“The Side Effects Of Trusting Life” by Ahmad Ghossein at the 21st Berlinale Co-Production Market among 34 film projects from 27 countries.
New Project Alert! Ahmad Ghossein’s new project “The Side Effects Of Trusting Life” has been selected for the 21st Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) Co-Production Market among 34 film projects from 27 countries. The Berlinale Co-Production Market organizes over 1,500 one-on-one meetings during the Berlinale, enabling the selected projects’ producers and companies to meet with […]
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano by Cyril Aris at KVIFF 2023
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is always magical and the last couple of days were a little bit extra with the screening of Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano by Cyril Aris as part of the Crystal Globe competition. Director, team and protagonists were present to live this amazing experience with the great audience […]
After The End Of The World by Nadim Mishlawi premieres at Sheffield DocFest
After The End Of The World by Nadim Mishlawi took part of the international competition at Sheffield DocFest and screen on the 25th and 27th of June 2022, produced by #AbboutProductions #LebaneseCinema #WorldCinema The documentary won the Jury Special Mention of the 2022 International Competition at the Sheffield DocFest! Congratulations to the filmmaker […]
Costa Brava, Lebanon by Mounia Akl premieres on Sunday 5 September 2021 at La Biennale di Venezia.
COSTA BRAVA, LEBANON by Mounia Akl will be part of the official selection of La Biennale di Venezia.A huge congrats to the beautiful cast, crew and partners behind this film that was made in strenuous conditions thanks to lots of passion and solidarity. Straight from Venice and in pictures, the premiere of Costa Brava, Lebanon […]
World Premiere of THE SEA AHEAD at Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes.
We are so excited for the World Premiere of THE SEA AHEAD, Ely Dagher’s first feature at the Directors’ Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) on Tuesday 13 July 2021 at 11:30am and 5:30pm. Share: On Key Related Posts
World Premiere of MEMORY BOX by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige at Berlinale
Big News for MEMORY BOX by Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige! The film will have its World Premiere in Competition at the 71st edition of Berlinale – Berlin International Film Festival. We are extremely proud to be the first Lebanese film in competition at Berlinale since 1982! Congratulations to the whole team. Share: On Key Related Posts
Lebanese Producer Georges Schoucair Featured in the Arab Cinema Center’s Golden 101
Pioneering Lebanese Producer, CEO of Abbout Productions and Founder of Shortcut Films, Georges Schoucair is featured in the @arabcinemacenter’s 2nd Golden #Cannes101!
The list celebrates the 101 leading professionals that have impacted the Arab film industry in the past 12 months.
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Sundance Institute Announces 2019 Directors & Screenwriters Lab Fellows
June Lab Convenes Filmmakers Developing Singular Feature Films
Los Angeles, CA — Filmmakers from the U.S., Lebanon, Palestine, and the United Kingdom have been selected for the 2019 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. At the Directors Lab (May 27-June 18), filmmakers will rehearse, shoot, and edit key scenes from their scripts, working in an immersive, hands-on environment with support from accomplished advisors to build their craft as directors and make key discoveries in collaboration with their actors and key crew. Immediately following, the Screenwriters Lab (June 20-24) provides the opportunity to process the insight gained from the Directors Lab through one-on-one story sessions with screenwriter advisors, and find inspiration and guidance for continued development of their screenplays.
Under the leadership of Feature Film Program Founding Director Michelle Satter and Labs Director Ilyse McKimmie, the Labs are part of a year-round continuum of customized support for Fellows, which can include creative mentorship, granting at critical stages, and strategic advice from program staff and industry professionals.
“We provide a pure workshop environment at our Lab which is a safe and generous space for developing new work,” said Satter. “This year’s cohort of artists from the U.S. and around the world will be supported as they push their boundaries and build their skills—amplifying their distinctive and singular voices within the Lab framework. The Labs are the centerpiece of our year round ecosystem of support for emerging artists.”
Advisors for the month include Robert Redford, Gyula Gazdag (Artistic Director for the Directors Lab), Sandra Adair, Scott Z. Burns, Charlotte Bruus Christensen, Sebastian Cordero, Joan Darling, Suzy Elmiger, Rick Famuyiwa, Geoffrey Fletcher, Stephen Goldblatt, Keith Gordon, Randa Haines, Ed Harris, Ken Kwapis, Christine Lahti, Sanaa Lathan, Pamela Martin, Walter Mosley, Dee Rees, Howard Rodman, Susan Shilliday, Peter Sollett, Joan Tewkesbury, Dylan Tichenor, Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten, Tyger Williams, Erin Cressida Wilson and Doug Wright.
Since 1981, the Feature Film Program (FFP) has supported an extensive list of leading-edge filmmakers, including Boots Riley, Ryan Coogler, Dee Rees, Cary Fukunaga, Benh Zeitlin, Chloe Zhao, Marielle Heller, Haifaa Al Mansour, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, Ritesh Batra, Paul Thomas Anderson, Miranda July and Quentin Tarantino, among many others. Lab-supported films that premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival to be released this year include Before You Know It, co-written by Hannah Pearl Utt and Jen Tullock and directed by Hannah Pearl Utt, Brittany Runs a Marathon, written and directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo, The Farewell, written and directed by Lulu Wang, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, co-written by Joe Talbot and Rob Richert and directed by Joe Talbot, and Share, written and directed by Pippa Bianco. In addition, several Feature Film Program-supported films recently premiered and won awards at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, including House of Hummingbird, co-written and directed by Bora Kim, Initials S.G., co-written and directed by Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia, The Short History of the Long Road, written and directed by Ani Simon-Kennedy and Swallow, written and directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis. Finally, two new films supported by FFP will have their premieres at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival: Bull, co-written by Annie Silverstein and Johnny McAllister and directed by Annie Silverstein, and The Unknown Saint, written and directed by Alaa Eldine Aljem.
The 2019 Sundance Institute Directors Lab Projects and Fellows are:
Mounia Akl- Costa Brava, Lebanon (Lebanon)
Kobi Libii- The American Society of Magical Negroes (U.S.A.)
Ihab Jadallah – The Doubt (Palestine)
Barbara Cigarroa – El Otro Lado (The Other Side)(U.S.A.)
Joey Ally-The Hater (U.S.A.)
Dionne Edwards-Pretty Red Dress (United Kingdom)
Aristotle Torres-Story Ave. (U.S.A.)
A.V. Rockwell-A Thousand and One Nights (U.S.A.)
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The 14th Meetings on the Bridge hands out its awards – Vassilis Economou // Cineuropa
The 14th edition of Meetings on the Bridge has drawn to a close with its awards ceremony, held on 12 April at a reception hosted by French Palais, and introduced by Istanbul Film Festival director Kerem Ayan, head of Meetings on the Bridge Gülin Üstün and French regional audiovisual attaché Christophe Pécot. The winners of the international co-production and networking platform of the 38th Istanbul Film Festival were chosen from among 20 film projects in development and eight in post-production, hailing from Turkey and its neighbouring countries (see the news). Over 350 meetings were organised with 130 professionals.
Starting with the Film Development Workshop and Neighbours Platform, the jury, comprising producer Oana Giurgiu (Libra Film), CEO of ARTE France Cinéma Remi Burah, Films Boutique head of acquisitions Gabor Greiner, co-head and curator of the Berlinale Co-Production Market Martina Bleis, and Mediterranean Film Institute screenwriter Nicos Panayotopoulos, selected the award winners after the pitching sessions.
The main prize, the Meetings on the Bridge Award, valued at 30,000 Turkish lira (€4,600), was bestowed upon the project Electric Sleep, directed by Zeynep Dadak and produced by Zeynep Ekmekçi and Pınar Bağcı, who also picked the MFI Award. The other main prize, the CNC Award, which comes with €8,000, was presented to the Lebanese project Commedia, directed by Myriam El Hajj and produced by Myriam Sassine, of Abbout Productions.
As for the remaining, mainly technical, awards, the documentary Selda, directed by Amber İşbilen and produced by Leyla Hamedi, received the Melodika Sound Award; The Funeral by Orçun Behram, produced by Müge Özen, won the GeniusPark Special Effects Award; while the Dell Precision Award, which was handed out for the first time, went to The Soloist by Banu Sıvacı, produced by Zeynep Koray. The other newly introduced trophy, the Seyap Award, was given to the documentary project Güneş by Nejla Demirci, produced by Mesut Ulutaş. The Postbıyık Sound Production Award, which is reserved exclusively for a Neighbours project, was handed to Egyptian director Mohamed Siam for Blood and Honey, co-produced by the director and Guillaume de Seille, of Arizona Productions. Finally, I Will Survive by Ali Ercivan, produced by Engin Palabıyık, will be invited to the upcoming Transilvania Pitch Stop, which will take place during the 18th Transilvania International Film Festival (31 May-9 June).
In the Work in Progress workshop, the jury members, Giorgo Gosetti (Giornate degli Autori), Agatha Valentin (Totem Films) and Ineke Kanters (The Film Kitchen), were tasked with selecting the victors from among five participants. Pelin Esmer’s documentary Queen Lear, which is being produced by Dilde Mahalli, swept all the major awards, winning three of them: the 30,000 Turkish lira (€4,600) Anadolu Efes Award, the Daire Creative Key Art Design Award and the Paz Digital Communication Award.
The Color Up Award, which covers the expenses of online editing and colour grading, went to another documentary, Miss Holocaust Survivor by Eytan İpeker, produced by Yoel Meranda together with Israel’s Eitan Mansuri and Denmark’s Katrin Pors. Finally, the Başka Sinema Award was presented to Nesimi Yetik for his drama It’s All About Peace and Harmony, produced by Betül Esener.
Here is the full list of winners at the 14th Meetings on the Bridge:
Film Development Workshop and Neighbours Platform awards
Meetings on the Bridge Award
Electric Sleep – Zeynep Dadak
Producers: Zeynep Ekmekçi, Pınar Bağcı (Fenafilm)
CNC Award
Commedia – Myriam El Hajj (Lebanon)
Producer: Myriam Sassine (Abbout Productions)
Melodika Sound Award
Selda – Amber İşbilen
Producer: Leyla Hamedi (Infidel Films)
GeniusPark Special Effects Award
Funeral – Orçun Behram
Producer: Müge Özen (Solis Film)
Dell Precision Award
The Soloist – Banu Sıvacı
Producers: Zeynep Koray, Mesut Ulutaş (Anagraf Film)
Seyap Award
Güneş – Nejla Demirci
Producer: Mesut Ulutaş (Ney Film)
Postbıyık Sound Production Award
Blood and Honey – Mohamed Siam (Egypt/France)
Producers: Mohamed Siam (Artkhana Films), Guillaume de Seille (Arizona Productions)
Transilvania Pitch Stop Award
I Will Survive – Ali Ercivan
Producer: Engin Palabıyık (Harikulade Film)
MFI Script and Development Workshop Award
Electric Sleep – Zeynep Dadak
Work in Progress awards
Anadolu Efes Award
Queen Lear – Pelin Esmer
Producer: Dilde Mahalli (Sinefilm)
Color Up Award
Miss Holocaust Survivor – Eytan İpeker (Turkey/Israel/Denmark)
Producers: Yoel Meranda (Kamara), Eitan Mansuri (Spiro Films), Katrin Pors (Snowglobe)
Daire Creative Key Art Design Award
Queen Lear – Pelin Esmer
Başka Sinema Award
It’s All About Peace and Harmony – Nesimi Yetik
Producer: Betül Esener (Özminimalist Film)
Paz Digital Communication Award
Queen Lear – Pelin Esmer
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“Costa Brava Lebanon” Takes Home the Co-Production Award at TorinoFilmLab
Filmmaker Mounia Akl and producer Myriam Sassine were awarded the Co-Production Award (€ 50,000) for the director’s upcoming feature “Costa Brava Lebanon” at the TFL Meeting event 2018 of the 11th edition of the TorinoFilmLab in Turin Italy. The film was competing as part of the FeatureLab at the TorinoFilmLab. About TorinoFilmLab: TorinoFilmLab is a year-round, […]