All Africa articles – Page 108

  • Reviews

    In the City of Sylvia (En la ciudad de Sylvia)

    2007-09-24T17:21:00Z

    Dir. Jose Luis Guerin. Spain / France, 2007. 90 min.In the City of Sylvia is likely to be defined by some as 'a work of genius' and by others as like 'watching paint dry'. An audience in search of a plot with a beginning middle and end should look elsewhere. ...

  • Reviews

    The Obscure (Xiaoshuo)

    2007-09-24T16:31:00Z

    Dir. Lu Yue. China 2006. 84 min.Potentiallya powerful soporific for any audience not fluent in Mandarin, Lu Yue's combination of documentary and improvised live action is almost self-defeating in its insistence to stick, for the first hour, to a purely theoretical seminar. As it is, Lu's picture could interest scholars ...

  • News

    The Trap and Short Circuits enter foreign Oscar race

    2007-09-24T15:43:00Z

    The Serbian Academy of Film Arts and Sciences has selected Srdan Golubovic's The Trap (Klopka) for the Oscar race. The Serbian-German-Hungarian co-production is a thriller about a man who decides to take on a hitman's task in order to be able to pay for a life-saving operation for his son. ...

  • Reviews

    Foul Gesture (Tnuah Meguna)

    2007-09-24T15:30:00Z

    Dir: Tzahi Grad. Israel 2006. 96 mins.A satirical social comedy turns into a terrific, slow-burn revenge drama in Israeli actor Tzahi Grad's second directorial outing. Though the rough, low-budget production values will put off mainstream distributors, arthouse and genre specialists should take a look at this title, whose strong script ...

  • News

    Cuerda starts shoot in Galicia for Blind Sunflowers

    2007-09-24T13:38:00Z

    Spanish director Jose Luis Cuerda started shooting in Galicia for his 10th feature film, The Blind Sunflowers, based on Alberto Mendez's novel by the same name. Javier Camara and Meribel Verdu star. The film follows Elena (Verdu), who is living in post-war Spain hiding secrets about her family. Her teenage ...

  • News

    Wild Bunch closes a slew of deals on Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame

    2007-09-24T12:05:00Z

    The screening of Hana Makhmalbaf's French-Iranian drama Buddha Collapsed Out Of Shame in official competition at San Sebastian has sparked a flurry of international sales. Wild Bunch has secured sales of Iranian director Hana Makhmalbaf's first feature to the UK (Slingshot), Spain (Wanda), Canada (Crystal), Portugal (Lusomundo), Benelux (Imagine), Switzerland ...

  • News

    Bosnia and Herzegovina adds It's Hard To Be Nice to Oscar list

    2007-09-24T11:05:00Z

    The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Association of Film Makers chose Srdjan Vuletic's It's Hard To Be Nice (Tesko Je Biti Fin) as the country's foreign language submission for the Academy Awards.The drama, about a Sarajevo taxi driver who involuntarily gets mixed up in a series of complicated situations, opened this year's Sarajevo Film ...

  • News

    Latido secures more sales for Saura's Fados

    2007-09-24T11:02:00Z

    Spanish sales outfit Latido Films has sold Carlos Saura's film Fados to countries across North, Central and South America. The musical drama, co-produced by Spain's Zebra Producciones and Portugal's Fado Filmes, has been sold to Canada (K Films Amerique), Mexico and Central America (Latino Vision), Venezuela (Amazonia). Deals were also ...

  • News

    The Class enters foreign Oscar race for Estonia

    2007-09-24T10:58:00Z

    The Class has been put forward as the Estonian contender for the foreign-language Oscar.Ilmar Raag's debut feature beat out the other Estonian choice, The Autumn Ball, among the local Oscar committee.The drama, based on true events, is about a class geek and a friend who stands up for him to ...

  • News

    Berlin's EFM tightens access and starts premium first weekend rates

    2007-09-24T04:00:00Z

    Berlin's European Film Market (EFM) is introducing new access restrictions to its venue in the Martin Gropius Bau for the first weekend (Feb 9-10), which may lead some accredited professionals looking to go elsewhere to do business at the festival. Moreover, new premium screening rates will be introduced for the ...

  • News

    Bourne stays ahead with $13m international weekend

    2007-09-23T21:58:00Z

    Universal's The Bourne Ultimatum once again set the pace at the international box office this weekend, grossing an estimated $13m from 4,269 dates in 48 territories. The marketplace's only new entrant, Sony's Resident Evil: Extinction, opened in Mexico day-and-date with its chart-topping domestic launch and came in number one with ...

  • News

    Biblob and Antoniou join foreign-language film competitors

    2007-09-23T17:09:00Z

    Bangladesh has selected Golam Rabbany Biblob's directorial debut On The Wings Of Dreams, while Greece has picked Angeliki Antoniou's Eduart for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the forthcoming 80th Academy Awards. Both films are being handled internationally by the Berlin-based sales agent MDC International who is also representing ...

  • News

    Films from Attenborough, Freedman and Ruzowitzky open Ghent

    2007-09-22T09:45:00Z

    The 34th edition of the Ghent International Film Festival is to feature three opening films on October 9.They are:The European premiere of Richard Attenborough's Closing the RingStefan Ruzowitzky's The Counterfeiters (Die Faelscher) Paul Freedman's Sand And SorrowClosing the Ring, starring Shirley Maclaine, Christopher Plummer, Neve Campbell and Mischa Barton, opens ...

  • News

    Strategic Partners projects include Indigenes writer's debut

    2007-09-21T16:33:00Z

    At the recent Strategic Partners co-production market in Canada, producers revealed a number of new projects currently in the works. In total almost 200 industry figures from the US, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the UK were given the chance to pitch their projects to fellow ...

  • News

    France and German groups make joint declaration for digital cinema

    2007-09-21T15:30:00Z

    France's CNC and Germany's FFA have signed a joint declaration with regard to the evolution of digital projection and are calling on their European neighbours to join them in certain initiatives to aide in a coherent digital rollout. Digital projection in Europe, say the CNC and the FFA, must operate ...

  • News

    Huayi Brothers to co-produce Gallenberger's John Rabe

    2007-09-21T13:09:00Z

    Beijing-based Huayi Brothers Pictures is to co-produce and handle distribution in China for Florian Gallenberger's second feature film John Rabe, which will begin principal photography in Shanghai and at original locations in Nanking from Oct 18 to February 2008. Previously known as John Rabe - The Good Man of Nanking, ...

  • News

    The Band's Visit sweeps Israeli Film Academy awards

    2007-09-21T11:58:00Z

    Following its triumphal march launched in Cannes, Eiran Kolirin's The Band's Visit completed its grand sweep, taking eight out of the 14 awards distributed by the Israeli Film Academy in its annual ceremony.Thefeature took awardsincluding best film, best director and best script for Kolirin, best actor (Sasson Gabai), best actress ...

  • News

    Middle East festival adds ipod competition, more industry delegates

    2007-09-21T11:20:00Z

    Adding to a plethora of prizes, Abu Dhabi 's Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), Oct 14-19, has launched an iPod competition for Middle Eastern short filmmakers. The Hayah (meaning 'life' in Arabic) Film Competition is open to students, professionals and amateurs making films for the iPod screen. Winners will ...

  • News

    Inaugural Middle East festival selects Israeli film

    2007-09-21T11:14:00Z

    In a surprise move, Abu Dhabi's Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), October 14-19, has selected an Israeli film to play in competition. Head programmer Nancy Collet issued the invitation to Eran Kolirin's Cannes favourite The Band's Visit, which is about the visit of an Egyptian marching band to a ...

  • News

    Lustig, Petritsky to receive special awards at Bitola festival

    2007-09-20T17:46:00Z

    The 28th International Cinematographers Film Festival 'Manaki Brothers' in Bitola, Macedonia (Sept 25-30) has announced that Croatian producer Branko Lustig will receive the festival's 'Golden Camera 300' award for outstanding contribution to the world cinema. Veteran Lustig produced Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and Ridley Scott's Gladiator. Meanwhile, the festival's life ...