THE OVERLOOK FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FIRST WAVE LINEUP FOR NINTH ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS HORROR 

Festival to Kick Off with Screening of New Christopher Landon Thriller Drop and Opening Night Party Honoring Shudder’s Tenth Anniversary

Flying Lotus Named Overlook’s Inaugural Guest Curator, Director Ernest Dickerson to Receive Master of Horror Award,  Author Joe Hill in Conversation to Highlight the Many Special Guests 

The Overlook Film Festival, the annual celebration of all things horror, announced today the first wave of the lineup for its 2025 edition. Taking place April 3 – April 6 in New Orleans, Louisiana at the Prytania Theatres, the horror festival will welcome audiences back to America’s most haunted city with a terrifying selection of new and classic films as well as the extensive offscreen offerings including interactive events, live performances, immersive programming and special guests that the annual horror staple has become known for.

"No matter how many years this festival runs, every time we get to re-open the gates of our spectral summer camp feels like a miracle," said Landon Zakheim, co-founder and executive director of the Overlook FIlm Festival. "For all wayward souls and monster kids who gravitate to the macabre, we have something to satisfy your ghoulish cravings thanks to the brilliance of our artists, the passion of our tireless team, our incredible partners and this beautiful haunted city. Hell, we even have our first audio-animatronic this year."

This wide-ranging first wave festival lineup includes 47 films (25 features and 22 shorts) from 10 countries, as well as five live presentations and three immersive experiences, with many more exciting surprises to be announced as the festival approaches.

Kicking off the festivities as the Opening Night film will be Universal Pictures’ upcoming thriller Drop from Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes. Director Christopher Landon will be on hand, returning to New Orleans where he shot Happy Death Day and We Have a Ghost, to present his new, nerve-wracking whodunit. Starring Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar and Violett Beane, Drop follows a widowed mother who, on her first date in years, arrives at an upscale restaurant where she meets her handsome suitor. But their chemistry begins to curdle when she is terrorized by a series of anonymous drops to her phone.

Following the screening, festival-goers and special guests will make their way to an unmissable party celebrating both the start of the festival and the tenth anniversary of Shudder, the iconic horror curation and streaming service. Hosted by Shudder, this one-of-a-kind event will kick off with a horror-infused second line and will include some very special guest performances. Honoring the company’s history and enduring influence on the genre as a whole, the party will feature many surprises from the streaming service’s extensive horror catalogue.

Highlighting the lineup of new and upcoming films is The Shrouds, the latest body horror exploration from the legendary director David Cronenberg. Starring Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger and Guy Pearce, the film digs into Cronenberg’s classic obsessions, following a bereaved businessman who invents a technology allowing the living to monitor their dearly departed’s corpses. Other notable features include Hallow Road, director Babak Anvari’s pul

The eThekwini Filmmakers Association is proud to announce the winners of its annual African Emerging Filmmakers Awards (AEFA). The awards were held in Durban on Saturday the 14th of December, 2024.

Hosted by celebrated television host Nonkanyiso Laconco Congo and Sibusiso Shozi, the awards lived up to expectations, inspiring emerging filmmakers to tell their own stories. 

The awards recognise and celebrate emerging talent in the South African film industry. “We are thrilled to announce this year’s winners who represent the best of emerging talent in South African filmmaking. We congratulate all the winners and nominees on their outstanding achievements, said Mr. Andile Buwa, AEFA Founder.

The  theme for this year is “We are kings and queens - Reviving the spirit of ubuntu and making people aware of who and what they are as Abantu. We are passionate about preserving the humanity we know as ubuntu and find ways of sensitizing ourselves on this. It is finding ourselves again.”

The ceremony further honoured industry veterans who have played a critical role in the industry. These included: Jet Novuka who on behalf of the veterans said, “art is far deeper than what we see on the screens. It is important for the young talent to honour those that came before us as they paved the path for future creatives.” Other veterans honoured were, Mandla Ka NoZulu (Umkhokha, Cultural Specialist, Author, Play-Write), Edmund Mhlongo (Award-winning artistic Director) and Thabo Mnguni (Family Bonds, Uzalo)

The winners for the 2024 AEFA are:

·      Best Feature Film:

o   Axiomatic

·      Best Supporting Actress

o   Baby Cele - Ukhumbuzile

·      Best Supporting Actor

o   Jimmy Magubane-Amalootist

·      Best Actress

o   Marie Swanepoel – Axiomatic

·      Best Actor

o   Mthobisi Khanyile- Amalootist

·      Best Screenplay/Writer

o   Joe Spirit – Amathambo

·      Best Authentic/Artistic Film

o   Embizeni

·      Best Costume and Makeup

o   My Fathers Shadow

·      Best African Costume

o   Zokhal'lezonkomo

·      Best Film in Vernacular

o   Ingodizo Yami

·      Best Sound

o   Lindani Mjadu – Amathambo

·      Best Origional Music

o   Butterfly

·      Best Cinematographer

o   Sibusiso Masinga – Amathambo

·      Best Editor

o   Wounded

·      Best Director

o   Lungelo Ngcobo- Cash in transit

·      Best Short Film

o   Abalele

·      Best Student Film

o   My Winter Tears

·      Best Documentary

o   `Igida ngoma

Accepting his award for Best Cinematographer, Sibusiso Masinga showed gratitude by saying

The Kwamashu African Film Festival is just around the corner, and it's kicking off with a bang! The film festival will kick off on Tuesday 10th of December at K-CAP Ekhaya Multi Arts Centre in Kwamashu with an Opening Night that promises to mesmerise the guests.

Hosted by actress, theatre practitioner and Actor Spaces Monologue Marathon winner, Nqobile Masondo, the opening night will feature a local film "Lottery Love" directed by Mlungisi Mhlanga, which tells the story of a young woman who helps her ex-boyfriend with the lottery and then embarks on a daring journey to snatch the winning ticket from him. The film stars young talent from KwaZulu Natal comprising, Nombulelo Mhlongo, Nelisa Mchunu, Thabo Malema, and Philani Brown. The opening night will be hosted by actress, theatre practitioner and Actor Spaces Monologue Marathon winner, Nqobile Masondo, with Amanda Madida as the red carpet host. Guests can further expect musical entertainment by Zawadi Yamungu, supported by Nontokozo Mkhize, fashion showcase by Dolly Ndlovu and wine tasting.

KAFF is a celebration of African storytelling and talent, with a range of films, workshops, masterclasses, seminars, and panel discussions. One of the topics to be tackled during the workshops is “Understanding the Business Side of Filmmaking with the focus on Intellectual Property, and copyright for films. The session will also touch on other Domains such as Patents, Designs, Trademarks or signs.

Some of the highlights of the festival include workshops on filmmaking, scriptwriting, directing, makeup, animation, and storyboarding. There will also be masterclasses and seminars featuring industry experts, including Lucky Simayile, Siphesihle Cele, Nompilo Maphumulo, Amanda Madida, Edmund Mhlongo and Gugu Mzobe. 

KAFF will feature a curated selection of films from across the African continent, including feature films, documentaries, and short films, and wrap up on the 15th of December with the screening of "Amathambo", a film by Sabelo Ndlovu and Busani Mbili, which tells the story of a family struggling to find healing and acceptance as they look back at their family's dark past.

Mark your calendars and get ready to celebrate African storytelling and talent at the Kwamashu African Film Festival!

The Kwamashu African Film Festival is proud to be powered by the KZN Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, KZN Tourism and Film Authority, National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa, K-CAP, Durban Film Office and eThekwini Municipality, who share its  commitment to promoting African storytelling and nurturing talent.

PARK CITY, UTAH – JANUARY 18: (L–R) Tommy Dewey, Melissa Barrera, Kayla Foster, Meghann Fahy, and Edmund Donovan attend the 2024 Sundance Film Festival “Your Monster” premiere at the Egyptian Theatre on January 18, 2024 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Marc Sagliocco/Shutterstock for Sundance Film Festival) By Lucy Spicer “It’s hard to do a […]

The post Fall in Love With “Your Monster” first appeared on sundance.org.

THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL TO SCREEN 

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

FOR 3,000 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

TAFFF’s High School Program will Include a Special Live Q&A Session with Filmmakers Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, Actor Patrick Mille, and Composer Jérôme Rebotier 

The American French Film Festival (TAFFF) will continue its tradition of hosting students from across Southern California for a very special film premiere and discussion. The High School Screenings Program - now in its 17th year - will take place over a five-day period, beginning October 28 at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles. The program, which is sponsored by ELMA (European Languages & Movies in America) will have 3,000 students from 60 schools participating, including students traveling  from Park City, Utah for the occasion. 

This year’s High School Screenings Program feature selection will be The Count of Monte Cristo (Le Comte de Monte-Cristo), a 2024 period adventure/drama based on the 1844 novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas. The film is written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière and stars Pierre Niney in the lead role of Edmond Dantès. The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and was released theatrically in France in June by Pathé. The film will be released in the US on December 20 by Samuel Goldwyn Films, also a partner of the High School Screenings program this year. 

The five screenings of The Count of Monte Cristo will be followed by question and answer sessions with directors Delaporte and de La Patellière, actor Patrick Mille, and composer Jérôme Rebotier. The film experience also comes with a curriculum developed by the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) for all the students.

“This is the most expensive and one of the highest-grossing French productions of 2024 and whether students have read the classic novel or not, they will no doubt be swept up in the adventure and drama of Edmond Dantès and his alter ego. The Count of Monte Cristo was adapted and directed for the big screen at an epic scale by Delaporte and de La Patellière. The film's exploration of justice and the transformative power of education aligns with the values at the heart of the Festival’s mission: allowing high school students from all backgrounds to come watch a French film followed by an exchange with the filmmakers afterwards: an all-too rare occurrence in the worldwide capital of cinema. Once again, the program is free to attend thanks to our educational partner ELMA,” said Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director, The American French Film Festival.

“One of the founding principles of the High School Screenings Program was not only to expose students to foreign cinema early in their young lives, but to open up their minds to ideas, people, and cultures outside their limited experiences. Many of the participants – over 35,000 in the last 16 years - are students of French but this program is so much more th