Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Discovery-owned Eurosport has acquired streaming rights in 54 countries to Olympic refugee documentary “We Dare to Dream” by Waad Al-Kateab, the Oscar-nominated Syrian director of “For Sama.” “We Dare to Dream” is the story of the refugee Olympic team that competed at the 2020 games in Tokyo, which featured stateless athletes from Iran, Syria, South Sudan and Cameroon who swim, run and fight their way to safety in host nations across the world. It’s told through the personal prism of Al-Kateab while she is coming to terms with the reality that she can never return to Aleppo, where she shot “For Sama.” The doc premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and had an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run at New York City’s IFC Center in October.
Red Sea Film Festival Selects Short Films That Test the Boundaries: ‘A Lot of Them Are About the Gray Area’
27.11.2023 - 17:01 / variety.com
Nick Holdsworth Kaleem Aftab, director of international programming at the Red Sea Film Festival, has cast his net wide in selecting the 14 films in the festival’s International Short Film Competition program. Aimed at attracting emerging talent from across Africa, Asia and the Islamic world, the section includes fiction, animation and documentary in films that average 15-20 minutes long, but may be as short as a couple of minutes, or as long as an hour.
With films ranging from Iranian director Farnoosh Samadi’s Iran-French co-production, “Titanic” – which takes a darkly comic look at Iranian film censors confused by how to interpret new regulations – to Kazakh filmmaker Shugyla Serzhan’s “The Late Wind,” about a young pregnant woman suddenly abandoned by her boyfriend, the section pushes boundaries of subjects that are already part of the public conversation in the countries from which it selects. “One of the biggest things about these films is that a lot of them are about the gray area – what is right and wrong and where we are today and how capitalism has changed everything,” Aftab says.
“In ‘Titanic’ – shot in one room – the director plays with ideas that may challenge censors: What is the nature of a kiss? Is this kiss a friendship kiss? Is it romantic? How do we tell the difference? How do we draw boundaries?” The edginess of some of the films in selection reflect the broadness of both the members of the selection committee and the geographical reach of the program, which accepts films from directors who qualified as being African, Asian or Islamic filmmakers – even if they live in Europe or the U.S., he adds. There are films from Indonesia – Kevin Rahardio’s “Accidentally Intentional” about a religious
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‘Sweet Dreams’ Director Ena Sendijarević Sees Her Drama As A “Surrealist Bridge To The Past” – Contenders International
Bosnian-Dutch director Ena Sendijarević’s satire Sweet Dreams unfolds on a plantation in the Dutch East Indies that is falling into decay in step with the crumbling of the Netherlands’ colonial power.
Royal kids steal the show as Prince Louis looks all grown up at Christmas carol service
The Royal children were beaming with festive cheer as they joined their family for Kate Middleton's now-annual Together At Christmas Carol Service in London this evening, 8 December, and quickly stole the show upon arrival. The Prince and Princess of Wales' three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were the picture of royalty as they acted calm and collected as they stayed close to their parents Kate and Prince William, both 41, the future King of England.
Red Sea Film Festival Awards: ‘In Flames’ Best Feature & Two Wins For ‘The Teacher’ – Full List
The third annual Red Sea Film Festival handed out its Yusr Awards on Thursday night, with Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames taking Best Feature and Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher scoring a pair of wins including Best Actor for Saleh Bakri. See the full list below.
Zara McDermott tells Fred Sirieix how he should have handled Sam Thompson's ADHD
The girlfriend of I’m A Celebrity star Sam Thompson has explained how Fred Sirieix should have helped him instead of giving him a row for ‘not concentrating’.
‘The Summer With Carmen,’ Venice-Premiering Queer Comedy, Sells to the U.S., U.K. (EXCLUSIVE)
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “The Summer With Carmen,” Zacharias Mavroeidis’ queer comedy, has been acquired in major territories since world premiering at the Venice Film Festival. The movie, which is represented by Be For Films and had its North American premiere at AFI, recently won three prizes at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. It will be released next year by Cinobo in Greece, Epicentre in France and Xenix Filmdistribution in Switzerland.
ITV I'm A Celeb's Fred Siriex ‘riled up’ and unhappy after elimination, reveals Ant and Dec
Fred Siriex may have put on a cool display as he was the third campmate to say goodbye to I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Here!, but show presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly have revealed that all wasn't so calm behind the scenes.The Geordie duo, both 48, took to their Instagram page to give followers a livestream debrief after the show had aired, as they often do, and shared that French star Fred was 'riled up'. Reflecting on the eviction, Dec said: "I think he wasn't happy to go," as his co-host agreed: "Yeah, he seemed a little bit riled up didn't he?" According to The Sun, Dec continued to speculate that Fred wasn't ready to go, adding: "I think he would have quite happily stayed in there.
Bollywood, Nollywood & Hallyuwood Can Learn From Each Other But Are Facing New Challenges, Say Red Sea Souk Panelists
Post-pandemic audiences are much more open to different cultures, thanks to streaming and exposure to new types of content, but some of the world’s biggest film industries are still figuring out how to adapt in a rapidly changing landscape, said speakers on the ‘Cinematic Crossovers’ panel in Red Sea Souk.
‘Battle in the Box’ Korean Game Show Format Unpacks Further International Deals – ATF
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Something Special, the Seoul-based international format agency founded by format specialists Jin Woo Hwang (president and executive producer) and Kim In Soon (EVP & head of content) announce that ITV Studios has optioned the hit Korean celebrity format “Battle in the Box” for France, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. The deal was unveiled on Wednewday, the first full day of the Asia Television Forum and Market (ATF) in Singapore. “Battle in the Box,” created by Korea’s NMedia and represented globally by Something Special, has previously seen deals announced with Fremantle for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal.
Rani Massalha’s ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son,’ About a Coptic Pig Farmer in Egypt, Takes Top Award at Red Sea Souk
Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor The third edition of the Red Sea Souk, the market arm of the Red Sea Film Festival, awarded its top prize of $100,000 to “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Rani Massalha. Another eight feature projects and two TV series were awarded cash and in-kind prizes as part of the Red Souk Awards.
ITV I'm A Celebrity's Nella Rose's heartbreaking double family tragedy, award-winning career and controversial camp rows
As the final of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here is now in plain sight, one celebrity will soon be crowned this year's King or Queen of the Jungle. Every night, each of the remaining nine stars will face the public vote, with one campmate then forced to leave the ITV show.
Edward Berger To Address Israeli Film Lab; German Industry Bodies Merge; Eccho Rights Buys ‘I Am Mother’; ZDF Studios Strikes U.S. Output Deal — Global Briefs
Edward Berger To Address Israel’s Sam Spiegel International Film Lab
‘Jeanne Du Barry’ Red Sea Film Fest Q&A: Watch Maïwenn & Johnny Depp Debate Whether Period Romance Is Funny With Saudi Audience
French director Maïwenn and Johnny Depp hit Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival on Friday for a special screening of period romance Jeanne du Barry followed by a Q&A.
Dubai Management Co. Untamed Talent Launches With A.B. Shawky & Amjad Al Rasheed Among Directors On Inaugural Client List – Red Sea Film Festival
Former Mister Smith sales executive Antone Saliba has launched management and production company Untamed Talent, with the backing of Dubai-based Front Row Productions.
Banijay Makes Offer for All3Media, Other Bidders Still Being Considered
K.J. Yossman Banijay, the French TV production super-indie, has made an offer for All3Media. All3Media is the production-distribution giant behind shows including Jamie Dornan-starrer “The Tourist,” Phoebe Waller Bridge’s “Fleabag” and Dutch gameshow hit “The Traitors.” Warner Bros.
Sandra Tabet’s Horror Film ‘Rabies’ Explores the Apocalyptic Setting of 1990s Post-Civil War Beirut
Martin Dale Contributor The sight of dogs ravaging war-torn streets has become an all too familiar sight. Sandra Tabet’s debut feature film “Rabies” (Rage) – a development project at the Atlas Workshops – returns to early 1990s in Beirut, in the aftermath of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), when rabies began to spread rapidly amongst ravenous dogs, leading to some parts of the city being overrun. Combining horror genre codes with a real-world setting, “Rabies” follows 60-year-old history teacher Julia, who tries to find a cure for her 30-year-old son Ghassan, who after being bitten by a rabid dog slowly transforms into a violent monster.
Jessica Chastain Champions Power Of Art As Marrakech Film Festival Opens Against The Odds
Jessica Chastain, resplendent in a shimmering silver tasseled jump suit, championed the power of art to bring about positive change at the opening night of the Marrakech Film Festival on Friday evening.
Hillary & Chelsea Clinton EP’d Irish Oscar Entry ‘In The Shadow Of Beirut’ & ‘Chicken Run Dawn of the Nugget’ Head To Saudi Red Sea Film Fest
Garry Keane and Stephen Gerard Kelly’s documentary In The Shadow Of Beirut, which is Ireland’s Oscar category this year, is headed to the Red Sea International Film Festival, running November 30 to December 9 in the Red Sea port of Jeddah.
The Kills announce 2024 UK and European ‘God Games’ tour
The Kills have announced details of a tour across the UK and Europe, set to kick off in 2024. Check out ticket details below.The newly shared run of live shows will see the duo – formed of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince – hit the road in celebration of their latest album ‘God Games’.
‘The Blue Caftan’ Becomes Biggest Moroccan Box Office Hit Overseas
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Maryam Touzani‘s “The Blue Caftan,” a drama revolving around the love between a closeted man and his wife, has sold more than 500,000 tickets around the world. The Arabic-language movie, which world premiered at Cannes in 2022 and won the Fipresci prize, has become the Moroccan film that sold the most admissions overseas in recent history, according to French promotion org Unifrance. Produced by veteran Moroccan filmmaker Nabil Ayouch (“Casablanca Beats,” “Much Loved”), “The Blue Caftan” stars Lubna Azabal (“Incendies”) and Saleh Bakri (“Costa Brava, Lebanon”).