Lucrecia Martel & Lav Diaz Pick Titles For Locarno Film Festival Retro Program; MUBI To Screen Globally

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentHalted by COVID-19, and now part of Locarno’s The Films After Tomorrow competition, Lav Diaz’s “When the Waves Are Gone” looks set to mark the first time the Filipino auteur will enjoy the upsides of full-force international co-production.That co-production involve, moreover, some of highest-profile art film producers currently working in Europe.Winner of Locarno Golden Leopard (2014’s “From What Is Before”) and a Venice Golden Lion (2016’s “The

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAmka Films, the Swiss indie shingle founded by prominent producer Tiziana Soudani – who sadly passed away in January – is carrying on its activities under a trio of women led by her daughter Amel Soudani.The company is known for its involvement in prizewinning films by prominent directors from nearby Italy, such as Alice Rohrwacher (“The Wonders”), Silvio Soldini (“Bread and Tulips) and Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo (“Bad Tales”) as well as by emerging

was forced to scrub this year’s edition due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tribeca Film Festival has announced it will return in 2021.

Guy Lodge Film CriticThe news that Lucrecia Martel was working on a new feature film — less than three years after premiering 2017’s “Zama” — was excitedly received by world cinema buffs: nine long years had separated “Zama” and her previous feature, “The Headless Woman,” and admirers of the enigmatic Argentine auteur had no reason to expect a suddenly increased work rate.“Zama,” after all, was a film that reflected its lengthy gestation and repeated delays in its hypnotic style.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentFollowing a two-year absence, France will be back among the partner countries of Locarno Pro’s Alliance 4 Development platform that facilitates cooperation between existing co-development funds in Switzerland, Italy, Germany and – well – France, once again.Launched by the Locarno fest’s industry side in 2014, the initiative aims to test market potential and to form creative alliances and foster European co-productions at early stages of development.

Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night In Miami, has been added to the line-up for the Venice Film Festival’s upcoming 77th edition.The Watchmen star’s movie, her first feature behind the camera, takes place in 1964 and follows a young Cassius Clay – later known to the world as Muhammad Ali – after he wins the title of world heavyweight boxing champion.King is already an experienced TV director with credits on shows such as Scandal and This Is Us.“We are pinching ourselves to have been

Tom Grater International Film ReporterEXCLUSIVE: Hans Fraikin was the founding commissioner of the Quebec Film and TV Council, where during his tenure the region saw $1.5BN in inward investment, staging shoots for titles including 300 and X-Men: Apocalypse, as well as becoming a world leader in animation.Now, he has set up shop in Abu Dhabi in the UAE, the Middle East city which is attempting to establish itself as a global hub for film and TV shoots.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentSounding a note of hope for the 20 titles selected for Locarno Festival’s highest-profile competition, The Films After Tomorrow, Helena Wittmann’s entry, the sensuous sea odyssey “Human Flowers of Flesh,” is scheduled to go into production on Aug.

Ever since its announcement as part of this year’s Cannes Film Festival Official Selections, Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology series from Amazon has been positioned as one of the 2020 fall festival darlings. And it appears that is playing out at this year’s New York Film Festival, which will not only debut a feature-length episode of the anthology as its Opening Night film but will also showcase two additional episodes as part of the main slate.

Also Read: Toronto Film Festival Lineup to Include Films Directed by Regina King, Halle BerryNYFF this year will host outdoor and virtual screenings with some indoor screenings as possible as directed by state and health officials.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Locarno Film Festival is reinventing itself due to the coronavirus crisis by launching a plan B called Locarno 2020 — For the Future of Films, its core philosophy being to support global indie film directors hard hit by the pandemic as they toiled to bring their projects to the big screen.“In April we were looking at a lot of different scenarios of what the festival could be,” says Lili Hinstin, artistic director of the Swiss event held in a

With the announcement of this year’s lineup, the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival has promised both major changes to itself along with its position as the first major festival to make a physical return following the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic.

Christopher Vourlias Jan Naszewski’s Warsaw-based sales outfit New Europe Film Sales has acquired world sales rights to “A Piece of Sky,” Swiss director Michael Koch’s sophomore feature, which was selected for The Films After Tomorrow strand of the Locarno Festival.“A Piece of Sky” is based on the real-life story of Anna and Marco, a couple who falls in love in a remote Alpine village.

Venice Film Festival has announced its official lineup for this year's fest, to run Sept.

Richard Kuipers “A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic” casts a damning eye on the pernicious role alcohol plays in the working careers and social lives of Japanese men. Narrated by the innermost thoughts of a daughter during the 25 years she spends watching her father drink himself to death, Kenji Katagari’s second feature cleverly plays like a quirky little TV sitcom about an ordinary middle-class family before moving into darker territory.

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorThe Bentonville Film Festival set the lineup for its sixth edition Tuesday, with the festival co-founded by Geena Davis unveiling its spotlight and competition program of indie feature films, shorts and episodic titles.The fest is set to run August 10-16 in the Arkansas city and is being engineered as a hybrid event because of coronavirus concerns, with digital screenings, panels and events to run alongside some on-the-ground premieres and

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterThe Locarno Film Festival StepIn 2020 will take place virtually in the Variety Streaming Room August 5-7 with three 50-minute sessions covering the future of theatrical experience, the state of independent film production and the future of film festivals and markets.Speakers include Rodrigo Teixeira, Producer (‘Call Me By Your Name’, ‘Port Authority’); Kasi Lemmons, Director/Writer (‘Harriet’); Elissa Federoff, President Distribution, NEON; Daniel Battsek,

Crieff school while at the summit.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“American Utopia,” a filmed-version of David Byrne’s hit Broadway show, will be the opening night presentation of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival. This edition of the annual Canadian gathering for film lovers is unlike any of the previous 44 iterations.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefOnly this week officially confirmed as going ahead, the Shanghai International Film Festival has announced some of the first titles to be selected.The festival will run 25 July to Aug. 2 combining a mixture of theatrical screenings in front of live audiences, outdoor screenings and online streaming.