The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the new film directed by Mira Nair, will be the opening film at the 69th Venice International Film Festival (29 August – 8 September 2012), directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by la Biennale di Venezia chaired by Paolo Baratta. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher and presented by Doha Film Institute. Based on the best-selling novel of the same title, translated into 25 languages, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a...

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, the new film directed by Mira Nair, will be the opening film at the 69th Venice International Film Festival (29 August – 8 September 2012), directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by la Biennale di Venezia chaired by Paolo Baratta. The Reluctant Fundamentalist is produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher and presented by Doha Film Institute. Based on the best-selling novel of the same title, translated into 25 languages, The Reluctant Fundamentalist  is a riv...

  Stargazing $150,000 in Documentary Finishing Funds to be Awarded to Eight International Filmmakers Chosen from a Record Number of Submissions; Spotlighting Women Documentary Award Presented in Partnership with the PPR Corporate Foundation for Women’s Dignity & Rights  Marshall Curry, James Franco, Barbara Kopple and Robin Wright among 2012 Jury Members The Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) and Gucci today announced the 2012 recipients selected for the Gucci Tribeca Documen...

twofour54, the media & creative industries hub and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission (part of twofour54), have launched the region’s first incentive scheme as it looks to accelerate Abu Dhabi as the first choice for international and regional producers needing location, production and post-production services. The scheme will be operational from September 1st.  The incentive, in the form of a rebate of up to 30% of qualifying spend in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, will be available fo...

The inspirational TRUE STORY about Sam Childers and the civil conflict in Sudan, “Machine Gun Preacher”, Due out Nov 2, 2011Executive producer of “Machine Gun Preacher”, Louise Rosner, is brave, fearless, pretty, and personable. She traveled to Sudan and Uganda back in January of 2010 for pre-production research and scouting, and stated that, “Going to Sudan was especially intimidating. The director, Marc Forster (“The Kite Runner”), the screenwriter, Jason Keller, and I, had to...

Zanzibar, June 26, 2011 (SIGNIS) - The SIGNIS Prize for the 14th Zanzibar International Film Festival 2011 went to the documentary film, Fambul Tok, from Sierra Leone by Sara Terry. "Fambul Tok" offers a home-grown approach of conflict resolution "Conventional conflict resolution mechanisms are often expensive, protracted and do not bring harmony and healing to the community. In this film, Africa offers a home-grown approach based on traditional practices where both the perpetrators and the vict...

Since BARDSONGS (2010) screened in Palm Springs this past PSIFF 2011, I’ve been speaking to director Sander Francken about doing an interview about what I thought was an extremely intriguing subject for a film, that of oral storytelling in a time where storytelling has changed so much that the old modes have long since departed us. Or have they? Sander’s film is a tribute to oral storytelling and ‘bardsongs’. I tracked him down in Copenhagen at CPHPIX 2011 where his film screened and we ...

 .............                                                                                                                                                          NEWSLETTER N° 502: march 25th, 2011 Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly  Cannes sponsoring and advertising options on call. Email us Become a sponsor of the iPhone application Bundle offer Mo...

  678 (Mohamed Diab, Egypt)  There is no doubt that we are living in historic times. The political and social upheaval in the Middle East and northern Africa are among the most stunning events of the new millennium, and it still remains unclear whether this will herald a period of unprecedented stability and its complete opposite. Helping us to understand the turmoil and the inner lives of those cultures, four films in the New Directors/New Film series, entering its first weekend...

Berlin Film In Focus: NADER AND SIMIN, A SEPERATION The Iranian film NADER AND SIMIN, A SEPERATION (terrible title, that) was the big winner at the 61st edition of the Berlinale, winning the Golden Bear as Best Film and Best Actor and Best Actress Silver Bears for its ensemble cast of men and women. The film, directed by Asghar Farhadi, who won a Silver Bear as Best Dierctor in 2009 for DARBAREYE, will certainly be one of the most talked about international films of the year. With the current a...

  The Iranian film NADER AND SIMIN, A SEPERATION (terrible title, that) was the big winner at the 61st edition of the Berlinale, winning the Golden Bear as Best Film and Best Actor and Best Actress Silver Bears for its ensemble cast of men and women. The film, directed by Asghar Farhadi, who won a Silver Bear as Best Dierctor in 2009 for DARBAREYE, will certainly be one of the most talked about international films of the year. With the current attention of the world on the emerging democ...

         " I can't believe it's been over 50 years since I first stepped foot in GOMBI," explained Dr. Jane GOODALL in introduction at the PAGODE CINEMA, in Paris,  of German Director, Lorenz KNAUER`s new autobiographical film of the British paleontologist " JANE`s JOURNEY", at a special screening of the Paris Environmental Film Festival, end November 2010. Still a sprightly world traveller over 70, she spends 300 days of the year criss-crossing the globe, lect...

Films from Africa will feature prominently at the fifth annual trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff/10), set to take place from September 22 to October 5. Founded in 2006, the ttff, with the generous support of our presenting sponsor FLOW, has grown over the past few years to become the leading film festival in the English Caribbean. This year is expected to be another groundbreaking one, with established and new elements to the festival's programme. This is in addition to the dozens of Ca...

The 2010 Environmental FilmFestival at Yale (EFFY) announced today it will open with the East CoastPremiere of Houston We Have a Problem on Tuesday, April 6. The documentary thatexposes the hard truths about oil from Texas oilmen themselves, and how the oilindustry must adapt to meet America's future energy needs.  Following thefilm will be a discussion with director Nicole Torre and one of the film'ssubjects Matthew Simmons, one of the world's leading experts on the topic ofpeak oil, and moder...

German director Werner Herzog is the principal Retrospective of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Herzog will attend the Festival to present his films, conduct a Masterclass and will be honored with a Golden Alexander for his contribution to the art of cinema. The full Retrospective, organized in collaboration with the Goethe Institute in Greece, will showcase the total of Herzog’s films, including the filmmaker’s fiction and docum...

Egypt's The Traveler (Al Mosafer) with Omar Sharif to screen as Opening Night Gala The Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) today unveiled the lineup of the feature-length narratives and documentaries that will compete for Black Pearl Awards worth over $1 million during the upcoming Festival. Presented by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, this year's MEIFF will run from October 8 to 17. Peter Scarlet, the festival's new Executive Director commented, "...