhk Enterprises, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, 3311 Productions, The Ammon Foundation, Firestone / von Winterfeldt Family Fund, Ford Foundation, Philip Fung-A3 Foundation, SAGIndie, Grazka Taylor, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund.
Sundance Institute Feature Film Program
Since its founding in 1981, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) has supported an extensive list of ground-breaking independent films. Ffp films making their premieres this year include Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash (winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), Cutter Hodierne’s Fishing Without Nets (winner of the Directing Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), and Malik Vitthal’s Imperial Dreams (winner of the Best of Next Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival). Additional notable films supported over the program’s history include Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station , Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox , Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda , Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild , Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene , Dee Rees’ Pariah , Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre , Andrea Arnold's Red Road , Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know , Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now , Josh Marston’s Maria Full of Grace , Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas , John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch , Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream , Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don't Cry , Walter Salles’ Central Station , Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals , Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca , Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight , and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs .
undance.org/featurefilm
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to connect audiences to their work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling as art and as a compelling and powerful way to inform, inspire and unite people. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook , Instagram,Twitter and YouTube.
The two first features produced from the inaugural 2005 Lab premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: "Pomegranates and Myrrh," written and directed by Najwa Najjar (Palestine) and "Amreeka," written and directed by Cherien Dabis (Palestine/Jordan/Us). Notable alums of the Lab also include Mohammed Al Daradji ( "Son of Babylon" ) and Sally El Hosaini ( "My Brother The Devil" ).
More recently, 2009 Rawi alumna Haifaa Al Mansour (Saudi Arabia) premiered her first feature "Wadjda" at the 2012 Venice Film Festival. It was soon acquired by Sony Pictures Classics and was distributed to critical and audience acclaim from around the world. "Wadjda" is the first feature film shot entirely in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first ever by a Saudi female filmmaker.
The 10 th anniversary events in Amman included a panel on the craft of screenwriting led by Al Mansour, a public screening of "Zindeeq"by Lab Advisor Michel Khleifi, and a reception designed to connect local artists with filmmakers from across the region. Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Stories told by independent artists, whether working in the U.S. or internationally, provide remarkable windows into other cultures, and deepen understanding. Ten years into our work in the Middle East, we look forward to continuing to give voice to artists in the region.”
Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Feature Film Program, said, “We deeply value our collaboration with the Royal Film Commission as well as the artists we have supported in the Middle East over the past 10 years. The films that have emerged from the Lab have reflected upon many of the region’s important cultural and political moments over the past decade. I am proud to see the work of these artists enriching the broader culture with unique and impactful stories."
George David, General Manager of the Royal Film Commission, said,“We are proud of what this Lab has accomplished over the past ten years. It is safe to say that Rawi, with the support of the Sundance Institute has become a recognized contributor to the development of Arab feature films. Cinematic works, which were born in Rawi, have been featured in major films festivals and released in cinema screens globally, exposing our Arab culture and heritage to the world.”
Modeled on the Institute’s renowned Us-based Screenwriters Labs, the Rawi Screenwriters Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the Middle East region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished screenwriters in an environment that encourages storytelling at its highest level. The Lab is led by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and managed by Deema Azar, in consultation with Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, under the direction of Founding Director Michelle Satter and International Director Paul Federbush.
The Creative Advisors this year included Pavel Jech (This Is Not An American Movie"), Rawi Screenwriting Lab alum Najwa Najjar ("Eyes Of A Thief" , "Pomegranates And Myrrh" ), Hanna Weg ( "Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet" ), Jon Raymond ( "Night Moves," "Wendy and Lucy" ), and Michel Khleifi ( "Zindeeq" ).
The six artists selected for the 2014 Rawi Screenwriters Lab include:
Shake
Writer and Director: Deema Dabis (Jordan)
Free-spirited Kareemah decides to leave her home in Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream when she accepts an offer to tour Palestine with an international circus troop. As she struggles to manage her insecurities as a first-time performer, she is continuously shaken up by the complexities of life in Palestine.
Dabis received an Mfa in Cinema from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. From a young age she has always been in love with stories and believes fiercely that the power of creation and a new vision will not only bring healing and insight into our world but also has the potential to create alternative narratives and realities. She is working on a number of projects including her first short film The Sri Lankan , which received funding from the Jordan Film Fund.
Baghdad Perfume
Writer and Director: Roua Ahmad (Iraq)
The tale of a middle-class family and their struggles during the darkest period in Iraq between 2004 and 2006. As the occupation becomes more oppressive and water and electricity begin to run out, the family of three tries to stay together through kidnapping, illness, and the increasing danger of staying in Baghdad.
Ahmad was born on 1983 in Iraq. She received a certificate of participation from USC School of Cinematic Art and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Programming. She later got her Mfa in Directing and Editing from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts. Filmmaking has been her ambition since the age of 12. After graduation she worked as an editor and screenwriter for a television production company. Her short films include The Last Hour , and have been screened and nominated for awards in 12 film festivals around the world.
Killer of the Selawa
Writer and Director: Islam Azzazi (Egypt)
Co-Writer: Charles Akl (Egypt)
In the tense atmosphere following the revolution in Egypt, a man spends the night in a remote villa on the outskirts of Alexandria, trying to obtain a permit for his father’s weapons. After news spreads of a vicious, mythical beast in the area, the man finds himself caught up in a murderous accident.
Since his Dostoyevski inspired thesis project, Al-Kharaz (Beads) , Azzazi has directed and produced numerous Documentaries and short films. His documentaries include Wujouh Al-Fayoum (Fayoum Portraits) and Dominate Your Eyes. He has also produced and directed the short film Nahar we Leil (Day & Night), 2006. Azzazi has worked at El-Warsha Theatre Company where he coached actors and photographed theatrical productions. In 2007 he established a new production company Wika with three other filmmakers.
Charles Akl works as a writer, director, editor, art critic and photographer. After graduating from the University of Alexandria’s Faculty of Fine Arts in 2006, he has worked in several domains ranging from architecture design to writing and editing for several arts publications, including Magaz. Akl has also worked as the program coordinator at Al Mawred Al Thaqafy.
Tide
Writer and Director: Hussen Ibraheem (Lebanon)
A man and woman struggle in the aftermath of their son’s death. As the tide approaches their coastal home and they make their way by car to a relative’s house in the mountains, they must confront the tension the tragedy has created between them.
Ibraheem is an independent filmmaker, born in Beirut, Lebanon. After getting his BA in Architecture, Ibraheem followed his love for animation working as a freelance storyboard artist and character designer. Ibraheem was granted a scholarship from The Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts where he studied directing and cinematography. His second short film produced at Rsica, Typo, is currently touring 13 film festivals in Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, USA, UK, and Italy.
The Golden Cap Club
Writer and Director: Merva Faddoul (Lebanon)
A young girl comes of age as the organized world of the adults crumbles during the invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s. Determined to win a trip to Disneyland, she collects bottle caps in an attempt to find the ‘golden cap,’ as her family tries to distract her from the sudden challenges they face.
Faddoul is an award-winning writer and director. She recieved an Mfa in Film Production from the University of Southern California and a BA in Communications from the Lebanese American University. Her short films have won grants from National Geographic and the Doha Film Institute and they have screened at dozens of festivals worldwide including the Cannes Short Film Corner, Human Rights Nights (Italy), Doha-Tribeca Film Festival, and Tricycle Cinema in London. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the International Academy of WebTV.
Snow
Writer and Director: Omaima Hamouri (Palestine)
Eight year-old Dina believes that an old family curse is behind the conflict that arises each summer between her parents, and becomes convinced that snow is the only way to solve their problems. With the help of her grandmother, she resolves to delay her parents’ divorce until the first snowfall.
Hamouri was born in 1988 in Jerusalem. She received her bachelor degree in Mass Media from Al-Quds University, followed by an Mfa in Editing and Screenwriting from the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts in Jordan. With a never-ending passion for telling human stories through film, Omaima is now working as an independent filmmaker.
The Sundance Institute Feature Film Program is supported by The Annenberg Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Rt Features, Time Warner Foundation, The Lincoln Motor Company, Red Crown Productions, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Hp, Steve Bing, Jeanne Donovan Fisher, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Microsoft, The Rockefeller Foundation, Nhk Enterprises, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, 3311 Productions, The Ammon Foundation, Firestone / von Winterfeldt Family Fund, Ford Foundation, Philip Fung-A3 Foundation, SAGIndie, Grazka Taylor, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and The Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund.
Sundance Institute Feature Film Program
Since its founding in 1981, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program (Ffp) has supported an extensive list of ground-breaking independent films. Ffp films making their premieres this year include Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash (winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), Cutter Hodierne’s Fishing Without Nets (winner of the Directing Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival), and Malik Vitthal’s Imperial Dreams (winner of the Best of Next Audience Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival). Additional notable films supported over the program’s history include Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station , Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox , Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda , Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild , Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene , Dee Rees’ Pariah , Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre , Andrea Arnold's Red Road , Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know , Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now , Josh Marston’s Maria Full of Grace , Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas , John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch , Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream , Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don't Cry , Walter Salles’ Central Station , Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals , Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca , Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight , and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs .
undance.org/featurefilm
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to connect audiences to their work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling as art and as a compelling and powerful way to inform, inspire and unite people. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook , Instagram,Twitter and YouTube.
- 11/10/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Film Clinic’s Hefzy also co-producing Mohamed Khan’s new film Before the Summer Crowds.
Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy and director Ahmad Abdalla are reuniting for an adaptation of Lebanese writer Rabee Jaber’s 1995 novel Black Tea.
“Set mostly in Beirut, the story follows a young man during one night as he journeys through various incidents of his past as he prepares to reconnect with friends he had left behind,” said Hefzy.
He and Abdalla will launch the project at the Crossroads Co-production forum, taking place Nov 4-8 during the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
“It’s the first time we’ll present it,” said Hefzy, who is at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) this year as one of the creative producers on Emirati Ali Mostafa’s second feature From A to B.
Hefzy is initially seeking Lebanese and possibly French partners for the film.
Lebanese writer Jaber won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2012, also...
Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy and director Ahmad Abdalla are reuniting for an adaptation of Lebanese writer Rabee Jaber’s 1995 novel Black Tea.
“Set mostly in Beirut, the story follows a young man during one night as he journeys through various incidents of his past as he prepares to reconnect with friends he had left behind,” said Hefzy.
He and Abdalla will launch the project at the Crossroads Co-production forum, taking place Nov 4-8 during the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
“It’s the first time we’ll present it,” said Hefzy, who is at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) this year as one of the creative producers on Emirati Ali Mostafa’s second feature From A to B.
Hefzy is initially seeking Lebanese and possibly French partners for the film.
Lebanese writer Jaber won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2012, also...
- 10/26/2014
- ScreenDaily
Writer/director Cherien Dabis follows up her debut film Amreeka with the equally entrancing coming of age tale, May in the Summer. The film follows Dabis’s character, May, as she returns to Jordan and her cultural roots in preparation for her upcoming nuptials. Along the way, May discovers that her reservations about becoming a wife stem from her parents divorce almost a decade earlier. Once overseas, May is reunited with her two sisters and the siblings go on a journey together to better understand their personal hang-ups while struggling to find some common ground with their very traditional mother and their absentee father.
A few weeks ago in La I was lucky enough to sit down with Dabis at the film’s press day, where we picked her brain about the motivation behind May in the Summer, the challenges with filling so many roles in the production, and the relevance of the material.
A few weeks ago in La I was lucky enough to sit down with Dabis at the film’s press day, where we picked her brain about the motivation behind May in the Summer, the challenges with filling so many roles in the production, and the relevance of the material.
- 8/25/2014
- by Lindsay Sperling
- We Got This Covered
A second feature is often about risk. Cherien Dabis‘s first film, Amreeka, is an almost archetypal example of the debut America indie hit. It premiered at Sundance, gathered some excellent reviews and picked up three Independent Spirit Award nominations. The touching and occasionally quite funny story of an immigrant Palestinian Christian single mother living with her sister’s family in Illinois, it made for a charming arrival. Its success also challenges Dabis to do something different the second time around, to take a few risks and make the case that her style is versatile beyond the borders of light-hearted suburban social commentary. May in the Summer certainly tries to be a leap forward. Dabis’s most perilous choice was to cast herself in the lead role despite having no prior film acting experience. She plays May, the daughter of a devout Palestinian Christian woman (Hiam Abbass) and a somewhat flippant American diplomat (Bill Pullman). They’re...
- 8/21/2014
- by Daniel Walber
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Summer of Our Discontent: Dabis’ Sophomore Feature an Uneven Venture
Nebraska born filmmaker Cherien Dabis follows up her well received 2009 debut Amreeka with a cotton candy cross-cultural, romantically inclined melodrama, May in the Summer, this time casting herself in the lead. While the ravishingly beautiful Dabis proves to be an utterly engaging lead performance, her latest, while pleasant enough to sit through, seems tonally uneven, to say the least, and plays as if it’s quite undecided about whether it wants to be a socially aware comedy of cultural clashes or, unfortunately, a murky melodrama that pulls out all the subtle stops when it decides to stop spinning.
May (Dabis), basking in the glow of her recently successful first book, has traveled to Amman, Jordan to meet up with her mother, Nadine (Hiam Abbass) and her two younger sisters, Yasmine (Nadine Malouf) and Dalia (Alia Shawkat). She’s about to...
Nebraska born filmmaker Cherien Dabis follows up her well received 2009 debut Amreeka with a cotton candy cross-cultural, romantically inclined melodrama, May in the Summer, this time casting herself in the lead. While the ravishingly beautiful Dabis proves to be an utterly engaging lead performance, her latest, while pleasant enough to sit through, seems tonally uneven, to say the least, and plays as if it’s quite undecided about whether it wants to be a socially aware comedy of cultural clashes or, unfortunately, a murky melodrama that pulls out all the subtle stops when it decides to stop spinning.
May (Dabis), basking in the glow of her recently successful first book, has traveled to Amman, Jordan to meet up with her mother, Nadine (Hiam Abbass) and her two younger sisters, Yasmine (Nadine Malouf) and Dalia (Alia Shawkat). She’s about to...
- 8/20/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences has bestowed a grant upon Sundance Institute for the second year running to support professional training and development of emerging feature film artists.
The grant supports four annual Labs hosted by the Institute’s Feature Film Program (Ffp): the June Screenwriters Lab, the Directors Lab, the Creative Producing Lab and the Creative Producing Summit.
Films supported by Ffp include Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda (pictured), Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre, Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka, Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station.
The grant supports four annual Labs hosted by the Institute’s Feature Film Program (Ffp): the June Screenwriters Lab, the Directors Lab, the Creative Producing Lab and the Creative Producing Summit.
Films supported by Ffp include Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda (pictured), Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Cary Fukunaga’s Sin Nombre, Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka, Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts Of The Southern Wild and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station.
- 8/5/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
May is a celebrated author with a lovely New York life and a wedding in the works to the prominent scholar of her dreams (Alexander Siddig). But everything goes haywire as tradition and modernity collide when she reunites with her family weeks before the impending nuptials in Jordan.
Her estranged father (Bill Pullman) decides to show up and start dispensing advice. Her sisters (including Nadine Malouf and Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat) have morphed back into party-happy teens. She begins a flirtation with a handsome local. And her mother, a born-again Christian, threatens to boycott the wedding because May’s intended is a Muslim man.
Her estranged father (Bill Pullman) decides to show up and start dispensing advice. Her sisters (including Nadine Malouf and Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat) have morphed back into party-happy teens. She begins a flirtation with a handsome local. And her mother, a born-again Christian, threatens to boycott the wedding because May’s intended is a Muslim man.
- 6/30/2014
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
Donna Gigliotti and longtime film development executive Renee Witt have joined New York-based Levantine Films.
Gigliotti will assume the newly created role of president and Witt vice-president at the finance, development and production company.
Levantine Films aims to develop, fully finance and produce character-driven films in the $15-30m range in the vein of The Reader, The Notebook andTwo Lovers.
The company, backed by Texas-based investor Crest Investments, was established in 2009 and served as executive producer on Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka.
Gigliotti won the best picture Oscar in 1998 for Shakespeare In Love and her credits include Silver Linings Playbook and The Reader.
She has served as president of production at The Weinstein Company, evp of production at Miramax Films, and president of production at USA Films.
Witt begin her career at William Morris and transitioned into development and production where she has spent the last 16 years scouting the New York and European publishing communities for feature properties.
Her...
Gigliotti will assume the newly created role of president and Witt vice-president at the finance, development and production company.
Levantine Films aims to develop, fully finance and produce character-driven films in the $15-30m range in the vein of The Reader, The Notebook andTwo Lovers.
The company, backed by Texas-based investor Crest Investments, was established in 2009 and served as executive producer on Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka.
Gigliotti won the best picture Oscar in 1998 for Shakespeare In Love and her credits include Silver Linings Playbook and The Reader.
She has served as president of production at The Weinstein Company, evp of production at Miramax Films, and president of production at USA Films.
Witt begin her career at William Morris and transitioned into development and production where she has spent the last 16 years scouting the New York and European publishing communities for feature properties.
Her...
- 3/25/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Film-makers Jessica Habie and Deema Dabis have launched the Fajr Falestine Film Fund to support production of experimental films from the Middle East with particular emphasis on Palestinian films.
Us-based non-profit The Eyes Infinite Foundation will run the fund, which aims to create a film collective in which five selected film-makers will receive financial support.
The five inaugural film-makers selected by the Film Fund’s ‘Pillars’, a panel of international artists and scholars, are: Jessica Habie, Deema Dabis, Rashid Abdelhamid and a pair of film-makers calling themselves Tarzan and Arab.
The judges include Amreeka director Cherien Dabis, writer-actress Najla Said, film scholar Robert Keser, Arab Film Festival programmer Laurence Mazouni, film-maker Natalie Handalm, Palestinian artist Sharif Waked and film-maker Iman Aoun.
The goal is to release five projects every two years, growing the funding pool every year over a 10-year period until the collective is able to develop, produce and distribute five feature projects every funding cycle.
The...
Us-based non-profit The Eyes Infinite Foundation will run the fund, which aims to create a film collective in which five selected film-makers will receive financial support.
The five inaugural film-makers selected by the Film Fund’s ‘Pillars’, a panel of international artists and scholars, are: Jessica Habie, Deema Dabis, Rashid Abdelhamid and a pair of film-makers calling themselves Tarzan and Arab.
The judges include Amreeka director Cherien Dabis, writer-actress Najla Said, film scholar Robert Keser, Arab Film Festival programmer Laurence Mazouni, film-maker Natalie Handalm, Palestinian artist Sharif Waked and film-maker Iman Aoun.
The goal is to release five projects every two years, growing the funding pool every year over a 10-year period until the collective is able to develop, produce and distribute five feature projects every funding cycle.
The...
- 1/16/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Palestinian American filmmaker Cherien Dabis is set to adapt Suad Amiry’s Sharon And My Mother-in-Law, a humorous account of life in Ramallah during the Second Intifada. It will be her first feature set in the West Bank and in Arabic.
“It’s a book based on emails she sent friends about the absurdities of life under occupation,” said Palestinian American Dabis, who is competing in Diff’s Muhr Arab Competition with May In The Summer.
The book spans seven years but Dabis will focus on ten days when Ramallah was under a strict curfew during the 2002 Israeli re-occupation of the city.
“During this time the main character is stuck in her house with her mother-in-law. It’s a very funny look at family dysfunction under the extreme conditions of the occupation. She’s a very, very funny writer,” said Dabis.
“It’s a great story and one of the things I like to do in my...
“It’s a book based on emails she sent friends about the absurdities of life under occupation,” said Palestinian American Dabis, who is competing in Diff’s Muhr Arab Competition with May In The Summer.
The book spans seven years but Dabis will focus on ten days when Ramallah was under a strict curfew during the 2002 Israeli re-occupation of the city.
“During this time the main character is stuck in her house with her mother-in-law. It’s a very funny look at family dysfunction under the extreme conditions of the occupation. She’s a very, very funny writer,” said Dabis.
“It’s a great story and one of the things I like to do in my...
- 12/10/2013
- ScreenDaily
Laila Marrakchi's family drama "Rock the Casbah," starring screen legend Omar Sharif, is among the titles picked to compete for the festival's Muhr Arab competition plaudit.
London -- Laila Marrakchi's family drama Rock the Casbah, the follow-up to the filmmaker's Marock, is one of a slew of titles to be scheduled to unspool as part of the 10th edition the Muhr Arab competition strand at the upcoming Dubai International Film Festival (Diff).
Marrakchi's movie features some of the Arab world’s most acclaimed actors including Hiam Abbass, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal, Morjana Alaoui and icon Omar Sharif.
The film is set over three days in Tangiers, Morocco and revolves around the revelations and reconciliations between three sisters during a family gathering for the funeral of patriarch, Moulay Hassan (Sharif).
Story: Sean Gullette's Directorial Debut to Premiere at Dubai International Film Festival
Festival organizers also said award-winning Moroccan filmmaker Hicham...
London -- Laila Marrakchi's family drama Rock the Casbah, the follow-up to the filmmaker's Marock, is one of a slew of titles to be scheduled to unspool as part of the 10th edition the Muhr Arab competition strand at the upcoming Dubai International Film Festival (Diff).
Marrakchi's movie features some of the Arab world’s most acclaimed actors including Hiam Abbass, Nadine Labaki, Lubna Azabal, Morjana Alaoui and icon Omar Sharif.
The film is set over three days in Tangiers, Morocco and revolves around the revelations and reconciliations between three sisters during a family gathering for the funeral of patriarch, Moulay Hassan (Sharif).
Story: Sean Gullette's Directorial Debut to Premiere at Dubai International Film Festival
Festival organizers also said award-winning Moroccan filmmaker Hicham...
- 11/13/2013
- by Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screenwriting fellows for the ninth edition of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab, running November 1-5, were announced today by the Royal Film Commission-Jordan and Sundance Institute. The Lab was created to support emerging filmmakers around the world. Former Rawi Fellows include Cherien Dabis ("Amreeka"), Mohammed Al Daradji ("Son of Babylon"), Sally El Hosaini ("My Brother The Devil") and Haifaa Al Mansour ("Wadjda").Launched in 2005, the Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished creative advisors. 2009 Rawi alumnus Haifaa Al Mansour (interview here) premiered her debut feature "Wadjda" --the first feature film shot entirely in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first-ever by a Saudi female filmmaker--at last year’s Venice and Telluride film festivals. The film was released this past September by Sony Pictures Classics and recently became Saudi Arabia’s first ever candidate for the Foreign-Language...
- 11/1/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
The tenth edition of Venice Days has announced its lineup of 12 films in the official selection, three special events, two shorts in Women’s Tales and two special screenings (pre-opening and closing night).
Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.
Official Selection
Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film
A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.
La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film
Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.
Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film
A political thriller about an Israeli secret service officer and a Palestinian informant.
Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere
A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.
Kill Your Darlings by [link...
Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.
Official Selection
Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film
A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.
La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film
Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.
Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film
A political thriller about an Israeli secret service officer and a Palestinian informant.
Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere
A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.
Kill Your Darlings by [link...
- 7/23/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The tenth edition of Venice Days has announced its lineup of 12 films in the official selection, three special events, two shorts in Women’s Tales and two special screenings (pre-opening and closing night).
Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.
Official Selection
Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film
A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.
La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film
Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.
Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film
A political thriller about brothers in the West Bank.
Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere
A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.
Kill Your Darlings by [link...
Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.
Official Selection
Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film
A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.
La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film
Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.
Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film
A political thriller about brothers in the West Bank.
Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere
A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.
Kill Your Darlings by [link...
- 7/23/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The tenth edition of Venice Days has announced its lineup of 12 films in the official selection, three special events, two shorts in Women’s Tales and two special screenings (pre-opening and closing night).
Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.
Official Selection
Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film
A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.
La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film
Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.
Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film
A political thriller about brothers in the West Bank.
Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere
A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.
Kill Your Darlings by [link...
Venice Days is presided over by Roberto Barzanti and directed by Giorgio Gosetti.
Official Selection
Alienation by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria), world premiere, first film
A dialogue-light contemporary fairytale about a lost generation, seen through a middle aged man crossing the border between Greece and Bulgaria, collecting a child for illegal adoption.
La Belle Vie by Jean Denizot (France) world premiere, first film
Based on the true story of a French father who takes his two sons on the run.
Bethlehem by Yuval Adler (Israel) world premiere, first film
A political thriller about brothers in the West Bank.
Gerontophilia by Bruce Labruce (Canada) world premiere
A modern romantic comedy about an 18 year old who bonds with an 82 year old.
Kill Your Darlings by [link...
- 7/23/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Our Sundance Film Festival adventure began by immediately setting a high bar with the sophomore film and acting debut (as leading lady, no less) of Cherien Dabis (Amreeka), May in the Summer.
May (Cherien Dabis), a successful and ambitious writer living in New York with her fiancée Ziad (Alexander Siddig), has come home to Amman, Jordan in order to complete the preparations for her wedding that takes place in a month’s time. In the absence of her fiancée, under the judgmental watch of her born-again-times-ten mother (Hiam Abbass) and the newfound presence of her usually absent father (Bill Pullman) and his new wife Anu (Ritu Singh Pande), May begins to discover that her once structured and well planned future just might be the wrong one for her.
Add her two younger siblings, one permanently sarcastic and the other a big-mouth princess (Alia Shawkat & Nadine Malouf), as well as just...
May (Cherien Dabis), a successful and ambitious writer living in New York with her fiancée Ziad (Alexander Siddig), has come home to Amman, Jordan in order to complete the preparations for her wedding that takes place in a month’s time. In the absence of her fiancée, under the judgmental watch of her born-again-times-ten mother (Hiam Abbass) and the newfound presence of her usually absent father (Bill Pullman) and his new wife Anu (Ritu Singh Pande), May begins to discover that her once structured and well planned future just might be the wrong one for her.
Add her two younger siblings, one permanently sarcastic and the other a big-mouth princess (Alia Shawkat & Nadine Malouf), as well as just...
- 1/21/2013
- by Micah Phillips
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
May in the Summer
Directed by Cherien Dabis
Screenplay by Cherien Dabis
2013, USA
May in the Summer is a strong second feature from writer/director Cherien Dabis, whose Amreeka debuted at Sundance in 2009. After an uneasy and clunky start, the second half effectively blends the desperation of decision with a spectacular visual sense of discovery.
May (Dabis) is a successful writer with one book under her belt who journeys from New York to her family home in Amman, Jordan for her imminent wedding. Her long divorced parents (Hiam Abbass, Bill Pullman) and her two sisters (Nadine Malouf and Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat) must come together to support her. May’s mother is still wounded 8 years after being abandoned by her husband and has retreated into Christianity for respite. So it comes as no surprise to May that she is vehemently opposed to her marrying a man of Muslim descent.
Directed by Cherien Dabis
Screenplay by Cherien Dabis
2013, USA
May in the Summer is a strong second feature from writer/director Cherien Dabis, whose Amreeka debuted at Sundance in 2009. After an uneasy and clunky start, the second half effectively blends the desperation of decision with a spectacular visual sense of discovery.
May (Dabis) is a successful writer with one book under her belt who journeys from New York to her family home in Amman, Jordan for her imminent wedding. Her long divorced parents (Hiam Abbass, Bill Pullman) and her two sisters (Nadine Malouf and Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat) must come together to support her. May’s mother is still wounded 8 years after being abandoned by her husband and has retreated into Christianity for respite. So it comes as no surprise to May that she is vehemently opposed to her marrying a man of Muslim descent.
- 1/20/2013
- by Lane Scarberry
- SoundOnSight
It'll be tough this year to follow the happenings from afar at Sundance without accidentally reading anything about Richard Linklater's Before Midnight, which reunites Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) for a third go round, but I shall try! In truth though Sundance, like Tiff and other A list festivals is nearly impossible to follow in general -- even if you're there! The "Opening Night" Film badge is kind of an annual myth -- this year that was May in the Summer from Amreeka director Cherien Dabis which drew mixed reviews -- as there are always multiple films playing at any big festival.
Celebrity Tweet:
Allison Janney wut wut! #touchyfeely @joshpais twitter.com/EllenPage/stat…
— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) January 19, 2013
I couldn't not share from the cuteness. That's Ellen Page and Juno mamma Alison Janney reunited for Lynn Shelton's Touchy Feely (Josh Pais, pictured is alo in the...
Celebrity Tweet:
Allison Janney wut wut! #touchyfeely @joshpais twitter.com/EllenPage/stat…
— Ellen Page (@EllenPage) January 19, 2013
I couldn't not share from the cuteness. That's Ellen Page and Juno mamma Alison Janney reunited for Lynn Shelton's Touchy Feely (Josh Pais, pictured is alo in the...
- 1/19/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
What is illustrious Arrested Development alum Michael Cera doing on a Chilean beach, tripping on hallucinogenic cactus juice with a band of South American brothers while a blithely nekkid Gaby Hoffmann cavorts nearby? Beats me, but I’m glad he’s there. Crystal Fairy — the title refers to the name preferred by Hoffmann’s New Age-y character — tastes a little of Y tu mamá tambien, with its sandy ramble of an outing. (That in itself is a good thing.) But the flashes of absurdist humor, druggy space-time perceptions, and low-keyed empathy are the bright work of New York-based Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva.
- 1/18/2013
- by Lisa Schwarzbaum
- EW - Inside Movies
Cherien Dabis' 2009 directorial debut "Amreeka" followed a family of Palestinian immigrants trying to make do with life in suburban America. Her follow-up, the substantially more polished and enjoyable "May in the Summer," tackles the inverse premise: A high-minded New Yorker dealing with a vastly different world while visiting her family in Jordan. Unlike "Amreeka," however, "May in the Summer" focuses less on culture clashes than the universal cycles of familiar problems that transcend cultural specifics. With its pre-wedding jitters plot, the movie hails from a well-worn tradition, but Dabis manages to shake up conventions with her fresh setting while sticking to familiar ground. In the starring role as the titular May, Dabis plays a rising author engaged to a Palestinian professor from Columbia University. While her fiancé remains back home to teach, the source of much consternation for the couple, May heads to Jordan to...
- 1/18/2013
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Park City – The delicate humor, strong sense of cultural identity and deep affection for her characters that distinguished Cherien Dabis’ Amreeka are again in evidence in her second feature, May in the Summer. But while there’s much to enjoy here – particularly in the touching performance of Hiam Abbass – there’s also plenty that is clichéd and forced in this rather conventional story of a young American-Jordanian woman hesitating on the precipice of marriage. Underlining her personal connection to the lives being depicted onscreen, the writer-director also steps in front of the camera for the first time.
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- 1/18/2013
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Park City, Utah — Film festivals can get off to a slow start. All that planning, all that travel booking for stars coming to pillage the gift suites, then everyone stands around waiting for a single movie, that big opening-night premiere, to get things rolling.
It's a lot to ask of one movie to set a tone for scores of films to follow over a week and a half. The Cannes Film Festival practically put itself on suicide watch in 2008 by opening with the bleak plague drama "Blindness." A year later, Cannes organizers lightened up and started with the warm-hearted animated tale "Up."
The Sundance Film Festival, which begins Thursday, used to face a similar dilemma. How do you pick that one film to stand as torchbearer for the 120 movies to come?
Three years ago, Sundance founder Robert Redford and festival director John Cooper scrapped the glitzy opening-night premiere and jumped right into the competition lineup,...
It's a lot to ask of one movie to set a tone for scores of films to follow over a week and a half. The Cannes Film Festival practically put itself on suicide watch in 2008 by opening with the bleak plague drama "Blindness." A year later, Cannes organizers lightened up and started with the warm-hearted animated tale "Up."
The Sundance Film Festival, which begins Thursday, used to face a similar dilemma. How do you pick that one film to stand as torchbearer for the 120 movies to come?
Three years ago, Sundance founder Robert Redford and festival director John Cooper scrapped the glitzy opening-night premiere and jumped right into the competition lineup,...
- 1/17/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “Every great film starts with an idea, and it is a testament to artists that they continually find new ideas, new stories, new points of view and new ways of sharing them, year after year. We look forward to hearing from these artists not just through their words and images onscreen but also through the larger dialogue they create with audiences at our Festival and beyond.”
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The films, both documentary and narrative, selected for our 2013 Festival have a particular immediacy and fearlessness to them showing us that independent film is as vibrant, creative and relevant as ever. Filmmakers are telling raw, powerful stories that are sure to create new energy in audiences and communities across the globe in the months to come.”
For the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, 113 feature-length films were selected, representing 32 countries and 51 first-time filmmakers, including 27 in competition. These films were selected from 12,146 submissions (429 more than for 2012), including 4,044 feature-length films and 8,102 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,070 were from the U.S. and 1,974 were international. 98 feature films at the Festival will be world premieres.
In addition, the Festival presents feature-length films in the Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, New Frontier, Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections. Those announcements, as well as selections for the Short Film section, are forthcoming.
On Day One, January 17, 2013, the Festival will screen one narrative film and one documentary from both the U.S. and World Cinema competitions, as well as one shorts program.
A selection of films from the 2013 Festival will also be presented at the second Sundance London film and music festival, April 25-28 at The O2.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Each year at this time we look forward with great anticipation and excitement to the discovery of new voices at the Sundance Film Festival. The Festival continues to reflect the spirit of innovation and creativity in independent cinema, not only in the stories themselves but also in how the films are produced and making their way to audiences.”
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Afternoon Delight/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jill Soloway) — In this sexy, dark comedy, a lost L.A. housewife puts her idyllic hipster life in jeopardy when she tries to rescue a stripper by taking her in as a live-in nanny. Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Lowery) — The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met. Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, Keith Carradine.
Austenland/ U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Jerusha Hess, Screenwriters: Jerusha Hess, Shannon Hale) — Thirtysomething, single Jane is obsessed with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice. On a trip to an English resort, her fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman become more real than she ever imagined.Cast: Keri Russell, Jj Feild, Bret McKenzie, Jennifer Coolidge, Georgia King, James Callis.
C.O.G./ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kyle Patrick Alvarez) — In the first ever film adaptation of David Sedaris' work, a cocky young man travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. Out of his element, he finds his lifestyle and notions being picked apart by everyone who crosses his path. Cast: Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, Troian Bellisario.
Concussion / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Stacie Passon) — After a blow to the head, Abby decides she can't do it anymore. Her life just can't be only about the house, the kids and the wife. She needs more: she needs to be Eleanor.Cast: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, Laila Robins.
Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Francesca Gregorini) — Emanuel, a troubled girl, becomes preoccupied with her mysterious, new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to her dead mother. In offering to babysit her newborn, Emanuel unwittingly enters a fragile, fictional world, of which she becomes the gatekeeper. Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Jessica Biel, Alfred Molina, Frances O'Connor, Jimmi Simpson, Aneurin Barnard.
Fruitvale/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ryan Coogler) — The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O'Reilly, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray.
In a World.../ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lake Bell) — An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voiceover star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation. Cast: Lake Bell, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Fred Melamed.
Kill Your Darlings/ U.S.A. (Director: John Krokidas, Screenwriters: Austin Bunn, John Krokidas) — An untold story of murder that brought together a young Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs at Columbia University in 1944, providing the spark that led to the birth of an entire generation – their Beat revolution. Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHann, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston, Elizabeth Olsen.
The Lifeguard / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Liz W. Garcia) — A former valedictorian quits her reporter job in New York and returns to the place she last felt happy: her childhood home in Connecticut. She gets work as a lifeguard and starts a dangerous relationship with a troubled teenager. Cast: Kristen Bell, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Alex Shaffer, Amy Madigan, David Lambert.
May in the Summer/ U.S.A., Qatar, Jordan (Director and screenwriter: Cherien Dabis) — A bride-to-be is forced to reevaluate her life when she reunites with her family in Jordan and finds herself confronted with the aftermath of her parents’ divorce. Cast: Cherien Dabis, Hiam Abbass, Bill Pullman, Alia Shawkat, Nadine Malouf, Alexander Siddig. Day One Film
Mother of George / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Dosunmu, Screenwriter: Darci Picoult) — A story about a woman willing to do anything and risk everything for her marriage.Cast: Isaach De Bankolé, Danai Gurira, Anthony Okungbowa, Yaya Alafia, Bukky Ajayi.
The Spectacular Now/ U.S.A. (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriters: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber) — Sutter is a high school senior who lives for the moment; Aimee is the introvert he attempts to "save." As their relationship deepens, the lines between right and wrong, friendship and love, and "saving" and corrupting become inextricably blurred. Cast: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler.
Touchy Feely/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lynn Shelton) — A massage therapist is unable to do her job when stricken with a mysterious and sudden aversion to bodily contact. Meanwhile, her uptight brother's foundering dental practice receives new life when clients seek out his “healing touch.”Cast: Rosemarie DeWitt, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston, Scoot McNairy, Ellen Page, Josh Pais.
Toy's House/ U.S.A. (Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Screenwriter: Chris Galletta) — Three unhappy teenage boys flee to the wilderness where they build a makeshift house and live off the land as masters of their own destiny. Or at least that’s the plan. Cast: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie.
Upstream Color/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Shane Carruth) — A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives. Cast: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins.
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Kristic) — The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise / U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer.Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch/ U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband's assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army / U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
The Good Life/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from Progeria, a rare and fatal disease for which there is no treatment or cure. In less than a decade, their work has led to significant advances.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Manhunt/ U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura / U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road / U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Circles/ Serbia, Germany, France, Croatia, Slovenia (Director: Srdan Golubovic, Screenwriters: Srdjan Koljevic, Melina Pota Koljevic) — Five people are affected by a tragic heroic act. Twenty years later, all of them will confront the past through their own crises. Will they overcome guilt, frustration and their urge for revenge? Will they do the right thing, at all costs? Cast: Aleksandar Bercek, Leon Lucev, Nebojsa Glogovac, Hristina Popovic, Nikola Rakocevic, Vuk Kostic. World Premiere
Crystal Fairy / Chile (Director and screenwriter: Sebastián Silva) — Jamie invites a stranger to join a road trip to Chile. The woman’s free and esoteric nature clashes with Jamie’s acidic, self-absorbed personality as they head into the desert for a Mescaline-fueled psychedelic trip. Cast: Michael Cera, Gabby Hoffmann, Juan Andrés Silva, José Miguel Silva, Agustín Silva. World Premiere. Day One Film
The Future/ Chile, Germany, Italy, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Alicia Scherson) — When their parents die, Bianca starts to smoke and Tomas is still a virgin. The orphans explore the dangerous streets of adulthood until Bianca finds Maciste, a retired Mr. Universe, and enters his dark mansion in search of a future. Cast: Manuela Martelli, Rutger Hauer, Luigi Ciardo, Nicolas Vaporidis, Alessandro Giallocosta. World Premiere
Houston/ Germany (Director and screenwriter: Bastian Günther) — Clemens Trunschka is a corporate headhunter and an alcoholic. Drinking increasingly isolates him from his life and leads him away from reality. While searching for a CEO candidate in Houston, his addiction submerges him into his own darkness. Cast: Ulrich Tukur, Garret Dillahunt, Wolfram Koch, Jenny Schily, Jason Douglas, Jens Münchow. World Premiere
Jiseul / South Korea (Director and screenwriter: Muel O) — In 1948, as the Korean government ordered the Communists’ eviction to Jeju Island, the military invaded a calm and peaceful village. Townsfolk took sanctuary in a cave and debated moving to a higher mountain. Cast: Min-chul Sung, Jung-won Yang, Young-soon Oh, Soon-dong Park, Suk-bum Moon, Kyung-sub Jang. International Premiere
Lasting / Poland, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Jacek Borcuch) — An emotional love story about two Polish students who fall in love with each other while working summer jobs in Spain. An unexpected nightmare interrupts their carefree time in the heavenly landscape and throws their lives into chaos. Cast: Jakub Gierszal, Magdalena Berus, Angela Molina. World Premiere
Metro Manila / United Kingdom, Philippines (Director: Sean Ellis, Screenwriters: Sean Ellis, Frank E. Flowers) — Seeking a better life, Oscar and his family move from the poverty-stricken rice fields to the big city of Manila, where they fall victim to various inhabitants whose manipulative ways are a daily part of city survival. Cast: Jake Macapagal, John Arcilla, Althea Vega. World Premiere
Shopping / New Zealand (Directors: Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland, Screenwriters: Louis Sutherland, Mark Albiston) — New Zealand, 1981: Seduced by a charismatic career criminal, teenager Willie must choose where his loyalty lies – with a family of shoplifters or his own blood. Cast: Kevin Paulo, Julian Dennison, Jacek Koman, Alistair Browning. World Premiere
Soldate Jeannette/ Austria (Director: Daniel Hoesl) — Fanni has had enough of money and leaves to buy a tent. Anna has had enough of pigs and leaves a needle in the hay. Cars crash and money burns to shape their mutual journey toward a rising liberty. Cast: Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Christina Reichsthaler, Josef Kleindienst, Aurelia Burckhardt, Julia Schranz, Ines Rössl. World Premiere
There Will Come a Day/ Italy, France (Director: Giorgio Diritti, Screenwriters: Giorgio Diritti, Fredo Valla, Tania Pedroni) — Painful issues push Augusta, a young Italian woman, to doubt the certainties on which she has built her existence. On a small boat in the immensity of the Amazon rain forest, she faces the adventure of searching for herself. Cast: Jasmine Trinca, Anne Alvaro, Pia Engleberth. World Premiere
Wajma (An Afghan Love Story)/ Afghanistan (Director and screenwriter: Barmak Akram) — A young man in Kabul seduces a girl. When she tells him she’s pregnant, he questions having taken her virginity. Then her father arrives, and a timeless, archaic violence erupts – possibly leading to a crime, and even a sacrifice. Cast: Wajma Bahar, Mustafa Abdulsatar, Haji Gul, Breshna Bahar. World Premiere
What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love/ Indonesia (Director and screenwriter: Mouly Surya) — Mouly Surya’s film explores the odds of love and deception among the blind, the deaf and the unlucky sighted people at a high school for the visually impaired. Cast: Nicholas Saputra, Ayushita Nugraha, Karina Salim, Anggun Priambodo, Lupita Jennifer. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary filmmakers working today.
Fallen City / China (Director: Qi Zhao) — Fallen City spans four years to reveal how three families who survived the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to embark on a journey searching for hope, purpose, identity, and to rebuild their lives in a new China torn between tradition and modernity. North American Premiere
Fire in the Blood/ India (Director: Dylan Mohan Gray) — In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Western governments and pharmaceutical companies blocked low-cost antiretroviral drugs from reaching AIDS-stricken Africa, causing 10 million or more unnecessary deaths. An improbable group of people decided to fight back. North American Premiere
Google and the World Brain/ Spain, United Kingdom (Director: Ben Lewis) — In the most ambitious project ever conceived on the Internet, Google has been scanning the world's books for 10 years. They said the intention was to build a giant digital library, but that involved scanning millions of copyrighted works. World Premiere
The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear/ Georgia, Germany (Director: Tinatin Gurchiani) — A film director casting a 15-23-year-old protagonist visits villages and cities to meet people who answer her call. She follows those who prove to be interesting enough through various dramatic and funny situations. North American Premiere
The Moo Man/ United Kingdom (Directors: Andy Heathcote, Heike Bachelier) — A year in the life of heroic farmer Steve, scene stealing Ida (queen of the herd), and a supporting cast of 55 cows. When Ida falls ill, Steve’s optimism is challenged and their whole way of life is at stake. World Premiere
Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer / Russian Federation, United Kingdom (Directors: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin) — Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial: the three young artists or the society they live in? World Premiere
A River Changes Course/ Cambodia, U.S.A. (Director: Kalyanee Mam) — Three young Cambodians struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt in this devastatingly beautiful story of a country reeling from the tragedies of war and rushing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding world. World Premiere
Salma/ United Kingdom, India (Director: Kim Longinotto) — When Salma, a young girl in South India, reached puberty, her parents locked her away. Millions of girls all over the world share the same fate. Twenty-five years later, Salma has fought her way back to the outside world. World Premiere
The Square (El Midan) / Egypt, U.S.A. (Director: Jehane Noujaim) — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation? World Premiere
The Stuart Hall Project/ United Kingdom (Director: John Akomfrah) — Antinuclear campaigner, New Left activist and founding father of Cultural Studies, this documentary interweaves 70 years of Stuart Hall’s film, radio and television appearances, and material from his private archive to document a memorable life and construct a portrait of Britain’s foremost radical intellectual. World Premiere
The Summit / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Nick Ryan) — Twenty-four climbers converged at the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell, stuck to the climbers' code, he might still be alive.International Premiere
Who is Dayani Cristal?/ United Kingdom (Director: Marc Silver) — An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for its identity leads us across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. World Premiere. Day One Film
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Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity proves the films selected in this section will inform a “greater” next wave in American cinema.
Blue Caprice/ U.S.A. (Director: Alexandre Moors, Screenwriters: R.F.I Porto, Alexandre Moors) — An abandoned boy is lured to America and drawn into the shadow of a dangerous father figure in this film inspired by the real life events that led to the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks. Cast: Isaiah Washington, Tequan Richmond, Joey Lauren Adams, Tim Blake Nelson, Cassandra Freeman, Leo Fitzpatrick.
Computer Chess /U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — An existential comedy about the brilliant men who taught machines to play chess – back when the machines seemed clumsy and we seemed smart. Cast: Patrick Riester, Myles Paige, James Curry, Robin Schwartz, Gerald Peary, Wiley Wiggins.
Escape from Tomorrow/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Randy Moore) — A postmodern, surreal voyage into the bowels of "family" entertainment; an epic battle begins when an unemployed, middle-aged father loses his sanity during a close encounter with two teenage girls on holiday. Cast: Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Annet Mahendru, Danielle Safady, Alison Lees-Taylor.
I Used to Be Darker/ U.S.A. (Director: Matthew Porterfield, Screenwriters: Amy Belk, Matthew Porterfield) — A runaway seeks refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore, only to find their marriage ending and her cousin in crisis. In the days that follow, the family struggles to let go while searching for things to sustain them. Cast: Deragh Campbell, Hannah Gross, Kim Taylor, Ned Oldham, Geoff Grace, Nick Petr.
It Felt Like Love / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Eliza Hittman) — On the outskirts of Brooklyn, a 14-year-old girl’s sexual quest takes a dangerous turn when she pursues an older guy and tests the boundaries between obsession and love.Cast: Gina Piersanti, Giovanna Salimeni, Ronen Rubinstein, Jesse Cordasco, Nick Rosen, Case Prime.
Milkshake/ U.S.A. (Director: David Andalman, Screenwriters: David Andalman, Mariko Munro) — In mid-1990's America, we follow the tragic sex life of Jolie Jolson, a wannabe thug (and great-great-grandson of legendary vaudevillian Al Jolson) in suburban DC as he strives to become something he can never be – black. Cast: Tyler Ross, Shareeka Epps, Georgia Ford, Eshan Bay, Leo Fitzpatrick, Danny Burstein.
Newlyweeds/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Shaka King) — A Brooklyn repo man and his globetrotting girlfriend forge an unlikely romance. But what should be a match made in stoner heaven turns into a love triangle gone awry in this dark coming-of-age comedy about dependency. Cast: Amari Cheatom, Trae Harris, Tone Tank, Colman Domingo, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Adrian Martinez.
Pit Stop/ U.S.A. (Director: Yen Tan, Screenwriters: Yen Tan, David Lowery) — Two working-class gay men in a small Texas town and a love that isn't quite out of reach. Cast: Bill Heck, Marcus DeAnda, Amy Seimetz, John Merriman, Alfredo Maduro, Corby Sullivan.
A Teacher/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Hannah Fidell) — A popular young teacher in a wealthy suburban Texas high school has an affair with one of her students. Her life begins to unravel as the relationship comes to an end. Cast: Lindsay Burdge, Will Brittain, Jennifer Prediger, Jonny Mars, Julie Phillips, Chris Dubeck.
This is Martin Bonner/ U.S.A.(Director and screenwriter: Chad Hartigan) — Martin Bonner has just moved to Reno for a new job in prison rehabilitation. Starting over at age 58, he struggles to adapt until an unlikely friendship with an ex-con blossoms, helping him confront the problems he left behind. Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Richmond Arquette, Sam Buchanan, Robert Longstreet, Demetrius Grosse.
The Sundance Film Festival®
A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “The films, both documentary and narrative, selected for our 2013 Festival have a particular immediacy and fearlessness to them showing us that independent film is as vibrant, creative and relevant as ever. Filmmakers are telling raw, powerful stories that are sure to create new energy in audiences and communities across the globe in the months to come.”
For the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, 113 feature-length films were selected, representing 32 countries and 51 first-time filmmakers, including 27 in competition. These films were selected from 12,146 submissions (429 more than for 2012), including 4,044 feature-length films and 8,102 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,070 were from the U.S. and 1,974 were international. 98 feature films at the Festival will be world premieres.
In addition, the Festival presents feature-length films in the Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, New Frontier, Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections. Those announcements, as well as selections for the Short Film section, are forthcoming.
On Day One, January 17, 2013, the Festival will screen one narrative film and one documentary from both the U.S. and World Cinema competitions, as well as one shorts program.
A selection of films from the 2013 Festival will also be presented at the second Sundance London film and music festival, April 25-28 at The O2.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Each year at this time we look forward with great anticipation and excitement to the discovery of new voices at the Sundance Film Festival. The Festival continues to reflect the spirit of innovation and creativity in independent cinema, not only in the stories themselves but also in how the films are produced and making their way to audiences.”
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The world premieres of 16 American narrative feature films.
Afternoon Delight/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jill Soloway) — In this sexy, dark comedy, a lost L.A. housewife puts her idyllic hipster life in jeopardy when she tries to rescue a stripper by taking her in as a live-in nanny. Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch.
Ain't Them Bodies Saints / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: David Lowery) — The tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met. Cast: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Nate Parker, Keith Carradine.
Austenland/ U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Jerusha Hess, Screenwriters: Jerusha Hess, Shannon Hale) — Thirtysomething, single Jane is obsessed with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice. On a trip to an English resort, her fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman become more real than she ever imagined.Cast: Keri Russell, Jj Feild, Bret McKenzie, Jennifer Coolidge, Georgia King, James Callis.
C.O.G./ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kyle Patrick Alvarez) — In the first ever film adaptation of David Sedaris' work, a cocky young man travels to Oregon to work on an apple farm. Out of his element, he finds his lifestyle and notions being picked apart by everyone who crosses his path. Cast: Jonathan Groff, Denis O'Hare, Corey Stoll, Dean Stockwell, Casey Wilson, Troian Bellisario.
Concussion / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Stacie Passon) — After a blow to the head, Abby decides she can't do it anymore. Her life just can't be only about the house, the kids and the wife. She needs more: she needs to be Eleanor.Cast: Robin Weigert, Maggie Siff, Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Julie Fain Lawrence, Emily Kinney, Laila Robins.
Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Francesca Gregorini) — Emanuel, a troubled girl, becomes preoccupied with her mysterious, new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to her dead mother. In offering to babysit her newborn, Emanuel unwittingly enters a fragile, fictional world, of which she becomes the gatekeeper. Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Jessica Biel, Alfred Molina, Frances O'Connor, Jimmi Simpson, Aneurin Barnard.
Fruitvale/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ryan Coogler) — The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008. Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ahna O'Reilly, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray.
In a World.../ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lake Bell) — An underachieving vocal coach is motivated by her father, the king of movie-trailer voice-overs, to pursue her aspirations of becoming a voiceover star. Amidst pride, sexism and family dysfunction, she sets out to change the voice of a generation. Cast: Lake Bell, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Fred Melamed.
Kill Your Darlings/ U.S.A. (Director: John Krokidas, Screenwriters: Austin Bunn, John Krokidas) — An untold story of murder that brought together a young Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs at Columbia University in 1944, providing the spark that led to the birth of an entire generation – their Beat revolution. Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHann, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall, Jack Huston, Elizabeth Olsen.
The Lifeguard / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Liz W. Garcia) — A former valedictorian quits her reporter job in New York and returns to the place she last felt happy: her childhood home in Connecticut. She gets work as a lifeguard and starts a dangerous relationship with a troubled teenager. Cast: Kristen Bell, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Alex Shaffer, Amy Madigan, David Lambert.
May in the Summer/ U.S.A., Qatar, Jordan (Director and screenwriter: Cherien Dabis) — A bride-to-be is forced to reevaluate her life when she reunites with her family in Jordan and finds herself confronted with the aftermath of her parents’ divorce. Cast: Cherien Dabis, Hiam Abbass, Bill Pullman, Alia Shawkat, Nadine Malouf, Alexander Siddig. Day One Film
Mother of George / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Dosunmu, Screenwriter: Darci Picoult) — A story about a woman willing to do anything and risk everything for her marriage.Cast: Isaach De Bankolé, Danai Gurira, Anthony Okungbowa, Yaya Alafia, Bukky Ajayi.
The Spectacular Now/ U.S.A. (Director: James Ponsoldt, Screenwriters: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber) — Sutter is a high school senior who lives for the moment; Aimee is the introvert he attempts to "save." As their relationship deepens, the lines between right and wrong, friendship and love, and "saving" and corrupting become inextricably blurred. Cast: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kyle Chandler.
Touchy Feely/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lynn Shelton) — A massage therapist is unable to do her job when stricken with a mysterious and sudden aversion to bodily contact. Meanwhile, her uptight brother's foundering dental practice receives new life when clients seek out his “healing touch.”Cast: Rosemarie DeWitt, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston, Scoot McNairy, Ellen Page, Josh Pais.
Toy's House/ U.S.A. (Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Screenwriter: Chris Galletta) — Three unhappy teenage boys flee to the wilderness where they build a makeshift house and live off the land as masters of their own destiny. Or at least that’s the plan. Cast: Nick Robinson, Gabriel Basso, Moises Arias, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Alison Brie.
Upstream Color/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Shane Carruth) — A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives. Cast: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins.
U.S. Documentary Competition
The world premieres of 16 American documentary films.
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film/ U.S.A. (Directors: Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, Lucian Read, Nina Kristic) — The Occupy movement erupted in September 2011, propelling economic inequality into the spotlight. In an unprecedented collaboration, filmmakers across America tell its story, digging into big picture issues as organizers, analysts, participants and critics reveal how it happened and why.
After Tiller/ U.S.A. (Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson) — Since the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in 2009, only four doctors in the country provide late-term abortions. With unprecedented access, After Tiller goes inside the lives of these physicians working at the center of the storm.
American Promise / U.S.A. (Directors: Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson) — This intimate documentary follows the 12-year journey of two African-American families pursuing the promise of opportunity through the education of their sons.
Blackfish/ U.S.A. (Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite) — Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer.Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Blood Brother/ U.S.A. (Director: Steve Hoover) — Rocky went to India as a disillusioned tourist. When he met a group of children with HIV, he decided to stay. He never could have imagined the obstacles he would face, or the love he would find.
Citizen Koch/ U.S.A. (Directors: Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) — Wisconsin – birthplace of the Republican Party, government unions, “cheeseheads” and Paul Ryan – becomes a test market in the campaign to buy Democracy, and ground zero in the battle for the future of the Gop.
Cutie and the Boxer/ U.S.A. (Director: Zachary Heinzerling) — This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband's assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own.
Dirty Wars/ U.S.A. (Director: Richard Rowley) — Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill chases down the truth behind America’s covert wars.
Gideon's Army / U.S.A. (Director: Dawn Porter) — Gideon’s Army follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
God Loves Uganda/ U.S.A. (Director: Roger Ross Williams) — A powerful exploration of the evangelical campaign to infuse African culture with values imported from America’s Christian Right. The film follows American and Ugandan religious leaders fighting “sexual immorality” and missionaries trying to convince Ugandans to follow biblical law.
The Good Life/ U.S.A. (Directors: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine) — Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns fight to save their only son from Progeria, a rare and fatal disease for which there is no treatment or cure. In less than a decade, their work has led to significant advances.
Inequality for All/ U.S.A. (Director: Jacob Kornbluth) — In this timely and entertaining documentary, noted economic-policy expert Robert Reich distills the topic of widening income inequality, and addresses the question of what effects this increasing gap has on our economy and our democracy.
Manhunt/ U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Greg Barker) — This espionage tale goes inside the CIA’s long conflict against Al Qaeda, as revealed by the remarkable women and men whose secret war against Osama bin Laden started nearly a decade before most of us even knew his name.
Narco Cultura / U.S.A. (Director: Shaul Schwarz) — An examination of Mexican drug cartels’ influence in pop culture on both sides of the border as experienced by an La narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War.
Twenty Feet From Stardom/ U.S.A. (Director: Morgan Neville) — Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead – until now. Day One Film
Valentine Road / U.S.A. (Director: Marta Cunningham) — In 2008, eighth-grader Brandon McInerney shot classmate Larry King at point blank range. Unraveling this tragedy from point of impact, the film reveals the heartbreaking circumstances that led to the shocking crime as well as its startling aftermath.
World Cinema Dramatic Competition
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.
Circles/ Serbia, Germany, France, Croatia, Slovenia (Director: Srdan Golubovic, Screenwriters: Srdjan Koljevic, Melina Pota Koljevic) — Five people are affected by a tragic heroic act. Twenty years later, all of them will confront the past through their own crises. Will they overcome guilt, frustration and their urge for revenge? Will they do the right thing, at all costs? Cast: Aleksandar Bercek, Leon Lucev, Nebojsa Glogovac, Hristina Popovic, Nikola Rakocevic, Vuk Kostic. World Premiere
Crystal Fairy / Chile (Director and screenwriter: Sebastián Silva) — Jamie invites a stranger to join a road trip to Chile. The woman’s free and esoteric nature clashes with Jamie’s acidic, self-absorbed personality as they head into the desert for a Mescaline-fueled psychedelic trip. Cast: Michael Cera, Gabby Hoffmann, Juan Andrés Silva, José Miguel Silva, Agustín Silva. World Premiere. Day One Film
The Future/ Chile, Germany, Italy, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Alicia Scherson) — When their parents die, Bianca starts to smoke and Tomas is still a virgin. The orphans explore the dangerous streets of adulthood until Bianca finds Maciste, a retired Mr. Universe, and enters his dark mansion in search of a future. Cast: Manuela Martelli, Rutger Hauer, Luigi Ciardo, Nicolas Vaporidis, Alessandro Giallocosta. World Premiere
Houston/ Germany (Director and screenwriter: Bastian Günther) — Clemens Trunschka is a corporate headhunter and an alcoholic. Drinking increasingly isolates him from his life and leads him away from reality. While searching for a CEO candidate in Houston, his addiction submerges him into his own darkness. Cast: Ulrich Tukur, Garret Dillahunt, Wolfram Koch, Jenny Schily, Jason Douglas, Jens Münchow. World Premiere
Jiseul / South Korea (Director and screenwriter: Muel O) — In 1948, as the Korean government ordered the Communists’ eviction to Jeju Island, the military invaded a calm and peaceful village. Townsfolk took sanctuary in a cave and debated moving to a higher mountain. Cast: Min-chul Sung, Jung-won Yang, Young-soon Oh, Soon-dong Park, Suk-bum Moon, Kyung-sub Jang. International Premiere
Lasting / Poland, Spain (Director and screenwriter: Jacek Borcuch) — An emotional love story about two Polish students who fall in love with each other while working summer jobs in Spain. An unexpected nightmare interrupts their carefree time in the heavenly landscape and throws their lives into chaos. Cast: Jakub Gierszal, Magdalena Berus, Angela Molina. World Premiere
Metro Manila / United Kingdom, Philippines (Director: Sean Ellis, Screenwriters: Sean Ellis, Frank E. Flowers) — Seeking a better life, Oscar and his family move from the poverty-stricken rice fields to the big city of Manila, where they fall victim to various inhabitants whose manipulative ways are a daily part of city survival. Cast: Jake Macapagal, John Arcilla, Althea Vega. World Premiere
Shopping / New Zealand (Directors: Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland, Screenwriters: Louis Sutherland, Mark Albiston) — New Zealand, 1981: Seduced by a charismatic career criminal, teenager Willie must choose where his loyalty lies – with a family of shoplifters or his own blood. Cast: Kevin Paulo, Julian Dennison, Jacek Koman, Alistair Browning. World Premiere
Soldate Jeannette/ Austria (Director: Daniel Hoesl) — Fanni has had enough of money and leaves to buy a tent. Anna has had enough of pigs and leaves a needle in the hay. Cars crash and money burns to shape their mutual journey toward a rising liberty. Cast: Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Christina Reichsthaler, Josef Kleindienst, Aurelia Burckhardt, Julia Schranz, Ines Rössl. World Premiere
There Will Come a Day/ Italy, France (Director: Giorgio Diritti, Screenwriters: Giorgio Diritti, Fredo Valla, Tania Pedroni) — Painful issues push Augusta, a young Italian woman, to doubt the certainties on which she has built her existence. On a small boat in the immensity of the Amazon rain forest, she faces the adventure of searching for herself. Cast: Jasmine Trinca, Anne Alvaro, Pia Engleberth. World Premiere
Wajma (An Afghan Love Story)/ Afghanistan (Director and screenwriter: Barmak Akram) — A young man in Kabul seduces a girl. When she tells him she’s pregnant, he questions having taken her virginity. Then her father arrives, and a timeless, archaic violence erupts – possibly leading to a crime, and even a sacrifice. Cast: Wajma Bahar, Mustafa Abdulsatar, Haji Gul, Breshna Bahar. World Premiere
What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love/ Indonesia (Director and screenwriter: Mouly Surya) — Mouly Surya’s film explores the odds of love and deception among the blind, the deaf and the unlucky sighted people at a high school for the visually impaired. Cast: Nicholas Saputra, Ayushita Nugraha, Karina Salim, Anggun Priambodo, Lupita Jennifer. World Premiere
World Cinema Documentary Competition
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary filmmakers working today.
Fallen City / China (Director: Qi Zhao) — Fallen City spans four years to reveal how three families who survived the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to embark on a journey searching for hope, purpose, identity, and to rebuild their lives in a new China torn between tradition and modernity. North American Premiere
Fire in the Blood/ India (Director: Dylan Mohan Gray) — In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Western governments and pharmaceutical companies blocked low-cost antiretroviral drugs from reaching AIDS-stricken Africa, causing 10 million or more unnecessary deaths. An improbable group of people decided to fight back. North American Premiere
Google and the World Brain/ Spain, United Kingdom (Director: Ben Lewis) — In the most ambitious project ever conceived on the Internet, Google has been scanning the world's books for 10 years. They said the intention was to build a giant digital library, but that involved scanning millions of copyrighted works. World Premiere
The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear/ Georgia, Germany (Director: Tinatin Gurchiani) — A film director casting a 15-23-year-old protagonist visits villages and cities to meet people who answer her call. She follows those who prove to be interesting enough through various dramatic and funny situations. North American Premiere
The Moo Man/ United Kingdom (Directors: Andy Heathcote, Heike Bachelier) — A year in the life of heroic farmer Steve, scene stealing Ida (queen of the herd), and a supporting cast of 55 cows. When Ida falls ill, Steve’s optimism is challenged and their whole way of life is at stake. World Premiere
Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer / Russian Federation, United Kingdom (Directors: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin) — Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial: the three young artists or the society they live in? World Premiere
A River Changes Course/ Cambodia, U.S.A. (Director: Kalyanee Mam) — Three young Cambodians struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt in this devastatingly beautiful story of a country reeling from the tragedies of war and rushing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding world. World Premiere
Salma/ United Kingdom, India (Director: Kim Longinotto) — When Salma, a young girl in South India, reached puberty, her parents locked her away. Millions of girls all over the world share the same fate. Twenty-five years later, Salma has fought her way back to the outside world. World Premiere
The Square (El Midan) / Egypt, U.S.A. (Director: Jehane Noujaim) — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation? World Premiere
The Stuart Hall Project/ United Kingdom (Director: John Akomfrah) — Antinuclear campaigner, New Left activist and founding father of Cultural Studies, this documentary interweaves 70 years of Stuart Hall’s film, radio and television appearances, and material from his private archive to document a memorable life and construct a portrait of Britain’s foremost radical intellectual. World Premiere
The Summit / Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Nick Ryan) — Twenty-four climbers converged at the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell, stuck to the climbers' code, he might still be alive.International Premiere
Who is Dayani Cristal?/ United Kingdom (Director: Marc Silver) — An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for its identity leads us across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. World Premiere. Day One Film
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Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity proves the films selected in this section will inform a “greater” next wave in American cinema.
Blue Caprice/ U.S.A. (Director: Alexandre Moors, Screenwriters: R.F.I Porto, Alexandre Moors) — An abandoned boy is lured to America and drawn into the shadow of a dangerous father figure in this film inspired by the real life events that led to the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks. Cast: Isaiah Washington, Tequan Richmond, Joey Lauren Adams, Tim Blake Nelson, Cassandra Freeman, Leo Fitzpatrick.
Computer Chess /U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — An existential comedy about the brilliant men who taught machines to play chess – back when the machines seemed clumsy and we seemed smart. Cast: Patrick Riester, Myles Paige, James Curry, Robin Schwartz, Gerald Peary, Wiley Wiggins.
Escape from Tomorrow/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Randy Moore) — A postmodern, surreal voyage into the bowels of "family" entertainment; an epic battle begins when an unemployed, middle-aged father loses his sanity during a close encounter with two teenage girls on holiday. Cast: Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Annet Mahendru, Danielle Safady, Alison Lees-Taylor.
I Used to Be Darker/ U.S.A. (Director: Matthew Porterfield, Screenwriters: Amy Belk, Matthew Porterfield) — A runaway seeks refuge with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore, only to find their marriage ending and her cousin in crisis. In the days that follow, the family struggles to let go while searching for things to sustain them. Cast: Deragh Campbell, Hannah Gross, Kim Taylor, Ned Oldham, Geoff Grace, Nick Petr.
It Felt Like Love / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Eliza Hittman) — On the outskirts of Brooklyn, a 14-year-old girl’s sexual quest takes a dangerous turn when she pursues an older guy and tests the boundaries between obsession and love.Cast: Gina Piersanti, Giovanna Salimeni, Ronen Rubinstein, Jesse Cordasco, Nick Rosen, Case Prime.
Milkshake/ U.S.A. (Director: David Andalman, Screenwriters: David Andalman, Mariko Munro) — In mid-1990's America, we follow the tragic sex life of Jolie Jolson, a wannabe thug (and great-great-grandson of legendary vaudevillian Al Jolson) in suburban DC as he strives to become something he can never be – black. Cast: Tyler Ross, Shareeka Epps, Georgia Ford, Eshan Bay, Leo Fitzpatrick, Danny Burstein.
Newlyweeds/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Shaka King) — A Brooklyn repo man and his globetrotting girlfriend forge an unlikely romance. But what should be a match made in stoner heaven turns into a love triangle gone awry in this dark coming-of-age comedy about dependency. Cast: Amari Cheatom, Trae Harris, Tone Tank, Colman Domingo, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Adrian Martinez.
Pit Stop/ U.S.A. (Director: Yen Tan, Screenwriters: Yen Tan, David Lowery) — Two working-class gay men in a small Texas town and a love that isn't quite out of reach. Cast: Bill Heck, Marcus DeAnda, Amy Seimetz, John Merriman, Alfredo Maduro, Corby Sullivan.
A Teacher/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Hannah Fidell) — A popular young teacher in a wealthy suburban Texas high school has an affair with one of her students. Her life begins to unravel as the relationship comes to an end. Cast: Lindsay Burdge, Will Brittain, Jennifer Prediger, Jonny Mars, Julie Phillips, Chris Dubeck.
This is Martin Bonner/ U.S.A.(Director and screenwriter: Chad Hartigan) — Martin Bonner has just moved to Reno for a new job in prison rehabilitation. Starting over at age 58, he struggles to adapt until an unlikely friendship with an ex-con blossoms, helping him confront the problems he left behind. Cast: Paul Eenhoorn, Richmond Arquette, Sam Buchanan, Robert Longstreet, Demetrius Grosse.
The Sundance Film Festival®
A program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water, and Napoleon Dynamite, and through its New Frontier initiative, has showcased the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julien, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival® sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors – Hp, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase Sapphire PreferredSM; Leadership Sponsors – Directv, Entertainment Weekly, Focus Forward, a partnership between Ge and Cinelan, Southwest Airlines, Sprint and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – Adobe, Canada Goose, Canon U.S.A., Inc., CÎRoc Ultra Premium Vodka, FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, Hilton HHonors and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Intel Corporation, L'Oréal Paris, Recycled Paper Greetings, Stella Artois® and Time Warner Inc. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute's year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. www.sundance.org/festival
Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
- 12/27/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Eight projects for the eighth edition of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab have been chosen by The Royal Film Commission-Jordan and Sundance Institute. The Rawi Screenwriters Lab is an example of Sundance Institute’s longstanding international work to support emerging filmmakers around the world. Former Rawi Fellows include Cherien Dabis (Amreeka), Mohammed Al Daradji (Son Of Babylon) and Sally El Hosaini (My Brother The Devil).
Launched in 2005, the Lab is led by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan (Rfc), under the leadership of Deema Azar, in consultation with Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, under the direction of Michelle Satter. The Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished Creative Advisors—this year including Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg), Henry Bean (The Believer), So Yong Kim (Treeless Mountain), Bernd Lichtenberg (Goodbye Lenin!) and Katherine Dieckmann (Motherhood)—in an environment that encourages storytelling at the highest level.
George David, General Manager of the Rfc, said, “It makes us very proud to be organizing the eighth round of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab again this year in consultation with Sundance Institute. The Lab is gaining momentum and receiving increased regional and international acclaim, with more and more projects developed through the Lab and being awarded internationally. The caliber of this year’s selected projects will certainly have an impact on the regional filmmaking scene, at a time when cinema in the region is attracting worldwide attention with all the changes that have been taken place recently and are often reflected in cinematic works.”
Paul Federbush, International Director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, said, “We’ve had the privilege to help give voice to some extraordinary new filmmakers in the region over our eight-year partnership with the Rfc. This year’s Fellows continue in that tradition and bring a diverse range of stories that we believe will resonate with audiences around the world.”
2009 Rawi alumnus Haifaa Al Mansour premiered her debut feature Wadjda—the first feature film shot entirely in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first-ever by a Saudi female filmmaker—at this year’s Venice International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival. The film was acquired for U.S. distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.
About her experience at the Lab, Mansour said, "The real momentum for Wadjda began with the Rawi Screenwriters Lab; I am tremendously grateful for the unwavering support of Michelle Satter and her entire team at Sundance Institute who not only helped the script find its true voice, but also in every aspect of getting the film made.”
The participants and projects selected for the 2012 Rawi Screenwriters Lab represent eight different countries. The Lab takes place November 14-18 in Wadi Feynan in Southern Jordan.
Daughters of Abdel Rahman by Zaid Abu Hamdan (Jordan)
Years after running away from their oppressive past, four estranged sisters have to join forces to find their suddenly missing father.
Zaid Abu Hamdan holds an Mfa from the New York Film Academy in Hollywood California, and a BA in Communication Arts from the Lebanese American University in Beirut. In 2009, Zaid established his company Zaha Productions, producing 5 award winning short films in both the Us and the Gulf. His debut film Baram & Hamza won International awards and distribution in the Us and Europe. His other films include Love…Older (of 2 parts) and the 2012 Oscar-qualified film Bahiya & Mahmoud, after winning “Best of Fest” at the Palm Springs Int. Shortfest. Zaid is currently developing his first feature film Daughters of Abdul-Rahman, which has been selected for The Doha Film Institute, the Torino Film Lab, the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and other international film organizations.
Via Dolorosa by Sobhi Al Zubaidi (Palestine)
A Palestinian man is released after 20 years in Israeli prisons and is united with his family, only to face new challenges in life after Oslo in the West Bank.
Sobhi al-Zobaidi is a Palestinian filmmaker (My Very Private Map, Women in the Sun, Light at the End of the Tunnel, Hawal, Crossing Kalandia, About the Sea). His film projects have received awards and recognition from institutions including Hubert Bals Fund, Rotterdam Flm Festival, Locarno Flm Festival, Goteborg Flm Festival and Abu Dhabi Flm Festival. His current project, Via Dolorosa, is a feature film that has received development support from Afac and Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Sanad).
Trees Also Die by Rabih El Amine (Lebanon)
A young mother and her child decide to isolate themselves from the outside world in a delirious attempt to flee the war and to escape their fate.
Born in 1974, Rabih El-Amine is a Lebanese-Canadian photographer, screenwriter and filmmaker based in Montreal. He holds a BA in Communication Arts (Radio/TV/Films). His first documentary Ahmad the Japanese screened at various festivals and won a jury prize in Docudays. Trees Also Die is his first feature film project.
Noor by Mustafa Shakarchi (Iraq)
Inspired by a true story, a 10-year-old Palestinian girl dreams of a normal childhood—to go to school and make friends. But her caretaker Aunt forces her to work in the streets selling novelty items.
Born in Baghdad, Iraq and raised in Southern California, Mustafa is a co-founder of TruArt Pictures, an independent production company. Noor is his first feature film.
Crescent Moon by Naz Sadoughi (Iran)
Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is freedom, and Ebby is suddenly forced to test the limits of his loyalties – either remain faithful to the regime and his corrupt paymasters, or to his conscience and feelings for the man he’s spying on.
Naz Sadoughi is an Iranian screenwriter. Born in Tehran she moved to the UK with her parents in 1978. Initially trained as an Illustration and animation artist she moved into live action film-making in 1999 and began working as a commercials director in the UK and throughout Europe. In 2004 she set up a production company where she produced and directed short documentaries for the Discovery Channel. In 2011 Naz completed an Ma in screenwriting at The Lcc, University of the Arts London.
I Am Nojood by Khadija Al-Salami (Yemen)
Ignorance and poverty force a ten -year old girl, Nojood, to endure an outrageous experience when she is forced to marry a thirty-year-old man. Unable to accept this fate others have chosen for her, Nojood does the unthinkable: she asks for a divorce.
Khadija Al-Salami gained her independence at an early age when her family forced her into an early marriage at the age of 11. In order to escape family pressure and tradition, she found a job at the local TV station in the afternoons, while pursuing her studies in the mornings. She earned a scholarship at 16 years of age to the United States, where she studied film-making. Her first film, for her thesis, was about women in Yemen. Khadija is Yemen’s first woman film-maker, and has made some over 20 documentaries for various TV stations in France and Yemen and received several awards at various film festivals worldwide. With her husband, she has written a book, The Tears of Sheba, about her experiences growing up in Yemen. She was, until 2011, the Press Counselor and Director of the Communication and Cultural Center at the Embassy of Yemen in Paris.
Two Rooms & a Parlor by Mohamed Salah El Azzab & Sherif Bendari (Egypt)
Khalil has spent his life living the routine of a low profile employee. When he finds himself alone after the death of his wife Ihsan, Khalil decides to discover the world outside of his little house and life beyond its ordinary details.
Born in 1978, Egyptian filmmaker Sherif Elbendary lives and works in Cairo. Elbendary graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in 2001, then in 2007 studied film directing at the High Institute of Cinema in Cairo. His first short fiction film Rise & Shine produced by the Egyptian Film Center in 2006 was officially selected in more than 75 film festivals in 33 countries and won 15 awards. Elbendary’s second short film was his graduation project At Day's End produced by the High Institute of Cinema in 2008 which was officially selected in more than 50 film festivals and won 14 awards. Sherif directed the segment “curfew” in the omnibus feature 18 Days which was selected to the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.
Born in Cairo 1981, novelist and journalist and scriptwriter Mohammad El Azzab has four novels which are: A Long Cellar with a Low Ceiling making you Crouch, Repeated Stoppingwas, Tales of Sidi Barrani and The Italian's Bed. Also a collection of short stories, Blue In a Sad Way. El Azab, has won several literary Egyptian and Arabian awards. He wrote the screenplay films: Repeated Stoppingwas and Two-Bedroom Apartment, which was awarded best screenplay in Sawiris awards in Egypt in 2011.
Until the End of Time by Yasmine Chouikh (Algeria)
As they slowly approach the hour of their death, Ali and Joher, both in their seventies, meet and discover love, friendship and the happiness of living the joys of life together.
Born in 1982 in Algiers, Yasmine Chouikh studied human arts and sciences, graduate in psychology and educational sciences. She worked as an actress in La Citadelle (1987) by Mohamed Chouikh, in a television film by Djamel Bendedouch in 1990, then in Hamlet of Women (2004) by Mohamed Chouikh. She wrote in the cultural page of the daily newspaperl'Autentique and works as a journalist as well as presenting a cinematographic television program on the national Algerian television since 2005. She has written some shorts film scripts, and directed two of them, The Door and the djinn. She is the art director of the International Taghit.
The eighth annual Rawi Screenwriters Lab of The Royal Film Commission-Jordan is presented in consultation with Sundance Institute and made possible in part by a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Launched in 2005, the Lab is led by the Royal Film Commission of Jordan (Rfc), under the leadership of Deema Azar, in consultation with Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, under the direction of Michelle Satter. The Lab provides an opportunity for filmmakers from the region to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished Creative Advisors—this year including Athina Rachel Tsangari (Attenberg), Henry Bean (The Believer), So Yong Kim (Treeless Mountain), Bernd Lichtenberg (Goodbye Lenin!) and Katherine Dieckmann (Motherhood)—in an environment that encourages storytelling at the highest level.
George David, General Manager of the Rfc, said, “It makes us very proud to be organizing the eighth round of the Rawi Screenwriters Lab again this year in consultation with Sundance Institute. The Lab is gaining momentum and receiving increased regional and international acclaim, with more and more projects developed through the Lab and being awarded internationally. The caliber of this year’s selected projects will certainly have an impact on the regional filmmaking scene, at a time when cinema in the region is attracting worldwide attention with all the changes that have been taken place recently and are often reflected in cinematic works.”
Paul Federbush, International Director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, said, “We’ve had the privilege to help give voice to some extraordinary new filmmakers in the region over our eight-year partnership with the Rfc. This year’s Fellows continue in that tradition and bring a diverse range of stories that we believe will resonate with audiences around the world.”
2009 Rawi alumnus Haifaa Al Mansour premiered her debut feature Wadjda—the first feature film shot entirely in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the first-ever by a Saudi female filmmaker—at this year’s Venice International Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival. The film was acquired for U.S. distribution by Sony Pictures Classics.
About her experience at the Lab, Mansour said, "The real momentum for Wadjda began with the Rawi Screenwriters Lab; I am tremendously grateful for the unwavering support of Michelle Satter and her entire team at Sundance Institute who not only helped the script find its true voice, but also in every aspect of getting the film made.”
The participants and projects selected for the 2012 Rawi Screenwriters Lab represent eight different countries. The Lab takes place November 14-18 in Wadi Feynan in Southern Jordan.
Daughters of Abdel Rahman by Zaid Abu Hamdan (Jordan)
Years after running away from their oppressive past, four estranged sisters have to join forces to find their suddenly missing father.
Zaid Abu Hamdan holds an Mfa from the New York Film Academy in Hollywood California, and a BA in Communication Arts from the Lebanese American University in Beirut. In 2009, Zaid established his company Zaha Productions, producing 5 award winning short films in both the Us and the Gulf. His debut film Baram & Hamza won International awards and distribution in the Us and Europe. His other films include Love…Older (of 2 parts) and the 2012 Oscar-qualified film Bahiya & Mahmoud, after winning “Best of Fest” at the Palm Springs Int. Shortfest. Zaid is currently developing his first feature film Daughters of Abdul-Rahman, which has been selected for The Doha Film Institute, the Torino Film Lab, the Royal Film Commission of Jordan and other international film organizations.
Via Dolorosa by Sobhi Al Zubaidi (Palestine)
A Palestinian man is released after 20 years in Israeli prisons and is united with his family, only to face new challenges in life after Oslo in the West Bank.
Sobhi al-Zobaidi is a Palestinian filmmaker (My Very Private Map, Women in the Sun, Light at the End of the Tunnel, Hawal, Crossing Kalandia, About the Sea). His film projects have received awards and recognition from institutions including Hubert Bals Fund, Rotterdam Flm Festival, Locarno Flm Festival, Goteborg Flm Festival and Abu Dhabi Flm Festival. His current project, Via Dolorosa, is a feature film that has received development support from Afac and Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Sanad).
Trees Also Die by Rabih El Amine (Lebanon)
A young mother and her child decide to isolate themselves from the outside world in a delirious attempt to flee the war and to escape their fate.
Born in 1974, Rabih El-Amine is a Lebanese-Canadian photographer, screenwriter and filmmaker based in Montreal. He holds a BA in Communication Arts (Radio/TV/Films). His first documentary Ahmad the Japanese screened at various festivals and won a jury prize in Docudays. Trees Also Die is his first feature film project.
Noor by Mustafa Shakarchi (Iraq)
Inspired by a true story, a 10-year-old Palestinian girl dreams of a normal childhood—to go to school and make friends. But her caretaker Aunt forces her to work in the streets selling novelty items.
Born in Baghdad, Iraq and raised in Southern California, Mustafa is a co-founder of TruArt Pictures, an independent production company. Noor is his first feature film.
Crescent Moon by Naz Sadoughi (Iran)
Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is freedom, and Ebby is suddenly forced to test the limits of his loyalties – either remain faithful to the regime and his corrupt paymasters, or to his conscience and feelings for the man he’s spying on.
Naz Sadoughi is an Iranian screenwriter. Born in Tehran she moved to the UK with her parents in 1978. Initially trained as an Illustration and animation artist she moved into live action film-making in 1999 and began working as a commercials director in the UK and throughout Europe. In 2004 she set up a production company where she produced and directed short documentaries for the Discovery Channel. In 2011 Naz completed an Ma in screenwriting at The Lcc, University of the Arts London.
I Am Nojood by Khadija Al-Salami (Yemen)
Ignorance and poverty force a ten -year old girl, Nojood, to endure an outrageous experience when she is forced to marry a thirty-year-old man. Unable to accept this fate others have chosen for her, Nojood does the unthinkable: she asks for a divorce.
Khadija Al-Salami gained her independence at an early age when her family forced her into an early marriage at the age of 11. In order to escape family pressure and tradition, she found a job at the local TV station in the afternoons, while pursuing her studies in the mornings. She earned a scholarship at 16 years of age to the United States, where she studied film-making. Her first film, for her thesis, was about women in Yemen. Khadija is Yemen’s first woman film-maker, and has made some over 20 documentaries for various TV stations in France and Yemen and received several awards at various film festivals worldwide. With her husband, she has written a book, The Tears of Sheba, about her experiences growing up in Yemen. She was, until 2011, the Press Counselor and Director of the Communication and Cultural Center at the Embassy of Yemen in Paris.
Two Rooms & a Parlor by Mohamed Salah El Azzab & Sherif Bendari (Egypt)
Khalil has spent his life living the routine of a low profile employee. When he finds himself alone after the death of his wife Ihsan, Khalil decides to discover the world outside of his little house and life beyond its ordinary details.
Born in 1978, Egyptian filmmaker Sherif Elbendary lives and works in Cairo. Elbendary graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts in 2001, then in 2007 studied film directing at the High Institute of Cinema in Cairo. His first short fiction film Rise & Shine produced by the Egyptian Film Center in 2006 was officially selected in more than 75 film festivals in 33 countries and won 15 awards. Elbendary’s second short film was his graduation project At Day's End produced by the High Institute of Cinema in 2008 which was officially selected in more than 50 film festivals and won 14 awards. Sherif directed the segment “curfew” in the omnibus feature 18 Days which was selected to the Cannes Film Festival in 2011.
Born in Cairo 1981, novelist and journalist and scriptwriter Mohammad El Azzab has four novels which are: A Long Cellar with a Low Ceiling making you Crouch, Repeated Stoppingwas, Tales of Sidi Barrani and The Italian's Bed. Also a collection of short stories, Blue In a Sad Way. El Azab, has won several literary Egyptian and Arabian awards. He wrote the screenplay films: Repeated Stoppingwas and Two-Bedroom Apartment, which was awarded best screenplay in Sawiris awards in Egypt in 2011.
Until the End of Time by Yasmine Chouikh (Algeria)
As they slowly approach the hour of their death, Ali and Joher, both in their seventies, meet and discover love, friendship and the happiness of living the joys of life together.
Born in 1982 in Algiers, Yasmine Chouikh studied human arts and sciences, graduate in psychology and educational sciences. She worked as an actress in La Citadelle (1987) by Mohamed Chouikh, in a television film by Djamel Bendedouch in 1990, then in Hamlet of Women (2004) by Mohamed Chouikh. She wrote in the cultural page of the daily newspaperl'Autentique and works as a journalist as well as presenting a cinematographic television program on the national Algerian television since 2005. She has written some shorts film scripts, and directed two of them, The Door and the djinn. She is the art director of the International Taghit.
The eighth annual Rawi Screenwriters Lab of The Royal Film Commission-Jordan is presented in consultation with Sundance Institute and made possible in part by a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
- 12/1/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Her immigrant dramedy debut film Amreeka (’09 Sundance) blasted helmer Cherien Dabis into movie culture consciousness and her highly anticipated follow-up with players such as Alexander Siddig and Hiam Abbass has been in post-production since late summer. A Screenwriters Lab project at Sundance in 2010, May in the Summer not only sees Dabis wear the writer/director/producer hat, but she stars in the pic as well – all signs are pointing towards a second Park City visit.
Gist: Written by Dabis, high off the success of her first book and planning to marry Ziad (Alexander Siddig), her sensible, stable and studious fiance, May Brennan (Dabis) has it all. At least that’s what she’d like people to believe. Reunited with her family in Amman, she’s thrust back into the chaos of her former existence. Her headstrong mother Nadine (Abbass), a born-again Christian disapproves of her Muslim fiance so thoroughly she plans to boycott the wedding.
Gist: Written by Dabis, high off the success of her first book and planning to marry Ziad (Alexander Siddig), her sensible, stable and studious fiance, May Brennan (Dabis) has it all. At least that’s what she’d like people to believe. Reunited with her family in Amman, she’s thrust back into the chaos of her former existence. Her headstrong mother Nadine (Abbass), a born-again Christian disapproves of her Muslim fiance so thoroughly she plans to boycott the wedding.
- 11/21/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Thursday, November 1st and Friday Nov 2nd during the 2012 American Film Market for its third year in a row, DreamAgo, in partnership with Hamilton International, the renowned Swiss watch company, will host "Hamilton Helps DreamAgo Connect". Known for its annual Plume & Pellicule screenwriting workshop held annually in Sierre, Switzerland and for the development, support and promotion of films that make a difference, the program has 3 key phases.
First phase is a speed dating-style pitch session designed to introduce selected screenwriters, who benefitted from DreamAgo's screenwriting lab in Switzerland, to well-known producers and distributors. Screenwriters in attendance will have 10 minutes with a producer to present their project before moving on to the next producer and starting again. Among the producers participating are Linda Obst (Hope Floats, Sleepless In Seattle, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days), Golan Ramras (One Missed Call, The Incredible Hulk), Kelley Feldsott Reynolds (The Flyboys, The Unsaid, Five Fingers), Sukee Chew (Jesus Henry Christ, Fireflies In The Garden), Christina Piovesan (Red Lights, The Whistleblower, Amreeka), Paula Mazanedo-Schmit (VP Film Finances Inc.), David Miller (Amal Sidarth, My Foolish Heart) and Vanessa Adkins (Unthinkable, A Late Quartet).
Second, the program offers the opportunity for any WGA writer to propose a feature project and try to win a six weeks Residency in Sierre (Switzerland), all costs covered. Among the more than 250 pitches submitted, DreamAgo & the Residence Ruffieux will select 15 projects and each of the writers will be given the opportunity to pitch it in person for 10 minutes. The lucky winner will be revealed during a brunch at the Swiss Consulate.
Third, DreamAgo will present a panel, in partnership with The Writers Guild of America, the topic this year: How to Preserve Your Vision When Those Around You Won't Leave It Alone? (Hint: An International Production Might Be Your Solution), on Friday, November 2nd. Panelists confirmed for this event include Barry Navidi (Producer, The Merchant Of Venice, Wild Salome), Sydney Levine (Creator of Sydney's Buzz a Network Blog on Indiewire, Founder of Film Finders), Vince Fischer (International Agent, Creator of the International Eci Agency), and Neil Landau (Writer, Tad The Lost Explorer).
Writer Howard Rodman (Joe Gould'S Secret, Savage Grace) will serve as moderator.
Additionally, DreamAgo will also have a part in the celebrated Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards that pay tribute to the off-screen talents. The 6th edition will take place in Hollywood on October 28, just prior to the start of Afm. DreamAgo, in collaboration with Hamilton, has selected Zoe Kazan to receive the Best Screenwriter Award for Ruby Sparks. The award will be presented by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the filmmaking duo behind Little Miss Sunshine.
About Dreamago:
DreamAgo is a nonprofit organization that brings together film professionals of all nationalities: screenwriters, directors, producers and distributors. Its purpose is to nurture and promote the creation of cinematic works on all continents, offering support at each stage of their development. In short: from script to screen. DreamAgo was founded in February 2005 by Pascale Rey and Soula Saad.
About Hamilton:
Hamilton was founded in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Hamilton watches combine the American spirit with the unrivalled precision of the latest Swiss movements and technologies. Known for its innovative design, Hamilton has a strong foothold in Hollywood, with products appearing in over 300 films. The brand also boasts a strong aeronautical heritage. Hamilton is a member of the Swatch group, the largest watch manufacturer and distributor in the world with 160 production sites in Switzerland.
First phase is a speed dating-style pitch session designed to introduce selected screenwriters, who benefitted from DreamAgo's screenwriting lab in Switzerland, to well-known producers and distributors. Screenwriters in attendance will have 10 minutes with a producer to present their project before moving on to the next producer and starting again. Among the producers participating are Linda Obst (Hope Floats, Sleepless In Seattle, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days), Golan Ramras (One Missed Call, The Incredible Hulk), Kelley Feldsott Reynolds (The Flyboys, The Unsaid, Five Fingers), Sukee Chew (Jesus Henry Christ, Fireflies In The Garden), Christina Piovesan (Red Lights, The Whistleblower, Amreeka), Paula Mazanedo-Schmit (VP Film Finances Inc.), David Miller (Amal Sidarth, My Foolish Heart) and Vanessa Adkins (Unthinkable, A Late Quartet).
Second, the program offers the opportunity for any WGA writer to propose a feature project and try to win a six weeks Residency in Sierre (Switzerland), all costs covered. Among the more than 250 pitches submitted, DreamAgo & the Residence Ruffieux will select 15 projects and each of the writers will be given the opportunity to pitch it in person for 10 minutes. The lucky winner will be revealed during a brunch at the Swiss Consulate.
Third, DreamAgo will present a panel, in partnership with The Writers Guild of America, the topic this year: How to Preserve Your Vision When Those Around You Won't Leave It Alone? (Hint: An International Production Might Be Your Solution), on Friday, November 2nd. Panelists confirmed for this event include Barry Navidi (Producer, The Merchant Of Venice, Wild Salome), Sydney Levine (Creator of Sydney's Buzz a Network Blog on Indiewire, Founder of Film Finders), Vince Fischer (International Agent, Creator of the International Eci Agency), and Neil Landau (Writer, Tad The Lost Explorer).
Writer Howard Rodman (Joe Gould'S Secret, Savage Grace) will serve as moderator.
Additionally, DreamAgo will also have a part in the celebrated Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards that pay tribute to the off-screen talents. The 6th edition will take place in Hollywood on October 28, just prior to the start of Afm. DreamAgo, in collaboration with Hamilton, has selected Zoe Kazan to receive the Best Screenwriter Award for Ruby Sparks. The award will be presented by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the filmmaking duo behind Little Miss Sunshine.
About Dreamago:
DreamAgo is a nonprofit organization that brings together film professionals of all nationalities: screenwriters, directors, producers and distributors. Its purpose is to nurture and promote the creation of cinematic works on all continents, offering support at each stage of their development. In short: from script to screen. DreamAgo was founded in February 2005 by Pascale Rey and Soula Saad.
About Hamilton:
Hamilton was founded in 1892 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. Hamilton watches combine the American spirit with the unrivalled precision of the latest Swiss movements and technologies. Known for its innovative design, Hamilton has a strong foothold in Hollywood, with products appearing in over 300 films. The brand also boasts a strong aeronautical heritage. Hamilton is a member of the Swatch group, the largest watch manufacturer and distributor in the world with 160 production sites in Switzerland.
- 10/25/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Sundance Institute has hired Paul Federbush to become International Director, Feature Film Program (Ffp), a highly sought-after job which Alesia Weston left open when she left in May to become Executive Director of the Jerusalem Film Centre and Fesival. Federbush began September 24 and is reporting to Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Feature Film Program.
Paul is already reaching out into new geographic areas searching for those filmmakers who have the greatest potential for making a brand new mark on the worldwide film business. His responsibility is the planning and execution of the international work of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program which includes year round support for International artists through Labs, granting, and ongoing mentorship providing creative and tactical support. Federbush will oversee international Labs in collaboration with local partners in the Middle East and India, outreach and discover new international filmmakers and projects, steward programs such as the Sundance Institute|Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award and Sundance| Nhk Award, and support the international artists participating in the annual Sundance Labs in Utah. In addition he will develop opportunities to further advance and broaden the scope of the Ffp’s International initiative.
We congratulate Paul and are proud to be able to say that we have known him since his early days at Fine Line. Federbush is a seasoned production, acquisition, and distribution executive with eighteen years of experience in the entertainment industry. Most recently Federbush, along with partner Laura Kim, started a distribution company, Red Flag Releasing. Prior to forming Red Flag, Federbush served as Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at Warner Independent Pictures where he oversaw the acquisition, production, and development of projects including Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, and Hany Abu Assad’s Paradise Now.
For nearly three decades, Sundance Institute has promoted independent storytelling to inform and inspire audiences across political, social, religious and cultural differences. Through Labs, direct artist granting, special projects with key partners and the Sundance Film Festival, the Institute serves as the leading advocate for independent artists worldwide. Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Over its 30-year history, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program has supported an extensive list of award-winning and groundbreaking independent films.
Ffp films currently in the marketplace include Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar’s Beasts of the Southern Wild (winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival), Craig Zobel’s Compliance, Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish’s Sleepwalk With Me, Todd Louiso and Sarah Koskoff’s Hello I Must Be Going, and Ira Sachs’ Keep the Lights On. Recent international Ffp films include Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil, Andrei Zyvagintsev’s Elena, Edwin’s Postcards from the Zoo, Alejandro Landes’ Porfirio, and the festival films Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda and Ziad Douieri’s L’Attack.Additional notable films supported over the program’s history include Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Dee Rees’ Pariah, Maryam Keshavarz’s Circumstance, Cherien Dabis' Amreeka, Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre, Fernando Eimbcke's Lake Tahoe, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s Half Nelson, Andrea Arnold's Red Road, Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know, Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now, Debra Granik’s Down to the Bone, Josh Marston’s Maria Page 2 Full of Grace, Lisa Cholodenko’s Laurel Canyon, Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas, John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don't Cry, Lucrecia Martel’s La Cienaga, Walter Salles’ Central Station, Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals, Nicole Holofcener’s Walking and Talking, Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight, Tamara Jenkins’ Slums of Beverly Hills, and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America, and through its New Frontier initiative, has brought the cinematic works of media artists including Pipilotti Rist, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney . Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. # # #...
Paul is already reaching out into new geographic areas searching for those filmmakers who have the greatest potential for making a brand new mark on the worldwide film business. His responsibility is the planning and execution of the international work of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program which includes year round support for International artists through Labs, granting, and ongoing mentorship providing creative and tactical support. Federbush will oversee international Labs in collaboration with local partners in the Middle East and India, outreach and discover new international filmmakers and projects, steward programs such as the Sundance Institute|Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award and Sundance| Nhk Award, and support the international artists participating in the annual Sundance Labs in Utah. In addition he will develop opportunities to further advance and broaden the scope of the Ffp’s International initiative.
We congratulate Paul and are proud to be able to say that we have known him since his early days at Fine Line. Federbush is a seasoned production, acquisition, and distribution executive with eighteen years of experience in the entertainment industry. Most recently Federbush, along with partner Laura Kim, started a distribution company, Red Flag Releasing. Prior to forming Red Flag, Federbush served as Senior Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at Warner Independent Pictures where he oversaw the acquisition, production, and development of projects including Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, and Hany Abu Assad’s Paradise Now.
For nearly three decades, Sundance Institute has promoted independent storytelling to inform and inspire audiences across political, social, religious and cultural differences. Through Labs, direct artist granting, special projects with key partners and the Sundance Film Festival, the Institute serves as the leading advocate for independent artists worldwide. Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Over its 30-year history, the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program has supported an extensive list of award-winning and groundbreaking independent films.
Ffp films currently in the marketplace include Benh Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar’s Beasts of the Southern Wild (winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival), Craig Zobel’s Compliance, Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish’s Sleepwalk With Me, Todd Louiso and Sarah Koskoff’s Hello I Must Be Going, and Ira Sachs’ Keep the Lights On. Recent international Ffp films include Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil, Andrei Zyvagintsev’s Elena, Edwin’s Postcards from the Zoo, Alejandro Landes’ Porfirio, and the festival films Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda and Ziad Douieri’s L’Attack.Additional notable films supported over the program’s history include Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene, Dee Rees’ Pariah, Maryam Keshavarz’s Circumstance, Cherien Dabis' Amreeka, Cary Fukunaga's Sin Nombre, Fernando Eimbcke's Lake Tahoe, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s Half Nelson, Andrea Arnold's Red Road, Miranda July’s Me and You and Everyone We Know, Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now, Debra Granik’s Down to the Bone, Josh Marston’s Maria Page 2 Full of Grace, Lisa Cholodenko’s Laurel Canyon, Peter Sollett’s Raising Victor Vargas, John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream, Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don't Cry, Lucrecia Martel’s La Cienaga, Walter Salles’ Central Station, Chris Eyre and Sherman Alexie’s Smoke Signals, Nicole Holofcener’s Walking and Talking, Allison Anders' Mi Vida Loca, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Hard Eight, Tamara Jenkins’ Slums of Beverly Hills, and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs.
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America, and through its New Frontier initiative, has brought the cinematic works of media artists including Pipilotti Rist, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp, and Matthew Barney . Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. # # #...
- 10/9/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The all women French sales agent company based out of Paris oddly has 2/3rds of the New Wave Indian films featured on the Croisette this year in Vasan Bala’s Peddlers and the epic film Gangs of Wasseypur from helmer Anurag Kashyap (see pic above). We count four Sundance Film Festival films on their slate and the most noteworthy upcoming project comes from Cherin Dabis (Amreeka) – a Sundancer herself and her latest project, May in the Summer – the winner of the 2011 Sundance / Nhk International Filmmaker Award.
Mademoiselle C. by Fabien Constant
May In The Summer by Cherien Dabis
Painless by Juan Carlos Medina
28 Hotel Rooms by Matt Ross
A.C.A.B. (All Cops Are Bastards) by Stefano Sollima
Bachelorette by Leslye Headland
Black Rock by Katie Aselton
Bunker by Andres Baiz
Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux A La Reine) by Benoît Jacquot
Gangs Of Wasseypur by Anurag Kashyap
La...
Mademoiselle C. by Fabien Constant
May In The Summer by Cherien Dabis
Painless by Juan Carlos Medina
28 Hotel Rooms by Matt Ross
A.C.A.B. (All Cops Are Bastards) by Stefano Sollima
Bachelorette by Leslye Headland
Black Rock by Katie Aselton
Bunker by Andres Baiz
Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux A La Reine) by Benoît Jacquot
Gangs Of Wasseypur by Anurag Kashyap
La...
- 5/17/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Yesterday The Sundance Film Festival released their list of In-Competition films, today they have released their line-up of Non-Competition films. I've had a blast every year that I've attended The Sundance Film Festival, it's always a surprise! You never know what movie you are going to see until you see it. If you ever get a chance to go I highly recommend that you do. Each film on the list has a little description next to it. The festival will take place January 19th to the 29th.
Check out the list of movies below and let us know of any that you are interested in watching or hearing about so that we can get it covered for you. Some of the films might look familiar to you such as The Raid, Grabbers and Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, and Wuthering Heights. The Raid is at the top of...
Check out the list of movies below and let us know of any that you are interested in watching or hearing about so that we can get it covered for you. Some of the films might look familiar to you such as The Raid, Grabbers and Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, and Wuthering Heights. The Raid is at the top of...
- 12/1/2011
- by Venkman
- GeekTyrant
Congratulations to the team behind the excellent Rachel Weisz drama “The Whistleblower” (Samuel Goldwyn Films, 8/5, R, trailer) — i.e. first-time feature co-writer/director Larysa Kondracki and her co-writer Eilis Kirwan; indie producers extraordinairre Celine Rattray (“The Kids Are All Right”), Amy Kaufman (“Sin Nombre”), and Christina Piovesan (“Amreeka”); Samuel Goldwyn’s Sr. VP of Publicity Liza Burnett Fefferman and her crew; and 42 West publicists Tom Piechura and Sara Groves — for scoring the major P.R. coup of motivating United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to not only watch their film (which is pointedly critical of the U.N.’s role in sex trafficking/sexual misconduct in Bosnia during the 1990s), but also to write about it.
Following the world premiere of “The Whistleblower” at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival last September (after which Samuel Goldwyn Studios acquired its distribution rights), I wrote: “I can certainly envision the United Nations taking umbrage with such a film,...
Following the world premiere of “The Whistleblower” at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival last September (after which Samuel Goldwyn Studios acquired its distribution rights), I wrote: “I can certainly envision the United Nations taking umbrage with such a film,...
- 8/16/2011
- by Scott Feinberg
- Scott Feinberg
Alia Shawkat is probably most recognizable to folks as Maeby Funke from cult comedy series Arrested Development, but she's churned out a pretty nice film career in mostly supporting roles in stuff like Amreeka, The Runaways, and Whip It. She also has a memorable bit in this year's Ed Helms comedy, Cedar Rapids. Now she's lined up two indie films that promise to keep her busy until the Arrested...
- 7/28/2011
- by Travis Hopson
- Punch Drunk Critics
A visceral, first-person account of a young girl growing up in East Jerusalem as she confronts the effects of occupation and war in every corner of her life, Miral has arrived on Blu-ray from Anchor Bay Home Entertainment, and M&C.s giving two away along with two copies of the autobiographical novel that inspired the film. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Rula Jebreal, Miral was directed by Julian Schnabel and stars Screen Actors Guild Award winner Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) stars in the title role, Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, Amreeka), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The English Patient). Synopsis: Miral is the story of a Palestinian girl coming of age amidst the war zone of the...
- 7/14/2011
- by Patrick Luce
- Monsters and Critics
Julian Schnabel's Miral, a touching film about a girl growing up in East Jersualem amidst the war and occupation that affects every aspect of her life on a daily basis, had a limited release here in the United States, and so there's a chance you missed it in theaters. The film features a noteworthy cast with Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Willem Dafoe (Spider-man, Platoon), and Hiam Abbass (Amreeka), and comes from Schnabel who's delivered solid films like the excellent The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Basquiat. Today, Anchor Bay and The Weinstein Company released Miral on DVD and Blu-ray, and to celebrate, we're giving away two copies. To find out how you can win, just keep reading.
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- 7/12/2011
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company send us over information on their upcoming DVD and Blu-Ray release Miral, which hits DVD and Blu-ray on July 12th. The independent film stars Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) in the title role, Hiam Abbass (The Visitor, Amreeka), and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man, The English Patient).Press Release:a visceral, first-person account of a young girl...
- 6/29/2011
- by Anthony T
Cherien Dabis’ bittersweet Amreeka (2009) (Arabic for ‘America’) follows the fortunes of Muna (Nisreen Faour), a single, divorced mother, who lives in the West Bank with her teenage son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem). The opening scenes show Muna and her son having to endure regular military checkpoints on her daily commute to work in a bank. Tobias Datum shoots these scenes through the rear view mirror and dusty windscreen of Muna’s car, giving a distancing effect.Read more »...
- 6/5/2011
- by Daniel Gumble
- CineVue
Born in the Us to a Palestinian father and a Jordanian mother, the 34-year-old Cherien Dabis grew up in Jordan and the American midwest, and her confident feature debut is a touching account of an early life dominated by divided loyalties and identity problems. Her heroine, Muna, is a divorcee from the West Bank who brings her intelligent, initially enthusiastic teenage son, Fadi, to live in small-town Illinois with her sister (the always excellent Hiam Abbass), the sister's Gp husband and two daughters. It's 2003, their arrival coincides with the invasion of Iraq and predictable problems occur as life in Amreeka (Arabic for America) seems as difficult as in Ramallah. Muna, a banker with two degrees, can only find work in a fast food joint but she pretends to have a well-paid office job. Her brother-in-law's patients are deserting him. Fadi is tormented by racist bullies and responds with violence. The issues are confronted eventually,...
- 5/14/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Attack The Block (15)
(Joe Cornish, 2011, UK) John Boyega, Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker. 88 mins
More Critters than Cloverfield, this alien-invasion movie is modest in scale and ambition but makes up for it in local flavour. The setting is south London – Brit cinema's default "ghetto" location, bruv – where sharp-toothed ETs come to regret messing with the hoodies, who team up with their recent victim and the upstairs drug dealer to defend their manor. It's no Shaun Of The Dead, but it's up-to-date and fitfully entertaining, and there's at least some social grit beneath the down-with-the-kids comedy.
A Screaming Man (PG)
(Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, 2010, Cha/Fra/Bel) Youssouf Djaoro, Dioucounda Koma, Emile Abssolo M'Bo. 91 mins
Saying a great deal with few resources, this skillful Chadian drama finds weighty moral, global and generational concerns in the story of a swimming pool attendant and his son.
Love Like Poison (15)
(Katell Quillévéré, 2010, Fra) Clara Augarde, Lio, Stefano Cassetti.
(Joe Cornish, 2011, UK) John Boyega, Nick Frost, Jodie Whittaker. 88 mins
More Critters than Cloverfield, this alien-invasion movie is modest in scale and ambition but makes up for it in local flavour. The setting is south London – Brit cinema's default "ghetto" location, bruv – where sharp-toothed ETs come to regret messing with the hoodies, who team up with their recent victim and the upstairs drug dealer to defend their manor. It's no Shaun Of The Dead, but it's up-to-date and fitfully entertaining, and there's at least some social grit beneath the down-with-the-kids comedy.
A Screaming Man (PG)
(Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, 2010, Cha/Fra/Bel) Youssouf Djaoro, Dioucounda Koma, Emile Abssolo M'Bo. 91 mins
Saying a great deal with few resources, this skillful Chadian drama finds weighty moral, global and generational concerns in the story of a swimming pool attendant and his son.
Love Like Poison (15)
(Katell Quillévéré, 2010, Fra) Clara Augarde, Lio, Stefano Cassetti.
- 5/13/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
The Sundance Institute has announced fourteen projects for its 30th director and screenwriting labs. To be held at the Sundance Resort in Utah from May 30-June 30, 2011, the lucky lab participants are listed below, along with details of their selves and their feature projects. Here’s the official word from the Institute:
Sundance Institute today announced the 14 projects selected for its annual June Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Resort in Utah May 30 – June 30, 2011. Under the leadership of Michelle Satter, Director of the Sundance Feature Film Program, and the artistic direction of Gyula Gazdag, the projects selected for this year’s program include emerging filmmakers and projects from the United States, Israel, Romania, Mexico, the Philippines and Algeria. Sundance Institute is marking the 30thanniversary of its first Directors Lab, led by Robert Redford and Satter in 1981.
Over the course of the Directors Lab, Fellows work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors,...
Sundance Institute today announced the 14 projects selected for its annual June Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Resort in Utah May 30 – June 30, 2011. Under the leadership of Michelle Satter, Director of the Sundance Feature Film Program, and the artistic direction of Gyula Gazdag, the projects selected for this year’s program include emerging filmmakers and projects from the United States, Israel, Romania, Mexico, the Philippines and Algeria. Sundance Institute is marking the 30thanniversary of its first Directors Lab, led by Robert Redford and Satter in 1981.
Over the course of the Directors Lab, Fellows work with an accomplished group of Creative Advisors,...
- 5/2/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
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