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PEOPLE IN FOCUS
Filmfestivals.com lost a friend, WorldFest founder Hunter Todd RIP
Good bye Hunter rest in peace, it has been a very long and fun partnership and I have been very happy to serve as Advisory Board Member with you and your team! We sadly join all WorldFest friends bidding a fond farewell to its founding director Hunter Todd. Bruno Chatelin filmfestivals.com founder and team. ...
Henry Ian Cusick, Dean Cain, Rory Gibson Lead All-Star Cast in New Sci-Fi Drama "Fugitive from Asteron"
Henry Ian Cusick (Lost, MacGyver, The 100), Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Rory Gibson (The Young and The Restless) are set to star in the new sci-fi drama Fugitive from Asteron, adapted from the award-winning novel by Gen LaGreca, who also wrote the screenplay. Directed by Dan T. Hall (Noble Vision, Greek Fire – Demon Spirit) and executive produced by LaGreca’s company Winged Victory Foundat...
Interview with French American filmmaker Sarah Nocquet for "Speed Queen 51" (2024)
French American filmmaker Sarah Nocquet was born and raised in Paris and achieved a degree in film & TV production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Sarah has held a variety of jobs in the film and television industry. She was a producer’s assistant for EMJAG (The Wolf of Wall Street, Tár, Black Bird). She spent three summers teaching teenagers the basics of filmmaking at NYU’s Summer Filmmakers Workshop and worked for three years at NYU’s film archive as a ...
Announcing the 2025 Badge Winners of Producers Network and Cannes Docs!
The Marché du Film is delighted to announce the producers who were awarded Marché badges to attend this year's Cannes Docs and Producers Network programs. Each year, the Marché du Film partners with festivals and markets worldwide to discover and celebrate outstanding projects and talents in production with Producers Network and in documentary filmmaking with Cannes Docs. Cannes Docs awards the most promising documentary projects at major fe...
Interview with the director of Uppercut Torsten Ruether
UPPERCUT A movie by director Torsten Ruether. Interview by Emmanuel Itier Put on your boxing glove and jump on the cinematographic ring of director Torsten Ruether new wonder film: ‘UPPERCUT’. And meet Luise Grossmann playing a young bad ass female boxing player, ‘Tonit’ who will end up being coached by the legendary Ving Rhames aka ‘Elliott’. This the journey of a young woman redefining herself and what it means to be a female today, in a sport, boxing, ...
The Oscars DPA gift suite: WE ALL ARE SHINING STARS!
Nathalie Dubois did it again! With her pre-Oscars DPA gift suite (
https://dpagroup.org ), set up at the amazing exclusive LUXE hotel (
https://www.luxehotels.com ) she created an oasis of Peace and Love to celebrate talent, harmony and unity. In these very divisive insane times, I must salute and honor such a stand. One has to start with a glass raised to the Glory of the Oscars and for this reason, Nathalie strucked a deal to get Perduret Champagne (https:/...
Interview With Belgian Writer Director Tom Avermaet On Recent Award-Winning Short Film "Hearts Of Stone" (2024)
Writer, director Tom Van Avermaet is a Belgian filmmaker known for his unique blend of surrealism and melancholia. His acclaimed short films, “Dreamtime” (2006) and “Death of a Shadow” (2012) (starring Matthias Schoenaerts), have garnered significant recognition both nationally and internationally. “Death of a Shadow” won the European Academy Award (European Film Award) for Best European Short and was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Live Acti...
Interview With Filmmaker Ward Kamel For His Short Film "If I Die In America" (2024)
Brooklyn based Syrian filmmaker Ward Kamel’s film “If I Die in America” (2024) tells the emotional story of a grieving American man who has recently lost his Muslim husband but is robbed of his time to mourn as the latter’s traditional customs and family dictate his body be sent back to the Middle East. The film screened at international film festivals, including SXSW and Palm Springs International Film Festival, PSIFF. It held its international premiere at the Palm Spr...
Interview with Director Bess Kargman for Her Feature Doc “Diane Warren: Relentless” (2024)
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Bess Kargman, known for her documentary short “Coach” (2013), which won the Jury Award at Tribeca Film Festival in 2013, screened her breakthrough feature documentary film “Diane Warren: Relentless” (2024) at SXSW where it held its World Premiere. It tells the up close and personal story of renowned and prolific multi academy award-winning singer/songwriter Diane Warren, featuring interviews with Diane Warren, Clive Davis, Common...
Interview With Belgian Writer Director Tom Van Avermaet On Recent Award-Winning Short Film "Hearts Of Stone" (2024)
Writer, director Tom Van Avermaet is a Belgian filmmaker known for his unique blend of surrealism and melancholia. His acclaimed short films, “Dreamtime” (2006) and “Death of a Shadow” (2012) (starring Matthias Schoenaerts), have garnered significant recognition both nationally and internationally. “Death of a Shadow” won the European Academy Award (European Film Award) for Best European Short and was nominated for an Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Live Acti...
Interview with Producer Patrick Reardon & Director Lucian Read "Lions of Mesopotamia" (2024)
Lions of Mesopotamia had its world premiere at SXSW, on Saturday, March 9th. The film is the true account of hope and victory when Iraq’s national soccer team – aka Lions of Mesopotamia – earned the 2007 Asian Cup amid the bloodiest days of Iraq’s civil war. The fairytale story is directed by Emmy winner Lucian Read and produced by Jupiter Entertainment. In an interview with the film’s producer Patrick Reardon and director Lucian Read after their premiere, h...
Interview With Filmmaker Alison Tavel For Debut Doc Feature Film RESYNATOR (2024)
RESYNATOR is a feature documentary film and synth resurrection project started by director Alison Tavel in 2014. The true story centers around a resurrected synthesizer (aka the RESYNATOR), that was invented by Alison’s late father Don Tavel in the ‘70s, which she dug up from her grandmother’s attic twenty-five years after his passing and has been on a mission to share it with the world ever since. RESYNATOR had its world premiere at SXSW on March 10th, 2024, and won the Docu...
Interview with Director Sam Shainberg For Documentary Short SHOTPLAYER (2024)
Sam Shainberg The short film SHOTPLAYER (2024), directed by Sam Shainberg, screened in the Documentary Short Competition at this year’s SXSW. SHOTPLAYER is an impressionistic journey into the mind of Wilfred Rose, one of New York City's most notorious pickpockets. As he returns to the subway for the first time in many years, he reflects on a life of crime in a society that has left many of its citizens behind. SHOTPLAYER asks the question: When ...
Interview With Composer Will Bates for Score of Michael Mohan’s IMMACULATE (2024)
Composer Will Bates has composed original scores for a myriad of filmmakers including acclaimed directors Mike Cahill (Another Earth; I Origins; Bliss), Alex Gibney (We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks; Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief; Zero Days; The Forever Prisoner), Ry Russo-Young (You Won’t Miss Me; Nobody Walks) and Fisher Stevens (Mission Blue; Bright Lights). Bates’ upcoming p...
Interview With Writer, Director, Producer Talia Shea Levin’s erotic on “Make Me A Pizza” (2024)
Director, producer, writer Talia Shea Levin’s erotic, quirky satire “Make Me A Pizza” (2024) feels like a modern seventies’ mock porn with attitude. A hungry (in more ways than one) woman calls a pizza delivery guy and fantasizes about him delivering more to her than just his cheesy sausage filled pizza, and they embark on a bumpy messy ride together. Inventive, wacky and hilarious, it is sure to make viewers belly laugh. The film had its World Premiere at SXSW in earl...
Interview With Filmmakers Jenny Schweitzer Bell & Brian Bell for Short Doc "The Puzzle Palace" (2024)
THE PUZZLE PALACE “Amassing the world’s largest puzzle collection is a labor of love for one inseparable couple.” “The Puzzle Palace” (2024) is a short documentary film about the unique love story of George and Roxanne Miller, their life living in the suburbs of Boca Raton, Florida and their mutual passion for puzzles, proud owners of one of the world’s largest puzzle collections. The film was produced and directed by Jenny Schweitzer Bell and Brian Bell and...
Interview With Producers Ken Kao and Josh Rosenbaum of Waypoint Entertainment
Ken Kao Josh Rosenbaum Ken Kao is CEO and Producer of Waypoint Entertainment and Josh Rosenbaum serves as Head Executive and Executive Producer for Waypoint, which is a full-service film production and financing company best known for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Academy Award-winning THE FAVOURITE (2018). They have also been behind such films as MID-90s, SONG TO SONG (2017), KNIGHT OF CUPS (2015), THE NICE GUYS (2016), and more. Josh and Ken's latest ...
Interview with Director Bess Kargman for Her Feature Doc “Diane Warren: Relentless” (2024)
Diane Warren Award-winning documentary filmmaker Bess Kargman, known for her documentary short “Coach” (2013), which won the Jury Award at Tribeca Film Festival in 2013, screened her breakthrough feature documentary film “Diane Warren: Relentless” (2024) at SXSW where it held its World Premiere. It tells the up close and personal story of renowned and prolific multi academy award-winning singer/songwriter Diane Warren, featuring interviews with Diane Warren,...
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BERLIN in focus ...
MPA Berlinale panel highlights urgency for competitive film incentives in Germany
Laura Zentner (Media Law Expert, GreenbergTraurig), Clement Schwebig (President and Managing Director Western Europe & Africa, Warner Bros. Discovery), Emilie Anthonis (President & Managing Director, MPA EMEA), Jörg Bachmaier (CEO of Studio Babelsberg) and Christian Sommer (MPA Germany) By Mark Tchelistcheff March 5th, 2025 With SXSW film rodeo ride about to begin it was only a couple weeks ago that Berlinale completed its 75th film festival with the largest num...
Joyful Closing of the 75th Berlinale: Delighted Winners and Full Cinemas
The 75th Berlin International Film Festival came to a successful close with the Berlinale Publikumstag (Audience Day) on February 23. After the festive Award Ceremony (see full list of award winners) on Saturday evening, where Drømmer (Dreams (Sex Love)) by Dag Johan Haugerud was awarded the Golden Bear, thousands of viewers once again flocked to the cinemas on the Berlinale Publikumstag for catch-up screenings of films from the anniversary edition. Interest in the progr...
The closing Berlin Beat with Awards! it's a wrap for the 75th
Dear colleagues We wish you another successfull EFM and Berlinale experience. Let me know how we can help you with direct marketing, html blasts to your targets, buyers, sales agents, media. I am also happy to brainstorm around publicity or advertising options on filmfestivals.com. Kindly share your press release, and any Berlin activity you would like us to relay and please send ASAP so we can include your news in our next Berlinale dailies (circu...