Zurich Film Festival Reveals First Gala Premieres

EXCLUSIVE: The Points North Institute today announced recipients of three of its prestigious fellowship programs, ahead of next month’s Camden International Film Festival in Maine.

Making its European premiere, Sally El Hosaini’s The Swimmers has been set as the opening film of the 18th Zurich Film Festival. Based on the inspirational true-life story of the Mardini sisters, it will screen on September 22 at Zurich’s Convention Center. It will earlier world premiere as the opening night gala presentation in Toronto.

Clayton Davis It’s late summer, so it’s time to start talking about awards season. Cannes issued the first slate of contenders in the international feature Oscar race, and now Venice and Toronto are ready to screen another batch, which begs the question: What looks like the breakout pics from the festival circuit that should contend for kudos? More than 90 countries have been submitting films for Academy consideration for the past few years, in order to walk away with the coveted best international feature Oscar. Coming off the Cinderella story of Japan’s “Drive My Car” from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, which was also nominated for three other Oscars including best picture, it became the tenth film to be recognized for both best picture and international feature.

Charlotte Gainsbourg is set to be honored at this year’s Zurich Film Festival with the Golden Eye award. Gainsbourg will be presented with the award on September 26 at the festival and the presentation will be followed by the world premiere of her latest film The Almond and the Seahorse, starring Rebel Wilson.

OSCAR-qualifying Grand Prix Best Short : “Hallelujah,” Victor GabrielOSCAR-qualifying Best Live Action: “Mulaqat/Sandstorm,” Seemab GulOSCAR-qualifying Best Animation: “Scale,” Joseph PierceBest Director: “Sideral,” Carlos SegundoBest Action: “Kickstart My Heart,” Kelsey BolligBest Comedy: “All I Ever Wanted,” Erin LauBest Costume Design: “Sauerdogs,” Carmen GranellBest Drama: “Like the Ones I Used to Know,” Annie St-PierreBest Documentary: “Mink!,” Ben ProudfootBest Editing: “The Machine,” Rowan McKayBest Female Screenplay Presented by BeCine: “Last Ship East,” Eris QianBest Horror: “Moshari,” Nuhash HumayunBest International: “The Voice Actress,” Anna J. TakayamaLatinx Award Presented by Viacom International Studios: “Huella,” Gabriela OrtegaBest LGBTQIA+: “North Star,” P.J.

Jessica Kiang After 18 days of in-person screenings, over 370 movies and the allocation of a new prize fund totaling $210,000 AUD (approx. $145,000 USD) the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has to be one of the lengthiest, liveliest and now most lucrative film festivals in the world.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorZurich Film Festival has revealed the lineup for its Hashtag section, which is devoted to “a topic that is trending on social media,” the event said Thursday. This year’s section screens films under the title #MyReligion, and deals with “questions of faith, euphoria and modern deities.”“Whether in the U.S.A., Russia or the Middle East, we are seeing a comeback of religions,” Christian Jungen, ZFF artistic director, said.

After recently unveiling its gala premieres program, the Zurich Film Festival has set its Hashtag section with movies to screen under the title “#MyReligion.” Since 2018, the fest has annually dedicated the strand to showcase a hot topic that is also trending on social media. #MyReligion will deal with questions of faith, euphoria and modern deities.

Bones and AllLuca Guadagnino, 2022, U.S., 130mIn a startling, star-making performance, Taylor Russell plays Maren, a teenager who has just moved to a small town in Virginia with her father (André Holland). However, it’s only a matter of time before the frightening secret Maren harbors is revealed and she must hit the road again—on her own.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“She Said,” a drama about the sexual harassment investigation that took down Harvey Weinstein and sparked the #MeToo movement, will have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival.The Universal Pictures movie is screening as part of the festival’s spotlight section. Other movies that will be highlighted include Chinonye Chukwu’s historical drama “Till,” Elvis Mitchell’s documentary “Is That Black Enough for You?!?,” James Ivory and Giles Gardner’s non-fiction film “A Cooler Climate,” and Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s New York Dolls documentary “Personality Crisis: One Night Only.”Additional spotlight entries include “Bones and All,” directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet; Marco Bellocchio’s “Exterior Night,” a six-part series about the kidnapping and eventual murder of the Italy’s influential statesman and former prime minister Aldo Moro; director Lars von Trier’s “The Kingdom Exodus,” a third season of his television series The Kingdom; Chris Smith’s “Sr.”, a look at the life and career of Robert Downey Jr.’s late father, Robert Downey, Sr.; “The Super 8 Years,” a story about writer-director Annie Ernaux’s family’s memory; and Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” a screen adaptation of Miriam Toews’ novel about women from a remote religious community dealing with the aftermath of sexual assault.

The New York Film Festival on Tuesday revealed its Spotlight section lineup, which includes the world premiere of She Said, Universal’s drama based on the work of New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who investigated and wrote the bombshell 2017 Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse story.

“Empire of Light,” the latest feature film from Oscar winner Sam Mendes, has locked its European premiere with a gala screening at the 66th annual BFI London Film Festival. Starring Olivia Colman, Michael Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones and others, the 1980s–set film “is a powerful and poignant story about human connection and the magic of cinema,” distributor Searchlight Pictures said in a statement. The film’s stars – including Colman, Firth, and on-the-rise BAFTA winner Ward – are expected to be in attendance at the festival’s American Express Gala screening on Oct.

Naman Ramachandran Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth, will be this year’s American Express Gala at the 66th BFI London Film Festival.Written, produced and directed by Oscar and BAFTA winning filmmaker Mendes, the film also stars Toby Jones, Tanya Moodie, Tom Brooke and Crystal Clarke. Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, the film is about human connection and the magic of cinema. It marks Mendes’ first solo credit as screenwriter and reunites him with Oscar winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (“1917,” “Skyfall”).The film is produced by Mendes and Pippa Harris’ Neal Street Productions, in partnership with Searchlight Pictures.

The 66th BFI London Film Festival has set Empire Of Light, the latest film from Sam Mendes, as its American Express Gala screening.

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) has unveiled the seven titles in its Gala Premieres section showcasing auteur features with broad audience appeal and awards season potential.

patka and cuts his hair.Screenwriter Atul Kulkarni’s decision to speak about the possibility of unity in India, or at least to see one’s enemies as people with similar hopes and fears, stands as the most compelling narrative transformation in “Laal.” To that virtuous ideological end, Brother Muhammed (Manav Vij), a Muslim fighter Laal saves from dying, replaces Lieutenant Dan. Their interreligious friendship illustrates the film’s message of tolerance.Those most familiar with the original Best Picture winner will likely catch themselves searching for its best remembered elements, including the scene where Gump receives a medal from President Lyndon B.

EJ Panaligan editorCinema Guild has acquired the North American distribution rights for Hong Sangsoo’s upcoming film “Walk Up.” The film will world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and will also play in competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Cinema Guild will open the film in theaters in 2023 following its release of Hong’s other 2022 title, “The Novelist’s Film,” this fall.Kwon Haehyo, in his ninth film for Hong, plays Byungsoo, a film director who goes with his daughter, an aspiring interior designer, to a building owned by an old friend who is already established in the design field.

It may be Maša Marković’s first year as head of industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival, but for the long-time festival staffer, it’s business as usual.

Wilson Chapman editorGet ready to crank up that polka music. “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” the upcoming Roku original film starring Daniel Radcliffe as the beloved parody musician, will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.The film will screen Sept. 8, TIFF’s opening night, as the first film in the festival’s annual Midnight Madness programming series.