Algeria Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Two Scots journalists held in a detention centre “like an open sewer” have begged the international ­community to rescue 101 refugees, including children, still there.

Here are your Manchester City evening headlines for Saturday, June 17.

Director Jacques Rozier, who was regarded as the last surviving member of the French New Wave, has died. He was 96.

Christopher Vourlias A host of emerging talents gathered at Cannes’ Plage des Palmes on May 22 for the latest edition of Focus COPRO’, an event launched in 2018 by the Cannes Court Métrage Rendez-vous Industry program to give a boost to first-time feature directors. Seven up-and-coming filmmakers whose previous shorts have bowed at the Cannes Film Festival and other prestigious fests including Berlin, New Directors New Films and Clermont-Ferrand, gathered under sunny skies on the French Riviera for an informal lunch with a host of industry decision-makers. The event offered a casual setting for the directors to chat about their upcoming feature debuts, seated alongside veteran producers and sales agents, as well as reps from leading co-production markets, labs, residencies, workshops and institutions focused on identifying and nurturing emerging talent.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor MAD Solutions has acquired the distribution rights to “Concrete Valley” for multiple territories. The film focuses on a Syrian family living in Toronto. The film, from Canadian-French filmmaker Antoine Bourges, premiered at Toronto Film Festival, before travelling to Berlinale, and it just screened at Jeonju. The deal covers the following territories: UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, South of Sudan and Comoro Island. The writers are Bourges and Teyama Alkamli. The producer is Shehrezade Mian at Markhor Pictures.

Ian Wright has claimed that "getting bodies around" David de Gea could lead to further errors from the Manchester United goalkeeper.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Jermain Defoe has joked that he "would have saved" Said Benrahma's winner during West Ham United's 1-0 victory over Manchester United at the London Stadium on Sunday evening.

Riyad Mahrez gave Pep Guardiola plenty to think about with a wonderful hat-trick against Sheffield United on Saturday and Manchester City fans are backing him to start against Arsenal this evening.

Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez made history on Saturday in scoring the first FA Cup semi-final hat-trick since 1958 and the first ever at Wembley.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent In a bid to showcase the utility of NFT’s in cinema, the team behind Mounia Meddour’s (“Papicha”) Rome-premiering film “Houria” is launching a limited impact NFT collection. Meddour’s follow up to her Cesar-winning feature debut “Papicha,” “Houria” is still playing in theaters in France and was recently boarded by “CODA” Star Troy Kotsur who is now executive producer on the movie. Kotsur made history last year as the first Deaf man to take home an acting award at the Oscars.  The initiative, which is being engineered by the film’s producers Ink Connection and High Sea, as well as the banners MADworld and Lumiere, will allow for the creation of a series of NFT’s focusing on “Houria”‘s central themes — sign language and dance. Powered by blockchain technology, a portion of the NFT proceeds will be donated to the Paris-based non-profit org Femmes Sourdes Citoyennes et Solidaires (United Deaf Women Citizens).  

Malina Saval Associate Editor, Features Radiohead guitarist and Academy Award-nominated composer Jonny Greenwood has long had an affinity for Israel. Radiohead first toured the country in the mid-1990s and Greenwood married Israeli visual artist, Sharona Katan. Now Greenwood is pairing with acclaimed Israeli singer Dudu Tassa for a collaborative album, “Jarak Qaribak,” which is due out June 9 from World Circuit Records. The album’s debut track, “Ashufak Shay,” which loosely translates to “Your Neighbor in Your Friend” and features Lebanese vocalist Rashid al-Najjar, dropped last week. Produced by Tassa and Greenwood and mixed by Nigel Godrich, “Jarak Qaribak,” is a celebration of multicultural talent, bringing together singers and musicians from across the Middle East, including Egyptian vocalist Ahmed Doma, Palestinian vocalist Nour Freteikh and Safae Essafi, a singer from Dubai. There are songs on the album from countries such as Algeria, Jordan and Morocco.

“Infinity Pool” actress Mia Goth has joined the cast of Mahershala Ali’s “Blade,” according to an insider with knowledge of the project.Yann Demange, a French-Algerian filmmaker whose previous credits include Jack O’Connell’s “71” and Matthew McConaughey’s “White Boy Rick,” is attached to direct the vampire-killing actioner.Michael Starrbury, who has penned episodes of Netflix and Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” and “Colin in Black and White,” wrote the latest draft of the screenplay.Assuming all goes well from here, production will begin in Atlanta in early 2023. While the film will reportedly be darker than a stereotypical Marvel romp, the extent this film will straddle the line between the safely PG-13 MCU entries and New Line Cinema’s original hard-R trilogy with Wesley Snipes remains to be seen.When Stephen Norrington’s “Blade” debuted in 1998, it was mostly sold and generally embraced (good reviews, solid buzz and $131 million worldwide on a $45 million budget) as an R-rated, martial-arts infused Snipes vehicle that just happened to be based on a Marvel comic book.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Cannes Screenplay List, an initiative backed by the talent platform Wscripted in partnership with MUBI, will be back for a third edition at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film. An international jury comprising filmmakers Mounia Meddour (“Papicha”, “Houria”), Funa Maduka (“Waiting for Hassana”), and Camille Griffin (“The Silent Night”) will sift through submitted feature scripts from women and non-binary writers. The final List of top scripts will be presented to producers during during the Cannes Marché du Film, in collaboration with MUBI.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be forced into making at least two changes to his line-up for the Champions League opener with last-16 opponents RB Leipzig.

Studiocanal has boarded development on part English-language thriller Smiling Hacker which is currently being written by Audrey Diwan.

Eder Flag in Oak Creek, Wisc. makes American flags – a huge number of them. More than five million a year, in fact. 

An Ayrshire Second World War veteran celebrated his 100th birthday with a surprise party and a special flyover from two former RAF planes.

Just under two months after losing original helmer Bassam Tariq, Marvel Studios has hired both a new director and a new screenwriter for its upcoming “Blade” reboot with Mahershala Ali.Yann Demange, a French-Algerian filmmaker whose previous credits include Jack O’Connell’s “71” and Matthew McConaughey’s “White Boy Rick,” has signed on to direct the vampire-killing actioner. Michael Starrbury, who has penned episodes of Netflix and Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” and “Colin in Black and White,” will write a new screenplay.While the film has already been pushed from Nov.

French filmmaker Jean-Marie Straub, who was one half of the radical, arthouse filmmaking duo Straub-Huillet with his late wife Danièle Huillet, has died at the age of 89 in Switzerland.

SF Studios Acquires Johan Rundberg’s ‘Moonwind & Hoff’ Book SeriesSF Studios has acquired the film rights to Johan Rundberg’s book series Moonwind & Hoff. The series includes the novels The Night Raven, The Queen of Thieves, The Angel of Death, and The Blood Pact. The Night Raven is the first novel that will be adapted, produced, and distributed by SF Studios. The film is expected to start shooting at the beginning of 2024 with a theatrical release in 2025. Stefan H. Lindén and Alexandra Thönnersten, producers at SF Studios, said: “The Night Raven and the entire series about Moonwind & Hoff are exactly in the realm of magical realism that we both dreamed of producing. In many ways, both the world and the characters feel inspiring and exciting. We want to create a grand series of films that can enthrall cinema audiences.”

Christopher Vourlias Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” will open the 44th edition of the Cairo Film Festival, the Arab world’s venerable cinematic showcase, which takes place Nov. 13 – 22. The Oscar-winning director’s semi-autobiographical film, which follows the formative years of a young man who discovers movies as a means to help him see the truth about others and himself, earned a standing ovation following its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. This year’s event in the Egyptian capital, which takes place as most film festivals and industry events have returned to business as usual after two years of pandemic cancellations and disruptions, nevertheless unfolds against a backdrop of global uncertainty.

Naman Ramachandran South Indian cinema A-lister Prithviraj Sukumaran is an integral part of the cast of “Salaar,” starring Prabhas (the Baahubali franchise) and directed by Prashanth Neel (the K.G.F. franchise). Though he was approached for the role more than 18 months ago, Sukumaran nearly could not do the film because he was busy with Jordan and Algeria shoots for Blessy’s pandemic-delayed magnum opus “Aadu Jeevitham.” As luck would have it, “Salaar” was also delayed and the dates finally aligned. Sukumaran began shooting for the film in September. “There are multiple reasons why ‘Salaar’ would be a no-brainer for anybody to say yes to – it’s a Prashanth Neel film, a Hombale Films [the K.G.F. franchise] production and it is Prabhas’ film,” Sukumaran told Variety. “It is Prabhas’ return to mainstream mass commercial cinema after a while. His films post ‘Saaho’ have been slightly away from the mass action genre.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Cinemed, the Mediterranean Cinema Film Festival, is partnering up with Lebanese film org Aflamuna / Beirut DC to launch a new co-production and co-financing initiative aimed at high-profile projects from the Arab world. The new program, which is also backed by France’s National Film Board and is part of the festival’s industry showcase Cinemed Meetings, will present seven projects involving 22 Arab countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Liban, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Syria, among others. All selected projects are currently in development and are being brought by filmmakers who have previously directed at least one short film.

Pep Guardiola isn't thinking about the World Cup when he comes to Manchester City selection decisions, despite the presence of the tournament throwing uncertainty into this season's calendar.

Pep Guardiola was pleased that Riyad Mahrez is getting better but acknowledged that he must still do more after a rare start for Manchester City.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Troy Kotsur, the Oscar-winning actor of “CODA,” has joined Mounia Meddour’s uplifting drama “Houria” ahead of its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival. Meddour’s follow-up to her Cesar-winning film “Papicha” tells the story of Houria, a gifted dancer with dreams of joining the Algerian National Ballet. To make ends meet, she bets in clandestine fights overnight. However after winning a final, Houria is violently assaulted by a man determined to get his money back. When she wakes up in a hospital, she no longer is able to speak and will certainly never dance again. Refusing to abandon her dream, she throws herself, heart and soul, into her physical recovery and meets at a rehab center other women damaged by life. Houria resolves to help them transcend their wounded bodies and stand tall by teaching them how to dance through a choreography inspired by sign language.

ALBANIA“A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On”Director: Gentian KociDirector Koci’s first film, “Daybreak,” was Albania’s Oscar entry in 2017; his second is “A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On,” about deaf-mute twins who also have a disease that will make them blind. Albania has submitted 15 films to the Oscars without landing a nomination or placing a film on the shortlist.ALGERIA“Our Brothers”Director: Rachid BoucharebSeven films from director Bouchareb have represented Algeria in the Oscar race, more than any other director, including three of the country’s five nominated movies.

Cinema Guild has acquired North American distribution rights for Human Flowers of Flesh directed by Helena Wittmann (Drift).

Riyad Mahrez must improve his physical condition if he wants to get back into the Manchester City team, according to Pep Guardiola.

Here are your Manchester City evening headlines on Friday, September 23.

The Rome Film Festival has unveiled its first line-up under the new management team of former Rai executive Paola Malanga as artistic director and Cineteca di Bologna director Gian Luca Farinelli as president, who were both appointed to their roles last March.

period drama “Corsage,” starring Vicky Krieps as 19th-century Austrian Empress Elisabeth; Lukas Dhont’s tender coming-of-age film “Close,” the Belgian selection; Jerzy Skolimowski’s nearly wordless “EO,” a road movie from the point of view of a donkey that was submitted by Poland; and South Korean director Park Chan-wook’s stylish crime story/love story hybrid, “Decision to Leave.”Other films that could be positioned to do well include the German selection, Edward Berger’s harrowing new version of the classic antiwar novel “All Quiet on the Western Front,” a Netflix release; Spain’s “Alcarras,” a drama by Carla Simon that won the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival; and “Our Brothers” from director Rachid Boucharev, who has represented Algeria seven previous times in the Oscar race, landing three of the country’s five nominations.As usual, the rule that allows an Academy-approved body from each country to choose that country’s Oscar submission has led to some surprises.

Algerian filmmakers have stepped up a campaign calling for their government to unlock promised state funds for cinema, warning that Algeria’s film industry is on its last legs following a near-year-long funding freeze.

“Candy is better in France,” says a small boy to his brother in a flashback scene in For My Country (Pour La France), Rachid Hami’s personal drama premiering in Horizons at the Venice Film Festival. The boy’s Algerian family is considering moving to France, and his simplistic response sums up his innocent, optimistic view of his new home. But — as we have already discovered — France will bring tragedy to the family in this moving account based on Hami’s memories of his late younger brother.

Marta Balaga Final Cut, a workshop supporting films in post-production from African and Arab countries – launched by the Venice Film Festival’s industry section, Venice Production Bridge – celebrates its 10th anniversary this week. Its goals have remained the same, however, as it continues to provide emerging filmmakers with concrete assistance as well as visibility, all the while strengthening Venice’s role as “bridge builder,” says Alessandra Speciale, its curator. The final selection features titles made by directors from nine different countries: Algeria, Jordan, Guinea, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Central African Republic and Tunisia.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent MK2 Films has unveiled a clip of Rachid Hami’s “For My Country,” a politically minded family drama which will world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in the Horizons section. A personal movie, “For My Country” is based on the life of Hami, whose brother tragically died in a French military school during a hazing rite. Produced by Mizar Films, the searing drama tells the story of Aissa, a brilliant young officer of Algerian origin who dies during a fresher initiation ritual at the prestigious French military academy of Saint-Cyr. Refusing to take responsibility for his death, the French army insists to have Aissa buried in the Muslim plot of a suburban cemetery instead of the military one. Appalled by the obvious discrimination, Aissa’s older brother, Ismael, brings the family together to reclaim justice for Aissa.