Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Glossy drama film, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon,” has unveiled its first trailer ahead of its world premiere this month in the Directors’ Fortnight section at Cannes. Its world sales representative, Cercamon will give the picture a market launch with a buyers-only screening on May 16. The anticipated Vietnamese-Singapore co-production is the debut feature by Pham Thien An and is eligible for the Camera d’Or prize. Its narrative follows a man whose sister-in-law is killed in a freak motorcycle accident in Saigon. He is tasked with delivering her body back to their countryside hometown. It is a journey on which he also takes his young nephew, who miraculously survived the crash. Amidst the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, the man begins a search for his older brother who vanished years ago in order to be able to hand over the boy. His pursuit, interrupted by magical dreams and forbidden desires, leads him to question what is worth living for.
Hong Sang-soo’s Directors Fortnight Closing Film ‘In Our Day’ Picked up by Finecut (EXCLUSIVE)
18.04.2023 - 10:45 / variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Leading indie sales agent Finecut has picked up international rights to “In Our Day” by idiosyncratic South Korean director Hong Sang-soo. The film is set as the closing title of the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar of the Cannes festival. Hong, who works on low budgets, controls much of the production process and makes repeated use of a small pool of actors, is one of the most prolific feature directors in the world. This is already his second feature this year. His earlier, “In Water” played in the Encounters section at Berlin in February His films are known for their minimalist style, a focus on female characters, serial chance encounters and oblique references to the media industry. On paper, “In Our Day” fits exactly in that groove.
Finecut pitches the synopsis as: “A woman in her early 40s, is temporarily living at the home of a friend, who is raising a cat. Another person, a man in his 70s living alone, had his cat die of old age. Today each of them had a visitor — a woman in her 20s for the woman, and a man in his 30s for the old man. Both visitors came with serious questions to ask. The woman answered them rather briefly while standing up, while the old man ended up giving longer answers in an extended conversation. Both of them had ramyun for lunch in front of their guests, and coincidentally enough, they both added hot pepper paste to their ramyun. It’s not a very common thing to add hot pepper paste to ramyun.…” Its cast includes Ki Joobong (“Kill Boksoon,” “Daemuga,” “Hotel by the River”) and Hong regular Kim Minhee (“The Novelist’s Film,” “The Woman Who Ran,” “On The Beach At Night Alone”). Although his works divide critics, Hong and his frenetic output appear to have been
Teen killed in Scots road crash as police close road for eight hours
A teenager has been killed in a horror road crash on a major Scots road in Argyll and Bute.
First-Time Directors Still Have Limited Opportunities in Hollywood, New UCLA Study Reports (EXCLUSIVE)
Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor A new study by UCLA Center for Scholars & Storytellers shows systemic discrimination and limited access to opportunities exist against first-time directors, with only 23.4% working on major feature films in the last 12 years. Commissioned by Lionsgate and its commitment to the inclusive content space, the study examines some of the persistent biases hindering the industry’s progress toward achieving its stated diversity and inclusion goals. Compiled from a list of the top 100 films per year from 2010-2021 (based on domestic box office for each year; 1200 films total), the study also shows that while more women and people of color have been hired as directors recently, the rate of overall hiring in the experienced director pool continues.
‘The Punishment’ Wins Beijing Film Festival’s Top Award, as ‘Shadowless Tower’ Takes Five Prizes – Global Bulletin
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Argentina-Chile coproduction “The Punishment,” directed by Matias Bize, was named best feature over the weekend at the close of the Beijing International Film Festival. Mexico’s Lila Avilés won the Tiantan Award for best director for her film “Totem.” Antonia Zegers and Line Renaud shared the best actress award for “The Punishment” and “Driving Madeleine,” respectively. The best actor award went to Xin Baiqing for Chinese movie “The Shadowless Tower.” The film, which premiered in February in Berlin, was the numerical winner. With the best screenplay, music, cinematography and artistic contribution awards, it won a total of five prizes.
Human Rights Watch Film Festival Opens With ‘Seven Winters in Tehran’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Addie Morfoot Contributor “Seven Winters in Tehran,” about a 19-year-old Iranian woman sentenced to death for killing the man who tried to rape her, will open the 34th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival on May 31 in New York City.The festival, co-presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC Center, will feature 10 documentaries about humanitarian challenges around the world. This year’s edition spotlights themes and topics including the Ukraine conflict (“When Spring Came to Bucha”), climate gentrification and justice (“Razing Liberty Square”), women’s rights (“Draw Me Egypt”) transgender rights (“Into My Name”) freedom of the press (“The Etilaat Roz”) and access to health care in the United States (“Pay or Die”).“From the war in Ukraine to women’s rights and bodily autonomy, to environmental gentrification and freedom of the press, these films span some of the most pressing human rights issues of our time,” says John Biaggi, director of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
Charli XCX to Make Feature Film Debut in Legendary’s ‘Faces of Death’ (Exclusive)
Singer-songwriter Charli XCX, who recently took the Coachella stage by storm, has joined the cast of Legendary’s “Faces of Death,” a reimagining of the 1978 horror film from John Alan Schwartz, TheWrap has exclusively learned.She joins a cast that includes “Euphoria” and “Stranger Things” stars Barbie Ferreira and Dacre Montgomery. The film is currently in production in New Orleans.Legendary’s version will be co-written by Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber and directed by Goldhaber.
‘The Sweet East’ First Look: Sean Prince Williams Makes His Directorial Debut During The Directors’ Fortnight At Cannes 2023
Sean Prince Williams made his name with cinephiles as the DP on several recent movies like the Safdie Brothers‘ “Good Time,” Alex Ross Perry‘s “Her Smell,” “Tesla,” and Abel Ferrara‘s “Zeroes And Ones.” Now it’s his turn to sit in the director’s chair. The Match Factory brings Williams’ directorial debut, “The Sweet East,” to the Cannes Film Festival this year, where it has its world premiere as part of the Directors’ Fortnight.
The Match Factory Picks Up ‘The Sweet East,’ Premiering in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight
Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Match Factory has boarded Sean Price Williams’s “The Sweet East,” which has its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival in May. It is the first feature film directed by Price Williams, the cinematographer of Owen Kline’s “Funny Pages” (2022), Abel Ferrara’s “Zeros and Ones” (2021), Michael Almereyda’s “Tesla” (2020), Alex Ross Perry’s “Her Smell” (2018) and the Safdies’ “Good Time” (2017). The screenplay is by film critic and programmer Nick Pinkerton. “The Sweet East” is a picaresque journey through the cities and woods of the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. undertaken by Lillian, a high school senior from South Carolina, who gets her first glimpse of the wider world on a class trip to Washington, D.C.
Match Factory Boards Cannes Directors’ Fortnight U.S. Indie Title ‘The Sweet East’
The Match Factory has acquired international sales rights on U.S. cinematographer and filmmaker Sean Price Williams’s feature directorial debut The Sweet East ahead of its world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight in May.
China Box Office: Japanese Animation ‘The First Slam Dunk’ Bounces to $13 Million Opening Day
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese animated film “The First Slam Dunk” has taken a strong early lead at the mainland China box office, picking up $13.8 million on its Thursday opening day. Films mostly release in China on Fridays, but the Japanese hit was given previews on Wednesday and a full court release on Thursday, starting with widespread midnight screenings. Data from local firm Ent Group reveals that the film earned $3.16 million from some 14,000 preview screenings on Wednesday, followed by $13.8 million on Thursday from 184,000 screening sessions. That gives it a $17 million cumulative and positions it at the top of the box office chart even before the conventional Friday to Sunday weekend begins.
Quentin Tarantino to Attend Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight For ‘Secret Screening’ and Honorary Tribute
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Quentin Tarantino has been named honorary guest at the upcoming edition of Directors’ Fortnight, the selection running alongside the Cannes Film Festival. The tribute will take place on May 25, on the closing of Directors Fortnight. “As an exceptional and generous cinephile, Tarantino is at home at the Fortnight. He will be our guest this year to present a secret screening and discuss his counter-history of cinema,” said Directors’ Fortnight in a statement. Tarantino was recently in Paris to promote his first non-fiction book, “Cinema Speculation,” which tells his coming-of-age as a director through a look at iconic American films from the 1970s era.
Quentin Tarantino Announced As Guest Of Honor At Cannes Directors’ Fortnight
Quentin Tarantino will attend Cannes Directors’ Fortnight as a guest of honor on May 25 for a special event consisting of a secret screening and a discussion on his counter-history of cinema, the parallel sidebar has announced.
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2023 Lineup Includes New Films From Hong Sang-soo, Michel Gondry & More
Last week, the initial lineup for the Cannes Film Festival was released. There were some heavy hitters involved in that announcement, as per usual when it comes to one of the biggest showcases of cinema in the world.
XYZ Films to Launch New Visions Slate at Cannes With Directors’ Fortnight Title ‘In Flames’
Naman Ramachandran XYZ Films has unveiled New Visions, an initiative designed to spotlight bold new voices alongside established talent striking a new path in the international cinema space. The initiative will serve as a curated collection of films that “exists to discover and support the next generation of great filmmakers at the inception of their career, and to give established talents room to do something smaller, more intimate, or challenging outside of the usual box of independent filmmaking,” XYZ said in a statement. The slate will launch in Cannes with Directors’ Fortnight selection “In Flames,” a Pakistani-Canadian horror film directed by Zarrar Kahn and executive produced by Shant Joshi. As revealed by Variety, XYZ had boarded the title last year. In the Karachi-set film, after the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and phantasmal. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.
Disney & Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ Will Be The Closing Film Of The 2023 Cannes Film Festival
Any guesses on what film will close the 2023 Cannes Film Festival? How about the upcoming Disney/Pixar movie “Elemental“? If that sounds outlandish, remember that the festival has picked three other Pixar movies over the years: “Up,” “Inside Out,” and “Soul,” respectively. READ MORE: ‘Elemental’ Trailer: Fire & Water Don’t Mix Well In Pixar’s New Animated Film Even then, given the overall critical reception to the past three Pixar releases, including last year’s misfire “Lightyear,” it feels strange for the animation studio to return to Cannes, much less provide the fest’s final film.
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Head Julien Rejl Talks Under-The-Radar Films; Industry Pressures & U.S. Indie Revival
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.
Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2023 Lineup Includes New Films From Hong Sang-soo, Michel Gondry & More
Last week, the initial lineup for the Cannes Film Festival was released. There were some heavy hitters involved in that announcement, as per usual when it comes to one of the biggest showcases of cinema in the world.
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.
‘Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,’ Vietnam Drama in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Picked up by Cercamon (EXCLUSIVE)
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Dubai-based sales agency Cercamon has picked up international rights to “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” by first-time feature director Pham Thien An. The film will have its global premiere next month in the Directors Fortnight section of the Cannes film festival. Pham Thien An previously made short films “The Mute” in 2018 and the one-take “Stay Awake, Be Ready” in 2019. Both enjoyed a busy festival career, with “Stay Awake” earning the Illy Prize in Cannes followed by additional awards at the Palm Springs, Busan, Kyiv and Flickerfest events. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” follows the emotional journey of Thien, who is entrusted with the responsibility of delivering his sister-in-law’s body to their hometown after a tragic motorcycle accident in Saigon. Amidst this heartbreaking task, Thien also takes care of his nephew, Dao, a five-year-old survivor of the accident. As they traverse the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, Thien embarks on a quest to find his long-lost brother and reunite him with Dao, a journey that ultimately leads him to question his faith.
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.