Bulgaria’s Oscar Entry ‘Blaga’s Lessons’ Sells In Key Territories

Alissa Simon Film Critic Egypt’s Oscar submission “Voy! Voy! Voy!,” from director-writer-producer Omar Hilal, is a blackly comic look at migration viewed through the lens of a conman pretending to be visually impaired in order to play in the Blind Football World Cup. The fast-paced, entertaining film makes its Moroccan debut in the Special Screenings section of the Marrakech Film Festival. Following its September premiere in Egypt, it held the top box-office spot for two months and did remarkably well in the Gulf states.

Society of the Snow” is entering awards season. The film, directed by Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona and produced by Netflix, is based on the true story of the survivors of a horrifying plane crash in the Andes, who managed to survive for two months in inhospitable conditions.

Viaplay has sold its UK business back to Premier Sports and revealed “the renegotiation of credit arrangements and the proposed injection of new equity into the Group” as it battles the economic downturn.

Alissa Simon Film Critic From its jaunty animated credits to its absurdly satisfying conclusion, “Voy! Voy! Voy!” is a saucy and blackly comic look at immigration. An entertaining first feature inspired by stranger-than-fiction actual events from seasoned adman Omar Hilal, here serving as director, writer and producer, Egypt’s official Oscar submission nabbed the top spot at the local box office for two months following its mid-September domestic release and also played well in the Gulf states.

EXCLUSIVE: Juno Films has claimed U.S. rights to Four Souls of Coyote, the animated feature that marks Hungary’s official entry for the Best International Feature Oscar in 2024. Premiering at the Annecy Animated Film Festival, where it won the Jury Award for Best Feature, the film is now poised for an extended festival run into the spring of 2024, when it will be released in theaters.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Match Factory has announced sales to key territories for Michel Franco’s latest feature “Memory,” which stars Jessica Chastain. The Academy Award winning actor is serving as jury president at this week’s Marrakech Film Festival, where she spoke about the film (see here). “Memory” premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was awarded with the Coppa Volpi for best actor to Peter Saarsgard.

Brent Lang Executive Editor It’s a dramatic way to sell a new Broadway show. The Longacre Theatre is getting a high art overhaul as the home of “Lempicka,” a new musical about Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka.

Naman Ramachandran Zarrar Kahn‘s “In Flames,” Pakistan‘s submission to the Oscars‘ international feature category, has won the International Newcomer Award for the best film in competition at the 72nd International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg, Germany. The award carries a cash prize of €30,000 ($32,850). “In Flames,” a Pakistani Canadian horror-drama about a Karachi woman and her mother who are beset by malevolent figures from their past after the family patriarch dies, premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and has had considerable festival play since, including at Toronto, Busan, Sitges, Sao Paulo and Pingyao.

Riptide Music Festival is returning to the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park for two days of fun, sun and jams on Saturday, Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec.

EXCLUSIVE: Sky’s docu-series Juan Carlos: Downfall of the King has been snapped up for German free TV a day after launching on Canal+ in France.

Naman Ramachandran Jude Anthany Joseph, director of India’s international feature Oscar contender “2018,” has started work on his next film. The untitled investigative thriller is being written by the filmmaker alongside journalist Josy Joseph. The film is based on the true story of Kerala Shipping Corporation’s cargo ship MV Kairali that disappeared in 1979 with a crew of 49 and 20,000 tonnes of iron ore on board while sailing from Margao, India to Rostock, Germany, via Djibouti.

As a recent new grandfather, Mads Mikkelsen couldn’t be happier, but he doesn’t smile much in his new movie. An earthy 18th-century period piece, The Promised Land sees the Dane play a hard-up veteran, Ludvig Kahlen, who is determined to turn the blasted heaths of Jutland into a thriving farmland. It’s a Western of sorts, which becomes noticeably clearer when Kahlen starts to cross swords with a competing local landowner, but, for Mikkelsen, it’s a subversive  alpha male story of the kind he does so well, from the brutal Viking fantasy Valhalla Rising to the white-cold survival drama Arctic.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were seen jumping and cheering from the stands as they watched an ice hockey game in Canada, all while their family Christmas plans are up in the air. The royal couple watched the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks play during the first period of an NHL ice hockey game in Vancouver, on Monday, 20 November.

Paramount+ Greenlights ‘The Road Trip‘ Based On ‘The Flatshare‘ Scribe’s Novel

EXCLUSIVE: UTA has signed Ilker Çatak, the writer-director behind Germany’s official International Feature Oscar entry The Teachers’ Lounge, for representation in all areas.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Beta Cinema has sold the North American rights for “Adios Buenos Aires” to Outsider Pictures, which plans to release the charming comedy drama in spring 2024 throughout the U.S. and Canada.

‘Quicksand‘s FLX Gets New CEO

The Peasants Sound and Screen performance stood out with a full line of Polish dancers in the aisles. Composer Lukas Rostkowski, aka L.U.C., said the animated film’s score also included a choir of refugee singers from Ukraine.

Annika Pham Danish IDFA winner Phie Ambo (“Family”) will be attending Amsterdam’s major doc showcase for the 8th time with “Fire, Water, Earth, Air,” bowing at the Forum Pitch alongside 20 other projects. Ahead of their industry pitch Nov.

EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles-based distributor Orchid Tree Media has acquired North American rights to Anastasia Tsang’s A Light Never Goes Out, which is Hong Kong’s submission for Best International Feature at the Oscars. A theatrical release is being lined up in select cinemas.