William Earl “Rain in My Head” was the big winner at the 10th annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, taking honors for best film, director Chrissy Marshall and actor Layne Apffel. Also saluted were Nathan Cox, editor for “Smash or Pass”; Rachel Handler, writer, “Unlucky in Love”; and Judith Rubin and “Leap of Love” for best awareness campaign. The winners were announced May 4 at an orange-carpet ceremony and reception at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. For the competition, registered filmmakers were given five days within a designated timeframe to write and produce short films (three-to-five minutes) promoting disability inclusion. Every year’s contest has a theme, and this year it was romance, which resulted in a wide range of viewpoints on the topic.
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Head Julien Rejl Talks Under-The-Radar Films; Industry Pressures & U.S. Indie Revival
18.04.2023 - 20:33 / deadline.com
Incoming Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Delegate General Julien Rejl has unveiled his inaugural line-up for the 55th edition of the parallel sidebar, running May 17 to 26.
Judging by his first selection, Rejl, who worked as a producer, distributor and sales agent at French film company Capricci for a decade before taking up his new role, seems intent on shaking things up.
He and his selection team have delivered a line-up featuring a raft of under-the-radar titles alongside confirmed directors and a handful of buzzed-about rising newcomers. See the full selection here
Deadline talked to Rejl about the line-up and his uncompromising vision for the Cannes parallel section.
DEADLINE: Congratulations on your inaugural selection. How did you find the process of pulling it together?
JULIEN REJL: It was a fascinating marathon. We received even more films than in previous years. This shows the vivacity of contemporary cinema creation but it also makes our work even harder. We received submissions from all over the world, many of them directly from directors and producers without representation by sales companies or distributors.
There were lots of surprises and the wealth of submissions also revealed creative hotspots all over the world, which is good news for cinema.
DEADLINE: The line-up features a lot of films that were not on the radar of prediction lists. Did you deliberately seek out films that were not expected?
REJL: Yes and no. My selection committee is very diverse in its profiles. I wanted to being together a group of experts with very different ideas on cinema around the table. We allowed ourselves to go and look everywhere.
I didn’t want us to jump on what the market was proposing and films that had already been
Anonymous Content Boards Silex, Charades’ Surf-Themed Animated Film Based on AJ Dungo’s Graphic Memoir ‘In Waves’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Anonymous Content has come on board California surf-themed animated feature adapted from illustrator AJ Dungo’s celebrated graphic memoir, “In Waves.” Produced by Paris-based Silex Films, “In Waves” marks the feature debut of Phuong Mai Nguyen (“Brazen”), and is being penned by Fanny Burdino and Samuel Doux, whose screenwriting credits include “After Love” and “The Origin of Evil.” The feature is produced by Priscilla Bertin and Judith Nora, co-Founders of Silex Films, alongside Charades and Nick Shumaker, Garrett Kemble, and David Levine who will executive produce on behalf of Anonymous Content.
Brie Larson & Paul Dano Join Ruben Ostlünd On The 2023 Cannes Jury
The 76th Festival de Cannes already had a jury president in two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Ostlünd. It now has eight more members to fill out its jury.
Paul Dano, Brie Larson Get Jury Duty at the Cannes Film Festival
Brie Larson, Paul Dano and Julia Ducournau are among the eight people chosen to complete the main competition jury at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Cannes organizers announced Thursday morning in Paris.Swedish director Ruben Ostlund, who won the Palme d’Or last year for “Triangle of Sadness,” was previously announced as president of the jury. The presence of Ducournau, who won the top award for “Titane” in 2021, means that the last two Palme winners will be part of the deliberations to determine who succeeds them this year.Other jurors will be Moroccan writer-director Maryam Touzani, who was in Cannes last year with “The Blue Caftan”; French actor Denis Menochet, who recently appeared in Ari Aster’s “Beau Is Afraid”; Zambian/British writer-director Rungano Nyoni, whose “I’m Not a Witch” premiered in Cannes; Afghan novelist and writer-director Atiq Rahimi, whose film work often adapts his own bestselling books; and Argentinian writer-director Damian Szifron, who landed an Oscar nomination for his 2014 Cannes film “Wild Tales.”The jury’s 5-to-4 split between men and women is typical for Cannes in recent years.
Tunisian Actress Hend Sabry, Star Of Upcoming Cannes Contender ‘Four Daughters’, Signs With CAA
EXCLUSIVE: Tunisian-Egyptian actress Hend Sabry has signed with CAA for representation.
Playtime Unveils Robust Cannes Sales Slate, Including Competition Titles ‘Homecoming’ and ‘About Dry Grasses’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Playtime has unveiled a strong Cannes film market sales slate, which includes competition titles “About Dry Grasses” and “Homecoming.” “About Dry Grasses” is by Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan, who won the Palme d’Or in 2014 for “Winter Sleep.” The film follows Samet, a young art teacher, who is finishing his fourth year of compulsory service in a remote village in Anatolia. After a turn of events he can hardly make sense of, he loses his hopes of escaping the grim life he seems to be stuck in, and hopes that his encounter with fellow teacher Nuray will help him overcome his angst. Deniz Celiloğlu, Merve Dizdar and Musab Ekici are among the cast.
‘Don’t Stop The Music’: Buzzy Nostalgia Format From The Home Of ‘The Traitors’ Is Inspired By Hit U.S. Comedy ‘Dave’
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So we’re going to do the hard work for you.
Karl Lagerfeld Doc To Prime Video; ITV Re-Ups ‘The 1% Club; ProSiebenSat.1 CFO — Global Briefs
Prime Video Picks Up Karl Lagerfeld Doc
Pedro Almodóvar’s Cannes-Bound Short ‘Strange Way Of Life’ Starring Ethan Hawke & Pedro Pascal Acquired By Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics on Thursday announced their pickup of worldwide rights (outside of the UK, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Latin America) to Strange Way of Life, the buzzy Pedro Almodóvar short, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, which will premiere as an official selection of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Catherine Corsini Publishes Open Letter Denying Wrongdoing On Set Of Film ‘Le Retour’ As Cannes Inclusion Divides French Industry
French director Catherine Corsini and her producer Elisabeth Perez have published an open letter denying wrongdoing on the set of upcoming Cannes Palme d’Or contender Le Retour.
INFINITE’s Lee Sung-jong announces 2023 Europe ‘The One’ showcase tour
INFINITE has announced his 2023 Europe showcase tour.The K-pop idol recently revealed that he’s set to go on a six-show tour of Europe this year. The showcase tour will kick off at the Conway in London on June 23, followed by stops in Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin throughout the rest of the month.Lee Sung-jong’s tour will then continue into July for its final two shows, in Warsaw and Budapest on the 1st and 2nd of the month.According to a tweet from Lee’s official Twitter account, tickets for his ‘The One’ tour will go on sale April 28 at 12pm GMT.
Audible Orders New Podcasts From Daisy May Cooper, Lolly Adefope, Mo Gilligan & Dara Ó Briain; Re-Ups Jack Whitehall, Kurupt FM, Alan Partridge, French & Saunders Series
EXCLUSIVE: Audible has revealed a new slate of UK comedy podcasts, including new series from comedians Daisy May Cooper, Lolly Adefope, Mo Gilligan and Dara Ó Briain.
‘Absolutely Fabulous’ Star Jennifer Saunders To Play Captain Hook In ‘Peter Pan’ Pantomime At London Palladium
EXCLUSIVE: British comedy legend Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous, French and Saunders) will make her pantomime debut as Captain Hook in Peter Pan this winter holiday season at the world famous London Palladium.
Michel Dimopoulos Dies: Former Thessaloniki Film Festival Director Was 74
Michel Dimopoulos, former director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, has died. He was 74.
France TV Launches Sales On Virginie Efira Cannes Un Certain Regard Title ‘All To Play For’
France tv distribution has acquired international sales rights on French drama “All To Play For” ahead of its world premiere in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section in May.
Where is ‘The Diplomat’ filmed? The main locations revealed
The Diplomat.Created by Debora Cahn (The West Wing, Homeland), the series follows Kate Wyler (Russell) as she adjusts to her new role, between tackling international crises and dealing with her turbulent marriage to a high-profile political figure.A synopsis reads: “Kate Wyler is the new US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She was supposed to go to Afghanistan.
Netflix Readies ‘Rana Naidu’ Season 2 In India Push; BBC Expands ‘The 1% Club’; ‘Star Academy’ Opens In Israel; Podcaster Joins Australian Directors’ Guild — Global Briefs
Netflix Orders Season 2 Of ‘Rana Naidu’
MipTV/Canneseries: Studiocanal Thrillers Sell Widely, AXN Takes ‘Rex’ Franchise, ORF-Enterprise Touts Nature, Insight TV Boosts Science, Technology
Ed Meza @edmezavar Studiocanal has sold two new thrillers from Benelux to international buyers at MipTV in Cannes. The eight-part crime thriller “1985,” produced by Eyeworks for Belgian public broadcasters VRT and RTBF, follows three friends as they move to Brussels and get caught up in the horrifying events of Belgium’s most notorious unsolved crime spree that shocked a generation and left a scar on the entire country. The series went to SBS Australia; Filmin for Portugal and Spain; Canal+ for France, Czech Republic and Slovakia; TG4 in Ireland; and Free TV in Israel.
Totem Films Boards Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Titles ‘A Song Sung Blue,’ ‘Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Christopher Vourlias Paris-based sales outfit Totem Films has acquired “A Song Sung Blue,” by Chinese director Zihan Geng, and “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry,” from Georgian filmmaker Elene Naveriani. Both films will premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival. “A Song Sung Blue” is the feature debut of the Beijing-born Geng. The coming-of-age story follows 15-year-old Xian, who’s left in the care of her estranged father, a struggling photographer, after her mother is compelled to travel to Africa for work. Over the course of a restless summer, Xian befriends 18-year-old Mingmei, the daughter of his father’s assistant-turned-girlfriend, and soon finds herself looking up to the older girl.
Cannes’ Directors Fortnight Unveils 2023 Lineup, Including Films by Hong Sang-soo, Michel Gondry
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent New films from Hong Sang-soo and Michel Gondry will world premiere at Directors Fortnight, a selection running parallel to the Cannes Film Festival. This edition marks the first under the leadership of Julien Rejl as artistic director. Succeeding to Paolo Moretti, Rejl was named by the governing body of Directors’ Fortnight, the SRF (Société des réalisateurs de films), as part of a rebranding. Unlike previous artistic directors for this selection, Rejl doesn’t come from the festival circuit. He was previously in charge of distribution, international co-productions and international sales at Capricci, an arthouse film banner based in Paris.