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Cypriot filmmaker Stelana Kliris, who topped Netflix’ global charts earlier this year with “Find Me Falling,” is now underway on her next feature, having lined up an international lead cast.

Based on Kliris’ own screenplay, “Apart from Her” is described as a “drama with the pace and tension of a thriller.” Set in 1974, the story follows a young woman who flees war-torn Cyprus for apartheid South Africa through an arranged marriage. After befriending a local woman who harbours her own dark secret, hidden truths surface, forcing love and prejudice to collide.

The film will be led by Palestinian actress Leem Lubany, best known for 2013’s Oscar-nominated “Omar” and the Emmy nominated “The Old Man.” Lubany will be joined by Luke Pasqualino, whose credits include “The Musketeers” and recent Jilly Cooper adaptation “Rivals,” and Girley Jazama, whose performance in “Under The Hanging Tree,” Namibia’s first submission for the Oscars, earned...

Exclusive: Director Hany Abu-Assad, two of whose films have been Oscar-nominated, is sitting in the booth of the Palestine Filmlab at the El Gouna Film Festival in late October.

Amid the hubbub of the open-air festival plaza, Egyptian star Youssra walks past surrounded by youngsters yielding smart phones. An influencer rolls out a mini red carpet, films the actress gliding over it, and the gaggle moves on.

Abu-Assad is not involved in the activities of the Palestine Filmlab, but with the people overseeing the stand for the Ramallah-based talent and project incubator gone for the day, it felt like a relatively quiet place to conduct an impromptu interview.

The Palestinian-Dutch filmmaker was in El Gouna to participate in his first public onstage conversation in nearly four years.

Over two hours, he discussed his trajectory from Nazareth to the Netherlands back to the West Bank and then onto Hollywood, and filmography...

“This is a film that I love dearly. I think we use the word urgent a little bit not with as much intention as we should. And I think a film like this really occupies that word,” said Oscar winner Laura Poitras (“Citizenfour“), introducing a special screening of the documentary “No Other Land” at Scandinavia House in New York City on October 14. The film chronicles the efforts of the Israeli military and settlers to displace the Palestinian population of the Masafer Yatta region of the West Bank, as seen from the point of view of Palestinian activist Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who co-directed the film with Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor. Abraham and Adra participated in a virtual Q&a from Israel and the West Bank, respectively, moderated by Oscar nominee Yance Ford (“Strong Island“).

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Entries for the 2025 Oscar for best international feature are underway, and Screen is profiling each one on this page.

The 97th Academy Awards is set to take place on March 3, 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

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

Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between November 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is October 2.

A shortlist of 15 finalists is scheduled to...

On Tuesday July 2 2024, MTV broadcasts Catfish: The TV Show!

Omar & Iris Season 9 Episode Summary

In this episode of “Catfish: The TV Show,” viewers will witness a compelling story unfold between Omar and Iris. Iris is described as stunningly beautiful and a self-proclaimed nerd, adding an intriguing layer to her character. Omar, on the other hand, is convinced that he has found the perfect girl in Iris. However, when Nev and Kamie step in to assist Omar in uncovering the truth about Iris, they begin to have their own set of concerns.

As the episode progresses, viewers will be taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as Omar’s expectations clash with the reality of the situation. The dynamic between Omar, Iris, Nev, and Kamie promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats as they navigate through the twists and turns of this modern-day love story. Will Omar’s hopes be shattered,...

On Wednesday June 12 2024, CBS broadcasts The Late Show With Stephen Colbert!

Seth Meyers; Omar Apollo Season 9 Episode 105 Episode Summary

In this episode of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” viewers can look forward to an exciting lineup featuring TV host Seth Meyers and a musical performance by Omar Apollo. The show promises to deliver a blend of humor, entertainment, and great music for its audience.

As a seasoned TV host, Seth Meyers is known for his sharp wit and engaging interviews. His presence on the show is sure to bring laughter and insightful conversations with Stephen Colbert. Viewers can anticipate interesting discussions on current events, pop culture, and more as the two charismatic hosts share the stage.

Adding to the episode’s entertainment value is a musical performance by Omar Apollo. The talented artist is set to captivate the audience with his unique sound and dynamic stage presence. His performance...

“Israelism,” a timely documentary exploring changing Jewish attitudes toward Israel, has been acquired by newly-launched distributor Watermelon Pictures for North America.

The film, the directorial debut of Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen, premiered at the 2023 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and went on to win multiple awards, including an audience award at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. It will be released in theaters and on digital platforms nationwide early this summer.

As per the synopsis, “Israelism” is an “eye-opening and essential exploration of the dramatic shift in Jewish attitudes toward Israel, informed by Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, revealing a deepening generational divide over modern Jewish identity.”

The film centers on two young American Jews, Simone Zimmerman and Eitan, who are raised to defend the state of Israel at all costs. Eitan joins the Israeli military, while Zimmerman supports Israel on “the other battlefield:” America’s college campuses. When...

Rhiannon Giddens stoped by Jimmy Kimmel Live to showcase her bluesy, Cajun-infused song “You Louisiana Man.” The musician was joined by her live band and a back-up for the rousing performance, which saw Giddens singing and playing banjo.

“You Louisiana Man” comes off Giddens’ most recent LP, You’re the One, which dropped last August. The album marked her first solo effort in six years and her first collection of all-original songs. It was produced by Jack Splash and featured musical contributions by Giddens’ partner, multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, as well as Dirk Powell,...

Production banner FlipNarrative, set up by Waleed Zuaiter — the BAFTA-nominated star of “Baghdad Central” and “Gangs of London” and Oscar-nominated producer of “Omar” — has optioned the rights to Shannon Chakraborty’s latest novel “The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi,” with plans to develop it into a multi-season series and gaming platform.

The book — the first in a trilogy being published by Harper Voyager — is a swashbuckling high seas adventure following a notorious Muslim pirate captain who has survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands and an actual demon before retiring to a life of piety. That is until she and her crew are forced into one last adventure — embarking on a mission across the Indian Ocean battling a supernatural world they never knew existed.

“With ‘The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi,’ we are given a rare insight into the melting pot that is the 12th century Indian Ocean,” said Zuaiter, who...

As we enter the heart of Hollywood awards season, there are signs everywhere of both how far the entertainment industry has come in telling the whole American story — and just how far it has left to go.

Last month, events during the Sundance Film Festival reflected on the fractious times we are living in.

There was a conversation with Jewish hostages on their harrowing experiences and a public protest against the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths.

There were also hundreds of Muslim creators and their allies who gathered one evening at the festival’s Muslim House. The standing-room-only event confirmed both the vitality of Muslim creators — writers, directors, producers, artists — and the immense challenges they continue to face in breaking through.

The statistics confirm their experiences. A 2022 study from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism found that,...

Hamzah Jamjoom’s eco-thriller “Running Dry,” which will start principal photography on Dec. 26, has revealed its leading cast members.

The film will star Baraa Alem, Waleed Zuaiter, Houshang Touzie, Naif Aldaferi and Ali Fardi.

Jamjoom’s credits include “Rupture,” winner of the Best Saudi Film Award at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2021, and “How I Got There,” the Best Saudi Film Award winner at last year’s Red Sea Film Festival.

It is based on a script by Gregory Collins and Jamjoom, from a story by Waleed Al Sanad and is produced by Abubakar Khan.

Inspired by real events, “Running Dry” follows the story of a poor mechanic from rural Saudi Arabia who is lured overseas only to be held captive by a sadistic drug lord.

Jamjoom said: “This film is really about overcoming forces that use and manipulate resources in order to divide people and consolidate power. In that sense,...

Leading up to the Grammy nominations on Nov. 10, Rolling Stone is breaking down 16 different categories. For each, we’re predicting the nominees, as well as who will (and who should) win on Grammy night.

Americana is a wide-open category, partly because it’s hard to define. “I always look at half of the folk category and think they are more Americana than half of the Americana nominees,” says Nelson Gullett, an Americana radio veteran and music director at Wdvx in Knoxville. And as the nomination of Jackson Browne’s Downhill...

Rhiannon Giddens appeared on The Daily Show to perform her recent song “Another Waste Life” and to discuss her Pulitzer-winning opera, Omar, with current host Michael Kosta. Giddens offered a poignant, emotional rendition of “Another Wasted Life,” which comes off her latest LP, You’re the One.

During her interview with Kosta, Giddens discussed creating Omar, as well as the tragic story of Kalief Browder, whose suicide in prison inspired “Another Wasted Life.” She also spoke about the cultural importance of the banjo in American history, reflecting on her love...

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

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

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

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

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

It’s been 10 years since the first episode of Naked and Afraid aired on the Discovery Channel in 2013. For over a decade now, fans have been reeled into the unique dynamic that the survival series presents, where two naked strangers meet up in the wilderness and must find a way to endure together for 21 days.

Season 15 of Naked and Afraid premiered in February 2023. One episode of the new season features Raven Smith, a Chicago native, alongside Omar Barney from Utah. Here’s a look at the duo’s dramatic time on the show:

‘Naked and Afraid’ Season 15, Episode 9 stars Raven Smith and Omar Barney

Before participating on Naked and Afraid, Raven Smith was a superfan of the show. Therefore, Raven, along with Omar, embarked on a 14-day fan challenge rather than the traditional 21-day excursion. Just like Raven and Omar, Maci Bookout, a reality star on MTV’s Teen Mom,...

This could be the year African cinema conquers Cannes. The 76th festival has more Africa-set features in the official selection than ever, including two in competition — Four Daughters from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania (The Man Who Sold His Skin) and Banel & Adama, the debut feature from Senegalese-French filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy. Then there’s Omar la Fraise, an Algeria-set Midnight Screening entry from Elias Belkeddar, starring Reda Kateb and Benoît Magimel, and four Un Certain Regard titles: Moroccan films Les Meutes from Kamal Lazraq and the documentary The Mother of All Lies from Asmae El Moudir; Omen, the feature debut of Belgian-Congolese hip-hop artist Baloji; and Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia, the first Sudanese film to screen on the Croisette.

The selection ranges across genres and cinematic styles. Omar la Fraise is a crime comedy that draws inspiration from the films of Sergio Leone and Takeshi Kitano in its story...

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens was taking a walk after having dinner with her children and saw a tweet.

She had won the Pulitzer Prize for music. “It was literally a total shock,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter from Ireland, where she currently lives.

The work that won her the prestigious prize alongside composer Michael Abels is Omar, the opera about Muslim American slave Omar ibn Said. It is based on his autobiography A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar ibn Said, which was written in 1831 and is the only known memoir written by a slave in America in Arabic.

Omar ibn Said

“I was minding my own business in my studio trying to be creative and my lawyer called me and said without any hello, ‘You just won the Pulitzer Prize!’ And it took me the rest of the call to be convinced that he wasn’t lying,” says Abels,...

Rhiannon Giddens has announced plans for her first solo album in six years. You’re the One will be released Aug. 18 via Nonesuch Records and marks the Pulitzer Prize winner’s first collection of all-original songs.

Giddens offered a preview of the project with the title track, a joyous, lovestruck ode to a partner who erased her doubts and made her world colorful. “I wanna love you forever/And I’ll be with you/For worse and for better/And I never thought I’d fall/But you’re the one,...

Let it be known that Thierry Frémaux wanted Martin Scorsese in competition but instead, Killers of the Flower Moon will have been a firm Out of Competition offering for Cannes 2023. The already identified James Mangold‘s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and (episodes) of Sam Levinson’s “The Idol” are joined by Kim Jee-woon‘s Cobweb which we believed to be a potential Midnight Screening selection. And speaking of midnight selections, we got a total of three with Anurag Kashyap‘s under-the-radar Kennedy, Elias Belkeddar‘s Omar la fraise and Just Philippot‘s (formerly titled Eau-forte) Acide (#50 in our Top Most Anticipated Films list) grabbing past my bedtime spots.…...

Wednesday night at the 2023 Scl Awards (Society of Composers & Lyricists), Michael Abels won the award for top studio film score for his work on “Nope,” while Ryan Lott and his experimental band Son Lux earned the statuette for Outstanding Independent Film Score for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The 4th annual gala took place at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Read on for all of the 2023 Scl Awards winners.

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was a champion along with Alexandre Desplat and Roeban Katz in the Outstanding Song for a Musical or Comedy category for the tune “Ciao Papa” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.” Also scoring a victory in a song category was the legendary Diane Warren, who became the first songwriter to receive an honorary Oscar in December. She accepted her award in Outstanding Song for a Drama or Documentary for “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman.

The composers of the scores to “Nope” and “Everything All at Once” and songs for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” have won the film awards at the fourth annual Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards, which were handed out on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Michael Abels won for “Nope” in the Outstanding Score for a Studio Film category, where he was up against Oscar nominee Carter Burwell for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” as well as the scores for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” “The Batman” and “Don’t Worry Darling.” In the Outstanding Score for an Independent Film category, the award went to the only Oscar nominees in the category, Son Lux for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Diane Warren won the award for a song from a drama or documentary film for “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman,” while Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz and Guillermo del Toro won for the song “Ciao Papa” from “Pinocchio.

Diane Warren and Everything Everywhere All at Once composer Son Lux were among the Oscar nominees who won at the 2023 Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards on Wednesday night.

Warren won best original song for a drama or documentary for “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman, which is also nominated for best original song at the 2023 Oscars. Son Lux’s Ryan Lott accepted the award for best score for an independent film for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Son Lux is nominated for the Oscar for best original score and Lott is a nominee for best original song for his work on “This Is a Life,” both from Everything Everywhere All at Once.

In the category of best original score for interactive media, Stephanie Economou won for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök, just 10 days after her Grammy win.

Guillermo del Toro and lyricist Roeban Katz won best song...

National Geographic will commemorate Black History Month with its flagship podcast, Overheard at National Geographic through a month-long, four-part series of episodes focused on music and exploration featuring influential Black musicians and accomplished National Geographic Explorers. The weekly series, The Soul Of Music, premieres on Feb. 7 and drops every Tuesday through Feb. 28. It comes as National Geographic rings in its 135th anniversary with an emphasis on celebrating its creative and explorer community.

Hosted by “Overheard” producer Khari Douglas and edited by Carla Wills, manager of audio, these four episodes will feature world-famous musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Sampa the Great, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott) and Meklit Hadero in conversation with Nat Geo Explorers Alyea Pierce, Danielle Lee, Justin Dunnavant and Jahawi Bertolli. The Explorers and artists will discuss how nature, history and culture influence their work, what music inspires their adventures, and how they address some of the world...

As our 2022 Venice Film Festival coverage wraps up, the juries have now unveiled their picks, most notably featuring Julianne Moore’s competition jury. Leading the pack is Laura Poitras’ new documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, which picked up the top prize of Golden Lion, while Alice Diop, Luca Guadagnino, Cate Blanchett, Jafar Panahi, Colin Farrell, and more also received awards.

See the list of winners, with a hat tip to Variety, along with links to our reviews––and check back soon for coverage of Saint Omer, No Bears, and more.

Competition

Golden Lion for Best Film: “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras

Grand Jury Prize: “Saint Omer,” Alice Diop

Silver Lion for Best Director: “Bones and All,” Luca Guadagnino

Special Jury Prize: “No Bears,” Jafar Panahi

Best Screenplay: “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh

Volpi Cup for Best Actress: “TÁR,” Cate Blanchett

Volpi Cup for Best Actor: “The Banshees of Inisherin,...

The Kiev Trial.His second film of the year—and seventh since the start of the decade—Sergei Loznitsa’s latest archival documentary, The Kiev Trial, is a chronicle of the titular 1946 hearing that saw fifteen Nazi officers convicted of crimes against humanity in a ruling that would predate the Nuremberg sentences by a few months. “If The Natural History of Destruction was a symphony,” Loznitsa told me as we sat to discuss his latest halfway through the fest, “The Kiev Trial is a chamber piece.” Unveiled in Cannes just a few months ago, Natural History cartwheeled across a vast and lugubrious canvas of carpet-bombings during World War II. Where that film was sprawling, the narrative here is much more straightforward. We begin with a brief parade of post-war, rubble-littered Kiev before venturing into the courtroom, which we’ll only leave to witness the Nazis’ executions together with a crowd of 200,000 besieging Kalinin Square.

Loneliness, postpartum-depression, motherhood, and isolation are at the core of Alice Diop’s feature film premiering at Venice, Saint Omer. Written by Diop and Marie N’Diaye, the movie stars Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanga. The film sends a message about the pressures of being a single parent and how women connect through trauma.

Rama (Kagame) is a journalist and professor who is writing a book loosely based on the myth of Euripides’ play Medea. Rama has a poor relationship with her mother, which is shown in flashbacks. Her mother often yelled or ignored her. Other times, Rama is watching her mother quietly sob without explaining why she’s upset. These painful memories affect Rama as she’s pregnant and wonders if she’ll behave similarly when her child is born. As an adult she seeks understanding into her mother’s psyche–that is until she travels to Saint Omer to cover the case of Laurence,...

Exclusive: Award-winning Senegalese filmmaker Alice Diop (Saint Omer) has signed with CAA for representation.

Best known for her work in the documentary space, Diop makes her narrative debut with Saint Omer, which will premiere in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival, subsequently going on to make its North American premiere in Toronto. The film, which Diop directed from her script written with Marie N’Diaye, follows Rama (Kayije Kagame), a novelist who attends the trial of Laurence Coly at the Saint-Omer Criminal Court. The author intends to use Coly’s story to write a modern-day adaptation of the ancient myth of Medea, but things don’t go as expected. Wild Bunch International is handling international sales, with CAA Media Finance representing the film’s North American rights.

Diop has often used her work as a means of exploring the relationship between society and cinema in contemporary France. The filmmaker...

Dda is making a series of key hires and promotions. Ryan Langrehr recently joined the entertainment communications company as U.S. head of awards, based out of Los Angeles. He joins from Block-Korenbrot Public Relations and will work alongside Dda partner Dana Archer and awards strategist Mj Peckos, who formed an exclusive partnership with Dda in 2021 and collaborated on a slate of films in the international and documentary category. These included Spain’s “The Good Boss” and Germany’s “I’m Your Man,” both of which were shortlisted for international feature Oscars.

The Dda L.A. awards offering is a complement to the company’s existing U.K. awards business, which it says will offer studios and filmmakers a “cohesive strategy across both sides of the Atlantic.” The U.K. offering is led by Sam Ross in his newly upped role of director of awards, and his team works closely with Dda partner Neil Bhatt.

The Match Factory will launch sales on the debut film by Ehab Tarabieh, “The Taste of Apples Is Red,” at the Toronto Film Festival, where the film will be premiering in the Discovery section.

Tarabieh’s previous short films have won several prizes, including Best Short Film at Doha Tribeca Festival for “The Forgotten” (2012) and a nomination for a European Academy Award for “Smile and the World Will Smile Back” (2015).

“The Taste of Apples Is Red” is the first film to deal with the intricacies of the Druze faith. The director grew up in this closed off and secretive community, which separated from Islam and has aspects of Hindu and Greek philosophy. During the civil war in Syria, the Druze, who are spread throughout Syria, Israel and Lebanon, were divided between those who support Assad and those who despise him.

The film is set in the Golan Heights, where the...

We’ve got questions, and you’ve (maybe) got answers! With another week of TV gone by, we’re lobbing queries left and right about lotsa shows including Chicago P.D., Mrs. Maisel, Euphoria, Legends of Tomorrow, Ghosts and more!

1 | Where does John Mulaney’s “Subway Churro” rank among his five Saturday Night Live musical sketches? Were you surprised (and/or delighted) to hear him reference to his eponymous one-and-done Fox sitcom during the 5-Timers Club sketch? And did you ever in a million years expect to see former Tonight Show host Conan O’Brien back on NBC — and in the 11:30 time slot?...

Grounded in a profound sense of duty, Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad has served as the premiere cinematic spokesperson for his people’s plight living under Israeli occupation for over half a century. Presenting a nuanced, yet piercing window into collective impotence in the face of injustice, his films “Paradise Now” and “Omar” received Academy Award nominations, prompting international attention on his inevitably political art.

But in the aftermath of Oscar recognition, the filmmaker tried his hand at a more inspirational tale with “The Idol” and eventually made his English-language debut with “The Mountain Between Us,” starring Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Now, Abu-Assad has not only returned home, but also to his more tense and taut dramatic sensibilities with “Huda’s Salon,” a layered, edge-of-your-seat thriller about the many perils women face in Palestine. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, and is being released by IFC Films this week.

Hany Abu-Assad, the acclaimed Dutch-Palestinian director of Oscar-nominated “Paradise Now” and “Omar,” has broken new ground with “Huda’s Salon” which world premiered Sept. 9 at Toronto in the competitive Platform section.

The female-driven tense spy thriller is headlined by Maisa Abd Elhadi (“The Angel”) who stars as Reem, a young mother who falls into a trap during a visit at a hair salon run by Huda, a seemingly friendly woman working for the Israeli secret service. While being blackmailed by the Israeli secret service, Reem has to cope with her controlling husband and a Palestinian resistance agent who suspect she is a traitor.

“Huda’s Salon” marks the helmer’s follow up to Fox’s “The Mountains Between Us” with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba. Abu-Assad produced the film with his wife, Amira Diab, through their recently launched banner H&a Production, alongside Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy, who runs the Cairo Film Festival,...

Self or nation? Loyalty or betrayal? Stay or leave?

These are the questions pulsing through Huda’s Salon, the eighth film from Hany Abu-Assad. They are not unfamiliar themes for the Palestinian director; his previous films, including the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now and Omar, explored similar questions with precision and sensitivity. But Huda’s Salon, a tightly conceived political thriller based on real events, heightens the stakes of these queries by applying them to Palestinian women, whose oppression under Israeli occupation is compounded by the patriarchal forces within their homes and communities.

Huda’s Salon opens with a humorous and congenial scene of bonding. Huda (Manal Awad), a stylist in Bethlehem,...

Self or nation? Loyalty or betrayal? Stay or leave?

These are the questions pulsing through Huda’s Salon, the eighth film from Hany Abu-Assad. They are not unfamiliar themes for the Palestinian director; his previous films, including the Oscar-nominated Paradise Now and Omar, explored similar questions with precision and sensitivity. But Huda’s Salon, a tightly conceived political thriller based on real events, heightens the stakes of these queries by applying them to Palestinian women, whose oppression under Israeli occupation is compounded by the patriarchal forces within their homes and communities.

Huda’s Salon opens with a humorous and congenial scene of bonding. Huda (Manal Awad), a stylist in Bethlehem,...

If you haven’t heard of The Match Factory, you probably don’t work in the international arthouse film arena. The German sales and production outfit is one of the world’s leading champions of auteur cinema and has consistently been involved in a raft of festival-winning titles since its inception in 2006. From Cannes Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives to Berlin Golden Bear winners Grbavica and Honey to Oscar-nominated titles Waltz With Bashir, Ajami, The Milk Of Sorrow, The Broken Circle Breakdown and Omar, the Cologne-based company is unwavering in its effort to bring distinct and striking titles to an international audience.

Michael Weber, managing director and mastermind behind the European outfit, and the company’s well-respected head of sales Thania Dimitrakopoulou, are in Cannes this week with their biggest and most eclectic festival slate to date. They’re representing 14 titles including Competition titles Memoria,...

Twice Academy Award-nominated writer-director Hany Abu-Assad is teaming with Abbout Productions, Lebanon’s top indie shingle, on TV series project “The King’s Wives.”

The six-episode fiction, pitched Feb. 25 at the 2020 Berlinale Co-Pro Series, is set to be the first TV drama produced by Abbout, a Beirut-set production house run by Georges Schoucair, best known to date for films with a distinctly Arab voice.

Scheduled to shoot from fall 2021 in Morocco or Turkey, “The King’s Wives” is conceived as a multicultural project, with Palestinian-Dutch Abu-Assad as co-creator and showrunner, production by a Lebanese team, with a cast coming from all over the Arab world and international heads of departments.

A TV drama with humorous elements, set in a modern unnamed Arab monarchy, “The King’s Wives” follows Zein, a revolutionary princess who wants to challenge the monarchy and improve women’s rights.

She aligns with her progressive husband, Prince Malik,...

Omar and The Mountain Between Us director Hany Aby-Assad is lining up Arabic-language thriller Huda’s Salon, which Paris-based Memento Films International is launching at the Efm in Berlin.

The feature, which is due to shoot in Palestine this year, will follow a woman whose visit to a hair salon turns into a nightmare when she is blackmailed by its owner. Abu-Assad has scripted and will direct. He will also produce with Film Clinic. Manal Awad (Degradé), Ali Suliman (Jack Ryan) and Maisa Abd Elhadi (Baghdad Central) are among attached cast.

Dutch-Palestinian-Israeli filmmaker Abu-Assad has received two Oscar nominations: in 2006 for Paradise Now, and in 2013 for Omar. Latest film from The Mountain Between Us (2017) starred Kate Winslet and Idris Elba.

Memento’s Efm slate also includes Asghar Farhadi drama A Hero, Australian production The Drover’s Wife and Catherine Frot drama Under The Stars Of Paris. The firm also has festival opener My Salinger Year.

This year, with some mighty titles from the Maghreb evaluated alongside the rest of continental Africa, the competitive potential of the Middle East lineup handicapped here may seem a tad diminished. Nevertheless, the territory boasts a possible short-list contender in Palestinian helmer Elia Suleiman’s wry travelog “It Must Be Heaven,” which nabbed the international critics award at 2019 Cannes.

Back in 2003, Suleiman’s second feature, “Divine Intervention,” marked the first of 12 submissions made by Palestine over the years. During that time, the entries resulted in two nominations, both for films helmed by Hany Abu-Assad: “Paradise Now” (2005) and “Omar” (2013). Now, Suleiman, like Abu-Assad, is recognized as an elder statesman of Palestinian filmmaking as well as an accomplished auteur whose films continue to bear witness to the surreal and the absurd in Palestinian life at home and abroad. Although his work is better-known in Europe than in the U.S., “It Must Be Heaven...

The FX drama pilot “The Old Man” starring Jeff Bridges has added two new cast members.

Variety has learned exclusively that both Leem Lubany and E.J. Bonilla have joined the project. In addition to Bridges, they join previously announced cast members John Lithgow, Amy Brenneman, and Alia Shawkat.

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Thomas Perry, the series centers on Dan Chase (Bridges), who absconded from the CIA decades ago and has been living off the grid since. When an assassin arrives and tries to take Chase out, the old operative learns that to ensure his future he now must reconcile his past.

Lubany will star as a younger version of Abbey Chase, the deceased spouse of Dan Chase. Thirty years prior to the events of the story, she shares in his double life, before tragedy strikes in the form of a debilitating disease. Bonilla will play Raymond Waters,...

The film will shoot for four weeks in New York and Paris from October.

French actress Alix Benezech and Us-Palestinian actor Adam Budron have signed to star in Us director Bandar Albuliwi’s solo directorial debut Juliet, which will begin production on October 29.

The film will shoot for four weeks in New York City and Paris. It centres on an astrophysicist who struggles to reintegrate into society after the death of her husband. Molly Price, Laith Nakli and Luke Guldan also star.

Benezech, whose credits include Mission: Impossible - Fallout, replaces Yasmine Al Massri, who was previously attached to star and produce.

“Operation ‘Business As Usual'” is the name of the undercover mission assigned to Mossad agent Rachel Currin in Tehran: a knowingly ironic label for a challenging undertaking that gets considerably less orthodox the longer it goes on. Less knowingly, it would also be an appropriate title for “The Operative,” a proficient but unsurprising espionage thriller from Israeli writer-director Yuval Adler that offers another well-fitted showcase for Diane Kruger’s stern resolve as a performer. Rather like Fatih Akin’s recent “In the Fade,” it’s an otherwise fairly impersonal genre piece that hangs on its leading lady’s every word, move and steel-eyed glance. Kruger’s presence will secure international interest in this out-of-competition Berlinale premiere, with multi-platform distribution a likely part of its business plan.

A few episodes of the USA Network series “Shooter” aside, this is Adler’s first work as a director since his 2013 debut “Bethlehem,” a taut,...

Patty Ishimoto’s Element 8 shingle is prepping “Blood,” a crime drama set in Jordan and with Academy Award-nominated director Hany Abu-Assad attached. Sky Vision has just come on board, and will sell the series globally.

“Blood” is set to be the first high-end English-language drama series set and filmed in the Middle East with local talent, and bound for the international market. Shooting is set to take place on location in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

The series will follow three childhood friends, bound by a secret from their past. Now in their 30s, they are a detective, a lawyer, and a convict. Spanning the cop’s street-level view of Amman, the attorney’s high-end office and lifestyle, and the convict’s prison life, the trio become caught up in a conspiracy.

Abu-Asad, who directed 2017’s “The Mountain Between Us,” is attached, marking his first move in TV. The Dutch-Palestinian...

Thirty-five years after the Ridley Scott sci-fi original (which was not an initial box office success but grew into a cult favorite), the long-aborning sequel “Blade Runner: 2049” had much to recommend it: rave reviews, Denis Villeneuve directing his follow-up to sci-fi Oscar-winner “Arrival”; Ryan Gosling’s first wide release since “La La Land”; a committed multi-generational smart sci-fi fan base.

So why did the movie fall short of expectations? It was expected to score at least $40 million domestically against a $155-185-million budget: $31 million marks a serious under-performer and suggests that to the extent that Villeneuve channeled the original, he may have delivered an artistic achievement that is not mainstream.

With most of the world outside Asia already playing the film, the initial foreign $81 million take will not yield $300-million worldwide — which is close to what the movie cost to make and market (shared by Alcon Entertainment and financier...

The overarching plotting of The Mountain Between Us feels like one of those "If you were trapped on a desert island and could bring only three things with you..." questions where the answers are (naturally): 1. Your phone. 2. Your dog. 3. Idris Elba.

Except, here, the island is a remote, snow-covered mountainside, the phone has no reception and the dog belongs to the pilot, who had a stroke mid-flight and died. Idris Elba is still there though.

Adapted from a novel by Charles Martin, the movie follows neurosurgeon Ben (Elba) and photojournalist Alex (Kate Winslet), strangers booked on the same canceled flight out of Idaho. Both have reasons they need to get to Denver that night to catch a connecting flight to New York City -- he is performing an emergency surgery, she's getting married -- so they decide to charter a dinky aircraft. How Alex and Ben decide that's their most reasonable solution -- what options do you...

With “Paradise Now” and “Omar,” a pair of standout dramas nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad proved himself adept at finding the human stories in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. In “The Mountain Between Us,” Abu-Assad’s first large-scale English language film, he plays romance against an epic story of survival. But, in this case, the approach shortchanges the character’s quest for life by reducing it to the prelude to a game of “will they or won’t they stay together?” That’s a shame, because Abu-Assad is a director who could bring...

There are films that rely on the screen presence of charismatic leads – and then there's the sort of cinematic slush piles of chick-flick torture porn that no amount of star power can keep from becoming an endurance test. You get one guess which category the high-altitude soap opera The Mountain Between Us falls into. Why Kate Winslet, Idris Elba and skilled Dutch-Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now, Omar) found themselves attracted to the tearjerking twaddle of Charles Martin's bestseller is anyone's guess. But none of them have not found a...

In an interview with our own Dustin Chang in February 2014, speaking in connection with his film Omar, director Hany Abu-Assad said in part: "If I made a list of ten movies I like by other filmmakers, they would be all realistic movies with realistic characters." This may help explain Abu-Assad's approach to The Mountain Between Us, which is a realistic movie with realistic characters who survive a plane crash and then must deal with harsh wilderness conditions for many days. On first blush, it sounds like a Hollywood concoction, featuring two veteran stars whose romantic combustibility will surely rise to the surface eventually. While there's no denying that the broad strokes of the storyline are easily predictable, it's the performances by Elba and Winslet,...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

With “The Mountain Between Us,” Hany Abu-Assad, the Oscar-nominated director of “Paradise Now” and “Omar,” found a reason to collaborate with a composer for the first time. He wanted to elevate the survival drama in which journalist Kate Winslet and doctor Idris Elba find themselves trapped 11,000 feet on a snow-covered mountain. And, with Ramin Djawadi (“Game of Thrones” and “Westworld”), Abu-Assad found the right composer to capture the beautiful but deadly musical tone he was after (see the featurette below).

“I always thought [music] was helping a movie and didn’t think it was necessary, so working with Ramin elevated it and gave it an extra dimension that I didn’t see before,” said Abu-Assad after a recent scoring session at Fox. “With this movie, I wanted to merge the theme of survival with the theme of love,” he added. “Usually, these themes are separated in a love story or a survival story.

When cinematographer Mandy Walker met with the director for Fox 2000’s “The Mountain Between Us,” Hany Abu-Assad’s directives were simple. “It has to be beautiful, but dangerous,” said the Oscar-nominated director of “Paradise Now” and “Omar.” “You must feel the danger they are up against.”

Specifically, Abu-Assad planned to direct stars Kate Winslet and Idris Elba on top of the 11,000-foot Purcell Mountains in British Columbia. “It really was minus 38 degrees, working in the snow,” said Walker. “I had not done that before, above the tree line.”

Like any veteran cinematographer, Walker is familiar with trying circumstances. For Baz Luhrmann’s epic “Australia,” she supervised three units with action and horses. She shot John Curran’s stunning outback adventure “Tracks” in heat of 122 degrees.

However, the Purcell mountain range meant a very different set of challenges. She brought her crew two to three times into each of five high-altitude locations for scouting,...

When cinematographer Mandy Walker met with the director for Fox 2000’s “The Mountain Between Us,” Hany Abu-Assad’s directives were simple. “It has to be beautiful, but dangerous,” said the Oscar-nominated director of “Paradise Now” and “Omar.” “You must feel the danger they are up against.”

Specifically, Abu-Assad planned to direct stars Kate Winslet and Idris Elba on top of the 11,000-foot Purcell Mountains in British Columbia. “It really was minus 38 degrees, working in the snow,” said Walker. “I had not done that before, above the tree line.”

Like any veteran cinematographer, Walker is familiar with trying circumstances. For Baz Luhrmann’s epic “Australia,” she supervised three units with action and horses. She shot John Curran’s stunning outback adventure “Tracks” in heat of 122 degrees.

However, the Purcell mountain range meant a very different set of challenges. She brought her crew two to three times into each of five high-altitude locations for scouting,...