Monthly Archives: November 2021

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AFI FEST 2021: Strong Female Leads

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

The AFI FEST 2021 program is filled to the brim with powerful, outspoken, and resilient women characters in both shorts and features. These women go beyond the classification of mother, daughter, sister, or wife – some band together to form a Christian girl gang (MEDUSA), others bond over the shared desire to express their struggles through making films (CINEMA SABAYA). In each, you will find not a one-dimensional stereotype but a fully realized, complex human being. Whether the strength is quiet, as in VERA DREAMS OF THE SEA and PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN, or boisterous, as in UNCLENCHING THE FISTS and HOLY EMY, the women in these films are not to be messed with.

ALI & AVA

Ali and Ava each live lonely lives in North Britain. Ali, a British Pakistani, is a former DJ turned compassionate landlord who meets Ava, an Irish-born schoolteacher and single mother of five while picking up one of his tenant’s children from school. Despite their differences, sparks start to fly. As Ali and Ava’s relationship grows deeper, the shadows of their emotional turmoil and society’s expectations of them build as well. Can they find a way to keep their love alive?

This contemporary working-class romance – filled with rich and tender performances from Claire Rushbrook and Adeel Akhtar – is a charming and heartwarming portrait of love, beauty, and acceptance. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person | November 12, 7:00 p.m.  | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

AL-SIT

In a cotton farming village in Sudan, Nafisa has a crush on Babiker, but her parents have arranged her marriage to Nadir, a young Sudanese businessman. Can Nafisa choose for herself? Screening as part of Shorts Program 5. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 13, 4:45 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

ARE YOU STILL THERE?

On a hot day, Safa’s car battery dies, leaving her stranded in a strip mall parking lot. When her mom arrives, the two struggle to jump-start a car. Screening as part of Shorts Program 3. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  | November 12, 9:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

BRUISED

World Premiere

Jackie Justice (Halle Berry) is a mixed martial arts fighter who leaves the sport in disgrace. Down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after her fight, she’s coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend Desi and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter who promises Jackie a life back in the octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when Manny— the son she gave up as an infant — shows up at her doorstep.

Marking the directorial debut of Academy Award® winner Halle Berry, BRUISED is a triumphant story of a fighter who reclaims her power, in and out of the ring, when everyone has counted her out.  Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person | November 13, 7:30 p.m.  | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

CINEMA SABAYA

Rona is teaching a film class to a diverse group of eight women. The class becomes the catalyst for deeper discovery as these women bond over their shared experiences. While completing the exercises and assignments, the issues of modern-day Israel and Palestine are exposed, leaving the students no choice but to acknowledge and confront them. Inspired by writer/director Orit Fouks Rotem’s own experiences as a teacher, the film provides no easy answers to the complex circumstances these women face. The film moves effortlessly between the weight of the conversations and the genuine joy of this unlikely community. CINEMA SABAYA is as complex as it is powerful – a feat for a first-time director – and shines a light on how unifying art can be, even in the most contentious of situations. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  |  November 12, 3:30 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

EL CARRITO

World Premiere

Nelly slogs through another unsuccessful day of street vending in Queens, New York. Determined to improve her circumstances, she makes a risky business decision that ends in misfortune. Screens as part of Shorts Program 4. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  |  November 13, 2:15 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

GOOD MADAM

South African auteur and AFI FEST alum Jenna Cato Bass (HIGH FANTASY) delivers a haunting, psychological thriller steeped in remnants of postcolonialism and apartheid. Tsidi (Chumisa Cosa) and her daughter must move in with her estranged mother, Mavis (Nosipho Mtebe), a domestic housekeeper who has worked for her “Madam” Diane since Tsidi was a young girl. While living in Diane’s large and foreboding house, Tsidi is appalled with her mother’s extreme dedication and servitude even after all these years. Gradually, Tsidi’s daughter and then Tsidi herself become submissive to the whims of the rarely seen Madam. Co-written and produced with collaborator Babalwa Baartman, Bass employs stylish imagery and an ominous tone to bring this chilling narrative to life. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 13, 5:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

HAPPENING (L’ÉVÉNEMENT)

Following the theatrical screening, watch a special conversation with director Audrey Diwan moderated by AFI FEST Programmer Julia Kipnis.

In Audrey Diwan’s Golden Lion award-winning feature adapted from Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel, Anamaria Vartolomei delivers a breakout performance as Anne, a young woman studying literature in 1960s France. While on the path to sexual liberation, Anne discovers that she is pregnant – an occurrence her friends liken to a death sentence in a country where abortion is stigmatized and illegal. Determined not to let her life and academic ambitions be derailed by an unexpected pregnancy, Anne desperately searches in secret for a solution to her predicament. Anchored by supporting turns from Sandrine Bonnaire (VAGABOND) and Luàna Bajrami (PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE), this poignant and timely film does not shy away from the brutal realities many women must endure when left without a choice. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person | November 12, 9:30 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

HOLY EMY

North American Premiere

Largely keeping to themselves after their mother is forced to leave Athens and return to the Philippines, Emy and Teresa live a simple, quiet life centered around attending mass, working in a fish market, and avoiding the locals. But soon the outside world encroaches as Teresa begins seeing a Greek co-worker and Mrs. Christina, their mother’s former boss, lures Emy into working as a caregiver, a ruse to tap into Emy’s very unique, and very ancient, gifts. When Teresa’s boyfriend sees Emy crying tears of blood, she runs the risk of her abilities being exposed, sending her on a shocking trajectory in this whip-smart feature debut – a potent and visceral tale of race, class, and tradition filtered through the body and social horror – from filmmaker Araceli Lemos. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 14, 7:30 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

HUDA’S SALON

Following the theatrical screening, watch a special conversation with director Hany Abu-Assad moderated by AFI Festivals Programmer Eric Moore.

HUDA’S SALON centers on the complex friction in the West Bank between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation. In this tense and harrowing drama, Reem, mother of a newborn baby and wife to a distrusting husband, gets her hair cut at Huda’s Salon one fateful day. There, Huda blackmails Reem into betraying their Palestinian community by providing intel to the Israeli Secret Service. The very next day Huda is found out by the resistance and Reem’s blackmail photo is discovered. So begins the parallel narratives of Huda’s interrogation and Reem’s search for a way to escape her fate. Masterfully crafted by the renowned, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker and FEST alum Hany Abu-Assad (OMAR; PARADISE NOW), HUDA’S SALON reveals with disturbing candor the plight of Palestinian women striving to survive while being trapped on all sides. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  | November 12, 10:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

LINGUI, THE SACRED BOND

Following the theatrical screening, watch a special conversation with director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun moderated by AFI FEST Programmer Julia Kipnis.

In a complex story of generational struggle, Amina is exiled from her family for being an unwed single mother. She lives on the outskirts of N’Djamena with her now teenage daughter, Maria. When history repeats itself and Maria is expelled from her Islamic-based girl’s school after discovering she is pregnant, Amina is forced to revisit her own life journey. Despite abortion being illegal in Chad and forbidden in Islam, Maria is decisive about ending the pregnancy and Amina is determined to support her no matter the cost.

Acclaimed director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun returns to AFI FEST with a powerful and vivid story of two women on a journey together, navigating the complex and fragile fabric of female support within a patriarchal society. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  |  November 11, 7:15 p.m.  | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

MEDUSA

Anita Rocha da Silveira (KILL ME PLEASE) returns to AFI FEST with MEDUSA, a modern horror-satire that fiercely critiques evangelical fanaticism in Brazil which draws eerie comparisons to American society. Mariana (played with verve by Mari Oliveira) is part of a Christian girl gang that roughs up women they deem to be sinners and posts humiliating videos of their repentance to social media. Mariana is on a mission to find the ultimate sinner, Melissa, a liberated woman who’s gone missing. MEDUSA pays homage to Argento-esque supernatural horror and is a clever play on tropes surrounding the eponymously fabled creature. With an infectious score and a vibrant aesthetic, da Silveira continues her streak of merging the darkly morbid with the sublimely feminine. Learn more about the film. 

Screening in-person |  November 13, 8:30 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

MEMORIA

Colombia Official International Feature Film Oscar® Submission

While visiting Bogotá, Colombia, Jessica (Tilda Swinton), a Scottish orchid farmer grappling with deep existential unease, becomes tormented by a sound only she can hear: the heavy thud of a falling metal ball. But when a sound engineer recreates the noise, Jessica finds that communicating the unplaceable sound in her head does not mitigate her own intense feelings of displacement. Continuing to seek answers, she travels to the mountains to meet with an archeologist researching ritual deaths, but an encounter with a local fisherman instead suggests she look to the skies and the land for answers. Inspired by the filmmaker’s own experience suffering from “exploding head syndrome,” MEMORIA is confounding and transfixing, an intriguing addition to the filmography of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES) and a deserved co-winner of the Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 14, 2:45 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

ONLY THE MOON STANDS STILL (明月依旧)

Three generations of Chinese women say goodbye to their family ballroom dance studio. Executive produced by Lena Waithe, starring Shirley Chen and Mardy Ma. Screens as part of Shorts Program 3. Learn more about the film. 

Screening in-person as part of Shorts Program 3 |  November 12, 9:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

PARALLEL MOTHERS

Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film follows two women Janis and Ana (both single mothers) from the moment they give birth to two daughters. Janis is thrilled by her accidental pregnancy, seeing it as perhaps her last chance at motherhood, while the adolescent Ana is scared and traumatized by the ordeal.

Almodóvar masterfully weaves the drama of these two women around the complexity, anxiety and passion that comes with motherhood. With the birth of their daughters, Janis and Ana have a unique link and are drawn closer by the lack of support from others in their world. But this bond unravels in complicated and surprising ways that neither of them expected. PARALLEL MOTHERS is a powerful exploration of how generations and families are held together amongst the greatest challenges. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person | November 13, 2:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

PETITE MAMAN

After the death of her grandmother, eight-year-old Nelly goes to her mother’s childhood home as her parents sort through the estate. Nelly explores the nearby woods where her mother, Marion, used to play as a child and finds the tree fort she’s heard stories about for years. After Nelly’s mother suddenly leaves the next morning, Nelly meets a girl her own age in the woods, building a fort. Following her masterpiece film PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, Céline Sciamma crafts an enchanting and poetic coming-of-age story. Modest and poignant in its approach, PETITE MAMAN beautifully explores grief, memory and imagination through a child’s eyes. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 13, 1:15 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 13, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN (NOCHE DE FUEGO)

Mexico Official International Feature Film Oscar® Submission

Neorealism is at its grittiest in this devastating narrative debut from documentary filmmaker Tatiana Huezo (TEMPESTAD). Ana lives in the mountains of Mexico where the violence of the drug cartel looms in the background and forces a rotation of teachers to flee from danger. When a local girl suddenly disappears, Ana and her two best friends must cut their hair short and wear baggy clothes to avoid being kidnapped. Despite this constant threat, the girls grow up together in a refuge of nature. Actresses Ana Cristina Ordóñez González and Marya Membreño give gripping performances as the protagonist at different ages. Huezo crafts a tour de force that is bold and uncanny in its depiction of girlhood in the menace of modern-day. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 14, 4:15 p.m.| Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

SALES PER HOUR

SALES PER HOUR tells the story of a young woman who faces a moral dilemma when she witnesses a sexual encounter at the clothing store where she works. Screens as part of Shorts Program 3. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  | November 12, 9:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

SANDSTORM

Zara shares a sensual dance video with her virtual boyfriend, who blackmails her. She begins her search for the strength to reject the confines of a patriarchal society. Screens as part of Shorts Program 2. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  |  November 12, 6:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

A SUMMER PLACE

On the day of Tina’s birthday, she is ready to give up on everything until an extraordinary encounter changes her life. Screens as part of Shorts Program 1. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person | November 12, 3:00 p.m.  | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

UNCLENCHING THE FISTS (RAZZHIMAYA KULAKI)

Russia Official International Feature Film Oscar® Submission

Following the theatrical screening, watch a special conversation with director Kira Kovalenko moderated by AFI Festivals Programmer Malin Kan.

In a remote North Caucasus mining town, Ada is coming of age in a deeply dysfunctional family isolated by the men that surround her: a clingy younger brother, a detached older brother and an ailing, demanding father. Having suppressed her own needs and enduring physical pain to the point of desperation, the welcome attentions of a local boy present the possibility of new experiences, and a potential escape. However, as Ada gets a taste of a better life, family tensions mount and her desperate urge to break free conflicts with a deep distrust of others and the increasing demands of a tyrannical father. A worthy recipient of the Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes Film Festival, Russian newcomer Kira Kovalenko delivers a raw, visceral experience, and the film is filled with harshly beautiful performances certain to leave audiences shaken and moved. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 12, 9:45 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

VERA DREAMS OF THE SEA (VERA ANDRRON DETIN)

North American Premiere

Following the virtual screening, watch a special conversation with director Kaltrina Krasniqi moderated by AFI Festivals Associate Programmer Cedar Sherbert.

Unassuming sign language interpreter Vera (Teuta Ajdini) lives a quiet life alongside retired husband Fatmir in their modest Pristina apartment. Happy to be a vessel for others to navigate the world, her hopes for her daughter and granddaughter’s future are intrinsically linked to the family’s newly valuable country house. But when her husband takes his own life and his cousin Ahmet begins insisting that Fatmir had promised him the rural home, Vera suddenly finds herself trapped in a deeply patriarchal culture where the word of men is final. Unyielding to increasingly violent pressure, Vera discovers how deep the corruption in men’s hearts can run, as well as the strength to stand her ground in this taut drama from director Kaltrina Krasniqi. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  |  November 13, 7:30 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 13, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD

Norway Official International Feature Film Oscar® Submission

Julie is experiencing an existential crisis of life and love. She’s altered her career path a handful of times and begins dating Aksel, an older and successful graphic novelist. As time goes on, Julie bristles against his need to settle down. When Julie crashes a party one night, she meets the charming and equally carefree Eivind and throws herself into a new relationship with vigor.

The latest film by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier (THELMA, LOUDER THAN BOMBS) is a wry and at times melancholy romance, portraying a young woman navigating her way through her evolving identity, happiness, and mistakes. THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD reminds us how quickly life can pass us by and to make the most of every opportunity in it. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person | November 11, 9:15 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

With health and safety being a top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.  Learn more about AFI’s annual film festival celebrating the best in global cinema at FEST.AFI.com.

Individual tickets and passes to AFI FEST 2021 are currently available on FEST.AFI.com. AFI Members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/join/.

BECOME A MEMBER

(Sourced from: AFI News)

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AFI FEST 2021: Feature Films Screening Virtually

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

AFI FEST 2021 is offering some of this year’s outstanding feature films and shorts programs virtually! Join in for AFI FEST 2021, Nov. 10-14, 2021. Learn more about the films below and visit FEST.AFI.com for more curated lists, filmmaker videos, and more.

CITIZEN ASHE

Following the virtual and theatrical screenings, watch a special conversation with director-producer Rex Miller and director Sam Pollard moderated by AFI FEST Programmer Julia Kipnis.

Born and raised in a segregated Virginia, Arthur Ashe rose to the top of the overwhelmingly white world of tennis in the 1960s to achieve many firsts as the most prevalent Black man in the sport. Reticent early in his career to address racial strife in America until the events of 1968, Ashe became an outspoken civil rights activist in the fight against racial discrimination, South African apartheid, and later the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS. This insightful documentary includes exclusive interviews with Ashe’s family, Black activists, and tennis cohorts Billie Jean King and John McEnroe. With striking archival footage and previously unheard audiotapes, FEST alum Sam Pollard (SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I’VE GOTTA BE ME) and Rex Miller’s latest film celebrates the inspirational life of this groundbreaking tennis champion and humanitarian. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 13, 1:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 13, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

THE FIRST WAVE

While we are living in a post-vaccinated and variant-driven pandemic, it is imperative to process this moment in history – this moment we are still collectively living in. Matthew Heineman’s THE FIRST WAVE documents one of New York City’s hardest-hit hospitals as the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in Spring 2020, with doctors, nurses, and patients fighting to survive. This powerful and intimate documentary reminds us how far we have come and how many lives have been affected. It is a therapeutic watch, forcing us to confront the harsh reality of the disease, creating space to grieve over our collective trauma and be an active witness to history. Learn more about the film. 

Screening in-person |  November 12, 4:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 12, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

HIT THE ROAD

In this fascinating, standout debut from Panah Panahi, son of acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (TAXI, 3 FACES), an endearing yet frenzied family of four is on a mysterious road trip to an unknown destination. An overprotective mother, a nonchalant father, an anxious older brother, and a scene-stealing, rambunctious younger brother pack themselves and their sickly dog into an SUV as they traverse an expansive Iranian landscape. Brimming with charismatic performances and a darkly humorous family dynamic, Panahi takes us on an unforgettable journey that is as profound as it is absurdist. A breakout feature from a bold and assured new voice in world cinema. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 13, 3:45 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 13, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT

Adapted from Adrian Tomine’s acclaimed graphic novel, PARIS, 13TH DISTRICT weaves a breezy tapestry of modern love stories. Beautifully realized in crisp black-and-white cinematography, the electrifying, multicultural 13th arrondissement sets the stage for a panoramic tale of four young lovers. Lucie Zhang delivers a breakout performance as free-spirited Émilie, who begins a casual relationship with her new roommate Camille (Makita Samba). Noémie Merlant (PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE) plays wide-eyed student Nora, whose new life in Paris is complicated when she is accidentally mistaken for cam girl Amber Sweet (Jehnny Beth). Stepping away from his usual genre fare, Jacques Audiard, along with script collaborators Céline Sciamma and Léa Mysius, brings to life the sprawling dreams of desire and human connection in the city of love. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 11, 8:15 p.m.  | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

PETITE MAMAN

After the death of her grandmother, eight-year-old Nelly goes to her mother’s childhood home as her parent’s sort through the estate. Nelly explores the nearby woods where her mother, Marion, used to play as a child and finds the tree fort she’s heard stories about for years. After Nelly’s mother suddenly leaves the next morning, Nelly meets a girl her own age in the woods, building a fort. Following her masterpiece film PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, Céline Sciamma crafts an enchanting and poetic coming-of-age story. Modest and poignant in its approach, PETITE MAMAN beautifully explores grief, memory, and imagination through a child’s eyes. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person |  November 13, 1:15 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 13, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

SIMPLE AS WATER

The impact of humanitarian crises knows no real borders. The Syrian civil war has devastated its people, causing refugees to migrate far and wide in an effort to survive. Academy Award®-winning director Megan Mylan (LOST BOYS OF SUDAN; SMILE PINKI) documents just a handful of the courageous families affected by the conflict and the efforts to rebuild their lives in new surroundings. From Germany, Greece, Turkey, and across the ocean to America, these families dream for a better future far away from the traumas caused in their homeland and endured during their treacherous journeys. SIMPLE AS WATER puts faces to a catastrophe that is often too extreme to put into any words. Learn more about the film. 

Screening in-person |  November 11, 4:30 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

TO WHAT REMAINS

World Premiere

Over 200 aircraft were shot down over the island of Palau in the South Pacific during World War II. In the early 1990s, Dr. Pat Scannon went to Palau to help a dive team locate a Japanese trawler sunk on a mission by future President George H.W. Bush during the war. With a successful discovery, the trip gave Scannon the vision to create Project Recover, an organization with a mission to bring home missing-in-action World War II veterans.

This powerful documentary follows Scannon and a team of professionals, volunteers and other veterans searching for those left behind in forgotten battles. Led by scientific data and personal accounts of war, the team’s perseverance has provided recognition and closure for families over three decades. AFI FEST is honored to host the world premiere of this remarkable documentary to celebrate all U.S. veterans on November 11. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person | November 11, 5:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 12, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

VERA DREAMS OF THE SEA (VERA ANDRRON DETIN)

North American Premiere

Unassuming sign language interpreter Vera (Teuta Ajdini) lives a quiet life alongside retired husband Fatmir in their modest Pristina apartment. Happy to be a vessel for others to navigate the world, her hopes for her daughter and granddaughter’s future are intrinsically linked to the family’s newly valuable country house. But when her husband takes his own life and his cousin Ahmet begins insisting that Fatmir had promised him the rural home, Vera suddenly finds herself trapped in a deeply patriarchal culture where the word of men is final. Unyielding to increasingly violent pressure, Vera discovers how deep the corruption in men’s hearts can run, as well as the strength to stand her ground in this taut drama from director Kaltrina Krasniqi. Learn more about the film.

Screening in-person  |  November 13, 7:30 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 13, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

You might also be interested in…

SHORT FILM PROGRAMS – Screening virtually

Curated from hundreds of entries, this year’s short films highlight unique voices from around the planet – 34 films presented in five programs. And although the films are short – none longer than 23 minutes – each still proves that these emerging and established filmmakers can push the form of storytelling in inventive, challenging, and sometimes hilarious ways.

 

SHORTS PROGRAM 1

Following the virtual program, AFI Festivals Shorts Programmer Eric Moore leads a conversation between filmmakers Louise Monlaü (THE DEATH CLEANER), Diana Cam Van Nguyen (LOVE, DAD), Juliana Kasumu (BABYBANGZ), Alexandra Matheou (A SUMMER PLACE).

ZONDER MEER: A boy has disappeared and may have drowned. Five-year-old Lucie is trying to understand what is going on around her. How long can you hold your breath?

MISERY LOVES COMPANY: One night, Seolgi is lying on a grass field with friends. A shooting star falls, and dark and intrusive thoughts hit her, and her melancholy blooms into “flower people.”

NALUJUK NIGHT: Every January 6th, families in the Inuit community of Nain, Canada, celebrate Nalujuk Night, when eerie figures in tattered fur clothing arrive to reward the good and punish the bad.

THE DEATH CLEANER (EL LIMPIADOR): For a forensic cleaner in Mexico City, healing is at the core of his service.

LOVE, DAD (MILÝ TATI)a; She finds letters full of love her dad wrote her years ago.

BABYBANGZ: BABYBANGZ visualizes the story of Anastasia Ebel, owner of a natural hair salon in Mid-city, and her mission to foster opportunities for intentional reflection, for herself and her community.

A SUMMER PLACE: On the day of Tina’s birthday, she is ready to give up on everything until an extraordinary encounter changes her life.

Screening in-person |  November 12, 3:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

SHORTS PROGRAM 2

Following the virtual program, AFI Festivals Shorts Programmer Eric Moore leads a conversation between filmmakers Bar Cohen (HER DANCE), Sean Wang (H.A.G.S.), Cosmo Collins Salovaara (ENVIAR Y RECIBIR), Sorayos Prapapan (NEW ABNORMAL), Güzin Kar (YOUR STREET).

HER DANCE (RIKUD HASSIDI): After not being invited to her sister’s wedding, Aya, a transwoman, shows up by surprise on a Shabbat night at the Orthodox Jewish community where her family lives.

H.A.G.S: https://fest.afi.com/2021/short-film-competition-2021/h-a-g-s/

ENVIAR Y RECIBIR: A warehouse worker at a fast-fashion company forms an attachment to a piece of damaged inventory.

NEW ABNORMAL: Based on a true story, NEW ABNORMAL is a reflection on human life during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as under the Emergency decree. USA Premiere.

MON AMI QUI BRILLE DANS LA NUIT: A ghost loses their memory after being struck by lightning. They meet Arthur, who tries to help them.

YOUR STREET (DEINE STRASSE): The grey present of an industrial area is being charged with its past, linked to a tragic episode in the history of Germany. Are public memorials collective remembrance or repression?

SANDSTORM (MULAQAT): Zara shares a sensual dance video with her virtual boyfriend, who blackmails her. She begins her search for the strength to reject the confines of a patriarchal society.

Screening in-person |  November 12, 6:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

SHORTS PROGRAM 3

Following the virtual program, AFI Festivals Shorts Programmer Eric Moore leads a conversation between filmmakers Sam Davis and Rayka Zehtabchi (ARE YOU STILL THERE?), Malika Zouhali-Worrall (VIDEO VISIT), Federico Torrado (YORUGA), Gabriel Herrera (MOTORCYCLIST’S HAPPINESS WON’T FIT INTO HIS SUIT), Michelle Uranowitz and Daniel Jaffe (SALES PER HOUR), Johnson Cheng (ONLY THE MOON STANDS STILL).

ARE YOU STILL THERE?: On a hot day, Safa’s car battery dies, leaving her stranded in a strip mall parking lot. When her mom arrives, the two struggle to jump-start a car.

VIDEO VISIT: Each week, people visit the Brooklyn Public Library to video call incarcerated loved ones. A story of two mothers and their sons, and the librarians who keep the families connected.

YORUGA: A lonely old man pays a visit to Yoruga, one of the last animals on Earth.

MOTORCYCLIST’S HAPPINESS WON’T FIT INTO HIS SUIT (AMOTOCICLISTA NO LE CABE LA FELICIDAD EN EL TRAJE): He sits proudly on his motorbike, encompassed in majestic red and the dazzling admiration of others. A playful re-enactment with reversed roles that targets the hubris of colonial conquerors.

SALES PER HOUR: SALES PER HOUR tells the story of a young woman who faces a moral dilemma when she witnesses a sexual encounter at the clothing store where she works.

ONLY THE MOON STANDS STILL (明月依旧): Three generations of Chinese women say goodbye to their family ballroom dance studio. Executive produced by Lena Waithe, starring Shirley Chen and Mardy Ma.

Screening in-person |  November 12, 9:00 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

SHORTS PROGRAM 4

Following the virtual program, AFI FEST Programmer Julia Kipnis leads a conversation between filmmakers Zahida Pirani (EL CARRITO), Claudrena N. Harold (PRIDE), Eliane Esther Bots (IN FLOW OF WORDS), Stephanie Camacho Castillas (MANO SANTA), Nash Edgerton (SHARK), Siyou Tan (STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE).

EL CARRITO: Nelly slogs through another unsuccessful day of street vending in Queens, New York. Determined to improve her circumstances, she makes a risky business decision that ends in misfortune. World Premiere

PRIDE: An aspiring writer finalizes stories for “Pride,” a student-run newspaper. Over a hectic two days in the early 1990s, she puts the finishing touches on the upcoming issue.

ANXIOUS BODY: Living things, artificial things, geometry shapes, and lines. When these different things encounter, a new direction is born.

IN FLOW OF WORDS: The narratives of three interpreters of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, who interpreted shocking testimonies without regard for their own feelings and personal histories. North American Premiere.

MANO SANTA: A grandfather harbors his runaway grandson after fleeing the constraints of home.

SHARK: SHARK follows the continuing adventures of Jack, who loves to prank. But in his latest relationship, he may have finally met his match.

SOFT ANIMALS: Two ex-lovers cross paths in a train station.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE: In Singapore, where even vapes are illegal, three rebellious schoolgirls are caught smoking by the principal. Their revenge prank takes a sinister turn. North American Premiere

Screening in-person |  November 13, 2:15 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

SHORTS PROGRAM 5

Following the virtual program, AFI Festivals Shorts Programmer Eric Moore leads a conversation between filmmakers Elizabeth Lo (MISTRESS DISPELLER), Urška Djukićz (GRANNY’S SEXUAL LIFE), Karolina Kajetanowicz (GREEN), Suzannah Mirghani (AL-SIT), and Mitch Kalisa (PLAY IT SAFE).

PLAYTIME (GIOCHI): A mother wants to play with her son. A boy wants to find out what his friend is giving a girl. A cat has disappeared. But these are only games. North American Premiere.

MISTRESS DISPELLER: A professional “mistress dispeller” works with a married couple struggling with infidelity in contemporary China. World Premiere.

GRANNY’S SEXUAL LIFE (BABIČINO SEKSUALNO ŽIVLJENJE): A trip into grandmother’s youth and the memories of her intimate life illustrate the status of Slovenian women in the first half of the 20th century. USA Premiere.

GREEN (ZIELEŃ): Roadside greenery is created to be driven past, not to be in. Geometrical, artificial, and overgrown by weeds. Your body is the same, dragged through life instead of living it.

AL-SIT: In a cotton farming village in Sudan, Nafisa has a crush on Babiker, but her parents have arranged her marriage to Nadir, a young Sudanese businessman. Can Nafisa choose for herself?

PLAY IT SAFE: Jonathan is out of place in his drama school. Pigeonholed and typecast in parts, Jonathan decides to demonstrate to his peers their prejudices during a class role-play exercise.

Screening in-person |  November 13, 4:45 p.m. | Buy In-Person Ticket(s)

Virtual screening available beginning November 11, 12:00 p.m. PST | Buy Virtual Ticket(s)

With health and safety being a top priority, AFI FEST 2021 will require all festival-goers who attend in-person events and/or screenings to be fully vaccinated.  Learn more about AFI’s annual film festival celebrating the best in global cinema at FEST.AFI.com.

Individual tickets and passes to AFI FEST 2021 are currently available on FEST.AFI.com. AFI Members receive exclusive discounts and benefits to the festival. To become an AFI member, visit AFI.com/join/.

(Source: AFI News)

Feature Film

CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG IS COMING! NEW PHOTOS & VIDEO FROM THE BIG RED CARPET IN NYC!

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Paramount Pictures

In Association with eOne Films and New Republic Pictures
A Scholastic Entertainment/Kerner Entertainment Company Production
Presents
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: A view of atmosphere during the New York Special Screening of ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ at the Scholastic Inc. Headquarters on November 04, 2021 in New York, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
STARRING:
Jack Whitehall, Darby Camp, Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, David Alan Grier, Russell Wong, and John Cleese
IN THEATRES AND ON PARAMOUNT+ NOVEMBER 10, 2021

When middle-schooler Emily Elizabeth (Darby Camp) meets a magical animal rescuer (John Cleese) who gifts her a little, red puppy, she never anticipated waking up to find a giant ten-foot hound in her small New York City apartment. While her single mom (Sienna Guillory) is away for business, Emily and her fun but impulsive uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) set out on an adventure that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat as our heroes take a bite out of the Big Apple. Based on the beloved Scholastic book character, Clifford will teach the world how to love big!

Tickets on sale here! 

But wait! There’s more….!!!

 

SEE STARS JACK WHITEHALL, DARBY CAMP, TONY HALE, IZAAC WANG, PAUL RODRIGUEZ, AND MORE
ON THE BIG RED CARPET AT THE SCHOLASTIC BUILDING IN NYC!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: Mia Ronn, Bear Allen Blaine, Darby Camp, Keith Ewell, Tovah Feldshuh, Ty Jones, Izaac Wang, Jack Whitehall, and Tony Hale attend the New York Special Screening of ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ at the Scholastic Inc. Headquarters on November 04, 2021 in New York, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: Caitlin Friedman attends the New York Special Screening of ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ at the Scholastic Inc. Headquarters on November 04, 2021 in New York, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: Iole Lucchese (L) and Jordan Kerner attend the New York Special Screening of ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ at the Scholastic Inc. Headquarters on November 04, 2021 in New York, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 04: Yasha Jackson attends the New York Special Screening of ‘Clifford the Big Red Dog’ at the Scholastic Inc. Headquarters on November 04, 2021 in New York, New York. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)

 

American Film Market, Documentary

More AFM HIGHLIGHTS – Producing Standout Documentary Features Panel

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Audiences are seeking out more documentaries than ever before.  Producers and distributors on Producing Standout Documentary Features Panel, moderated by Kevin Iwashina, Head of Documentary, Endeavor Content, discuss producing for success in the documentary marketplace answering the penultimate question, “What elements will help a doc stand out?” Panelists participating included Ross Dinerstein, Founder & CEO, Campfire Studios, Anna Godas, CEO, DogWoof, Helen Huang, Acquisitions Consultant, Dan O’Meara, EVP Non-fiction, NEON and Co-head, SUPER LTD.

Following are pertinent excerpts!

How are you working with streamers? 

Ann Godas – “I think it’s evolved, as you say – it used to be that Netflix was the only sort of streamer really, in the market, and being very aggressive, and in the past couple of years, Apple TV, now HBO Max are launching internationally, Disney+, [etc]. Especially during COVID, we found that – cinemas were literally closed – there was a huge demand for content from these new players alongside the likes of Netflix. Obviously, Netflix are producing a lot more, but so are we…the relationship with streamers is changing in the sense that before, for us, they used to be a buyer, and now we have different types of relationships with them.”

“It [streaming] has really evolved and changed the game of the market, but I feel we’ve evolved alongside the market and that’s how we have stayed quite relevant…”

What is the theatrical life of a documentary? 

Ross Dinerstein – “Some docs are verité talking heads that work really well to watch at home, but some docs have real scope to them and real cinematic imagery…it just really depends on the visual component and recognition before you’ve even seen the film.”

Helen Huang – “When I began in acquisitions at Showtime, I did have a much wider, broader mandate for buying documentaries before the streamers came along and started driving prices up for pay-services and first run. In the beginning, when I wasn’t competing in terms of dollars against the streamers, then I had a broader range of buying category as well. I could buy prestige documentaries, sports documentaries, music documentaries, I could buy narratives, I could buy any number of topics. And as the streamers started recognizing the value of nonfiction storytelling, the prices started going up for available independent documentaries…”

“When the prices started going up, we had to become much more specific about what we considered right for our platform – so our strategy had to change.”

“As we progressed in our documentary buying, we bifurcated into two directions – one was awards and prestige, and one was commerciality, and [overall] meeting a broader base of subscription value for each documentary that we bought.”

How is co-production impacting the global market for Docs? 

Anne Godas – “As financiers and producers what we’re after is something a bit more, with potentially more return, which is to fully finance documentaries through accessing soft funding in specific territories. For us, the best ones tend to be so far Denmark, and Scandinavia in general, Australia, and you can get a fully financed project with some equity from us and soft funding and maybe a couple more investors but that’s a model we, as financiers, we prioritize over the old coproduction model that again – it’s a good model, but not such an entrepreneurial model if you’re looking for a bigger return.” 

Ross Dinerstein – “As someone who raises money for indie docs I have investors that will say, ‘well why don’t we sell a couple of territories to cover our risk?’ and I’ll say we can’t do that because if we take a film to the market, and the world isn’t available, we are going to miss out on the big splashy Netflix deal or NEON deal.”

When you look at acquiring films, do you need to have the world available or you just buy it for US? 

Dan O’Meara – “Truth is, that it really does depend on the deal. If we’re being asked to pay a significant MG, if we’re competing with a streamer for the world, then yeah, we need the world to be available.” “more and more, we just need to, yes, mitigate our risk if we’re paying a big MG and then also – honestly if it’s an awards film (and this is important) to be able to control the world allows us to be able to do what we need to do when it comes time to campaign for Academy Award. So much of the doc branch is international and very often we find ourselves at this time of year trying to get ahold of the distributors of some of our films in all these various territories and find out what their level of commitment is to spend on screenings that we need to do in those individual territories in order to get people to watch the movie. So, owning the world allows us to you know holistically go out and make sure that we’re reaching all the doc branches. But look, it’s hard.”

Dan O’Meara – “There’s only like three or four buyers in the streaming space that would buy something that would just be North America…Hulu, HBO proper, Showtime…”

“It’s a different game…and luckily I have empirical evidence with some of my indie docs down the road, years later, that we made for X and sold for 2X, 3X, that I can use.”

“The stuff that I’m in production [for] now, take it to the market next year, and who knows what the world’s going to be ? Whereas back in the day, I would have a $5 million genre film with 30% covered in tax credits, and a $1.5mil in presales with Germany, UK, France, and US (I would have Kevin [Iwashina] sell US) and we typically did pretty well – but that’s just not a way to raise money anymore.”

Helen Huang – “[For Showtime], we didn’t just buy for US, we also needed part of the LATAM territory…If you had sold of your entire LATAM territory exclusively somewhere else, you couldn’t complete a deal with us.”

Biggest area of ROI on docs? 

Dan O’Meara – “Before the streaming boom really sort of happened, I was trying to get things financed at a level where I could afford to work on them for as long as it takes…”

“I had to be making a lot of films and they all take forever to get financed they take forever to sell and then to deliver and then to actually see any money on and so you need to have a lot of stuff in the pipeline. I think there’s a lot more information now than certainly back then…now there are so many streamers, and so many of them are trying to make a name for themselves with original content in nonfiction that I feel like this opportunity keeps expanding. And maybe that’ll also plateau at some point, I’m sure it has to…”

“What Ross [Dinerstein] is doing is very smart, which is looking at…what’s working well for the streamers and making the kinds of films that are entertaining, engaging, that go beyond the festival audience…they don’t even think of it as a documentary, they think of it as a movie they saw…”

“These weren’t documentaries, these were movies. Some of it is just following your taste – so if your taste leads you to something that is more artistic and idiosyncratic, there’s a market there as well. But if your tastes are really broad, then year, I feel like there’s a lot of opportunity right now and it’s a good time to be getting into it.”

Ross Dinerstein – “It’s all about storytelling, and the basic fundamentals of storytelling are – is it engaging, is it universally relatable, is there a three-act structure? So, it doesn’t really matter for me if it’s a doc or narrative film, it’s something that I’m passionate about and something that’s interesting to me. We…have 16 productions in full blown production right now, and not one project is remotely the same…it is developing for specific buyers that we know are going to buy stuff…”

What is working for you – 2-3 things that you use to evaluate if a film is worth pursuing 

Dan O’Meara – “The things that, for me personally, that I use to evaluate whether we should buy a film to release it theatrically is whether or not I want to go see it in a theater twice or three times. If I do, it means that I didn’t just appreciate it, but there are moments that I want to relive, and that I want to see other people experience for the first time. And that was the case…all of our most successful docs had those moments.”

 

American Film Market

AFM HIGHLIGHTS DAY 5 – Animation: A Growing Territory for Independents

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Another great day at the American Film Market Online 2021! At the top of the list is Pilar Alessandra and her WRITERS WORKSHOP: The Voice of the Writer. Many examples with insight made this one “a must-see” selection.

Pilar Alessandra answering a question during a Q&A on Novemeber 5, 2021, at American Film Market Online 2021.

Another hot topic session came to the forefront this morning, Animation: A Growing Territory for Independents.

While the pandemic has limited live-action film production, animation projects have successfully forged ahead. Industry experts discussed the creative process, production, and sales opportunities for independent animated products now and what the future hold.

Moderated by Ben Dalton, International Reporter, Screen International, Panelists included: Daniel Bort, Head of International, Fantawild Animation; Edward Noeltner, President, Cinema Management Group; Tania Pinto Da Cunha, Partner/Vice President, Head of International Sales & Acquisitions, Pink Parrot Media; and Michael Ryan, Partner, GFM Animation.

 

How is the independent animation sector growing and how is it different?  

Michael Ryan – “It’s alive and well which I’m very pleased about.  It has been a growing industry – a lot of people have jumped on that bandwagon. It’s a particular part of our industry that’s a bit more complicated than one thinks.  If you’re [pre] selling rights, for a live action movie you’re relying on those elements that we you can sell.  But when you have an animated movie, what do you sell?  You might be able to sell [your buyer on] the voices if you have famous actors but most of the territories it’s going to be dubbed anyway so it doesn’t always matter. The financing of it versus a live action movie is a lot more complex. But it’s growing and growing.  The European industry makes a huge amount of animation and it’s a very large marketplace, so if you can tap into that and find co-producers, that’s a great way to make your movies.”

“Apart from the UK [because those movies tend to be Disney, the huge studio movies], the rest of Europe is used to making co-productions in animation and it’s surprising how much, especially in France, support they get from their government and from the EU is enormous, and the audience responds to it.  There is a separate audience that is growing and growing for animation.  It tends to be not be English speaking and in France and those certain territories…We’re now venturing into other places – Latin America and Eastern Europe just to see what’s happening there. It’s pretty vibrant.”

 

What types of stories are particularly in demand? 

 Tania Pinto Da Cunha – “Different than series, in feature films, it’s difficult to have content for very young children – preschoolers. In the cinema, it doesn’t work.  For us you have to have a target family audience and make family animation – it has to be aimed at 6 or 8-year-old plus.” 

Edward Noeltner – “A lot of distributors are always looking for the inclusive…animals, talking animals. They want a good story with a lot of humor, a little bit of edginess here and there that will play to an older audience.  Animation on human characters is the absolute hardest to achieve so if you set it in the animal world, independents see a lot of success with that… [It’s all about] taking families to a world, a place they wouldn’t normally be able to go for two hours and nothing can be better than that.”

Michael Ryan – “If you want Pre-school, you have to have an IP that is very important to those kids. If you want it to resonate up to the parents that’s even better. Generally, if you can find the animals like that’s what most kids want and it’s a very large age group – you probably reach up to 10 or 11 and that’s a big age group and means that the parents have to go.  It stops at a certain age point. Kids, especially boys, past 10 don’t go to animated movies – it’s very very rare. Generally, if you can find the animals like in “Zambezia” which Edward [Edward Noeltner].  Human animation is incredibly hard especially because humans aren’t typically funny in animated films unless you’re very clever.”

Edward Noeltner – “Another thing you have to be very careful about is on-screen violence…If you have scenes in an animated feature that kids think they can do at home, you’ll have a real problem with censorship. A lot of mothers determine what movies they take their kids to, so we try to target our trailers to mothers. Be very careful with the violence if you’re trying to reach a family audience.  The last thing mothers want to do is put their hands in front of their kids’ faces when they’re watching a movie…One thing I did on a couple of occasions took the screenplay to Dove [Dove Soap brand has an approval division that puts a stamp of approval] for them to review it for the Dove Seal of Approval. I had them read a couple of the scripts I was thinking of investing in and asked if they would be acceptable for their approval board and took a few cues and make a couple of adjustments just to make sure I wouldn’t run into that issue of violence or offensiveness for my animated films moving forward.”

 

What do you want in an animated script?  

Michael Ryan – “If you’re going to write in the animated field, you have to be a really good comedy writer.  All these audiences want to do when they watch an animated feature is laugh, they want to laugh out loud and it’s really difficult to find writers that can make people laugh out loud.  I am punching up the comedy dialogue in my animated films right until they’re finished because you can never get enough comedy in an animated film.”

If you are writing something like “I Lost My Body” or “Flee” those are all beautiful movies and all well written amazing screenplays, you just have to know that your audience is going to be limited but maybe you’ll earn Oscar nominees.”

 

What’s the importance of film market events to the independent animators?  

Daniel Bort – “You want to have the interactions also with the TV executives that are financing as well, so these are the places that you meet the TF1s and the BBCs and those people also shape up the market worldwide.”

Michael Ryan – “[Markets] It’s just as important for animation as it is for live action – it’s exactly the same thing. We’re all co-producers now, we need co-producers to produce with and the only way to do it really is to meet them in person.”

 

How are you working with the platforms and for animations are relationships with them a worthwhile endeavor? 

Tania Pinto Da Cunha – “It’s giving another opportunity in a way and they’ve come to stay. They’re doing quite a bit of damage on the one hand, since animation they are doing a lot so they are taking our talent and we cannot compete with those prices…but at the same time they are also putting money into production, they are financing a lot of films and if that continues it’s not necessarily bad thing for producers especially in Europe since it takes so long to get the funds from subsidies that you’re developing and trying to get the funding for so long…Platforms are buying from independents, it’s not easy and if there’s something that they want they’re paying big money. I think we’ll come to a balance.”

Michael Ryan – “We owe it to ourselves to try and work with them. I find it really very difficult to get one of the big streamers…some of them just don’t do animation – Hulu for instance, Amazon very very rarely. Netflix, they’re doing so much of their own, I think they have done it [bought] once for a big [animated] independent film.  It’s very few and far between, so that means that we should really concentrate on our business which is with independent distributors throughout the world and that’s who we sell to.  I don’t regard the streamers as a real buyer of our animated features, they’ve really never committed to it so I don’t really concentrate on it. We’ve just done a big deal with Sky on a number of territories.  Is that a streamer? Not really but kind of – it’s a hybrid so they’ll do some theatrical releases where they can. Dealing with Amazon, Netflix you can’t really rely on – our [animation] business is still with the theatrical distributors around the world.

“I do like the fact that they [Netflix] are doing regional buys for foreign language movies.  They don’t have any fear of that which is great and that’s a good service to the animation industry.  They’re very big in Germany, they’re becoming much bigger in France, Spain and I think that’s a very farsighted attitude.”

Edward Noeltner – “We should all make a concerted effort to see what Netflix is doing in terms of animation – in terms of the story structure, the production values, I think they’re doing an incredible job and that’s a bar we have to reach to because otherwise the audience is going to stay home and watch Netflix.”

Daniel Bort – “The only truly worldwide game of the streamers right now that could buy independent animation is Netflix. The other ones are not.”  

 

What is going to make things better for the industry for 2022?  

Michael Ryan – “I think if we can get people back to the cinema, that’s what we all need.”

 

American Film Market

AFM 2021 Day 5 News & Update

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Many excellent sessions have marked the 2021 American Film Market (AFM) – today’s the Pitch Conference led the way with topicals such as licensing, casting, producing standout documentaries, clearing the title chain, maximizing the festival circuit, and how to create compelling characters.

A pertinent and timely one from Day 3 was the Distribution II Session, How Streamers Approach Independent Content, moderated by Brent Lang, Executive Editor Film & Media, New York Bureau Chief, Variety Magazine.  Panelists included: Adam Koehler, Manager of Acquisitions, IFC Films; Brian Stevenson, CEO & Founder, Sheena Mae Stories; and, Jennifer Vaux, Head of Content Acquisition, The Roku Channel.

Here’s the recap on – How Streamers Approach Independent Content:

What kind of content is doing well, what are you discovering? 

Jennifer Vaux – “We have a really robust machine learning algorithm that will really serve you up the kind of content that you want to watch and want to see – so we actually see a lot of engagement with independent film, whether it’s action, romance, LGBTQ+ stories, co-viewing, family, horror…”

How do you figure out what content you want to purchase? 

Adam Koehler – “Very often, we’ll come across a title that will do spectacular on VOD but maybe not have a theatrical life, and it goes the other way around as well. A foreign language drama, for example, doesn’t really play quite as well on a VOD platform as it does in theaters where you can fully absorb the film – whereas something like an action film is potentially more of a VOD title for us. It really just comes down to the nature and the genre of the film. The sweet spot is finding something that will work both ways; with our streaming platforms, specifically, our films don’t really land there until 2 years after initial release. So when we’re thinking about what we want to see on our streaming platform, we are also thinking about what films will stand the test of time and remain buzzy…”

Are you finding that there are certain types of stories that people are more interested in backing right now? 

Brian Stevenson – “I know for some of the platforms that inclusive type films, like African American, LGBTQ+, they perform really well. Some horror films do really well, but I think the younger generation latches on to some of the AVOD platforms because it’s free. If you’re on cable, and you have to pay $400-500, someone just out of college doesn’t have that kind of money, so they’re going to go to the ROKUs and TUBIs.”

When it comes to marketing, do you feel like having a community like that does help in identifying your audience so that they can find the content? 

Brian Stevenson – “Some of the advertisers, it’s a way for them to target a specific demographic. And depending on who that is or what block of programming that looks like, it looks like they’re putting more of their dollars into something like that [diverse content]. Especially after George Floyd, you have a lot more appetite from advertisers who wanted to look at, not just African American content, but anything that was inclusive because there was a whole new search for identity and different cultures happening.”

Are movies with a social justice component or political undercurrent resonating better on streaming services? 

Jennifer Vaux – “It goes back to – if you’re in the mood to watch something, chances are, we’re going to have it. I think that’s the importance of having a broad catalog – having stories like social justice and meaningful stories out there that might not have a bigger theatrical release or get lost in other types of releases.”

Adam Koehler – … “For the right film with the right timing, we’re definitely seeing a perfect storm for the correct titles”

How has the move into virtual film festivals changed your job? 

Adam Koehler – “Film festivals have become far more accessible over the pandemic because everything has been virtual, more people have been able to attend festivals. Let’s take Sundance for example – there’s a barrier to participating in Sundance typically [as a live event], it’s expensive, it’s not exactly an easy place to get to, and it’s tough for beginner filmmakers and smaller press members to get that access. Moving forward, I think we’re going to see more hybrid models to allow more people to participate in different ways.”

“This past year, Sundance reviews were spilling in right away for films directly out to premiere because people were able to watch them the same time we did, so in a lot of ways, it’s really leveling the playing field.”

Jennifer Vaux – “One thing that’s been awesome about just the structure of having a virtual festival is that the other folks on my team who have never been able to go to a festival…they’ve seen so many more movies. We’ve screened so much more, so I’m able to acquire more and have more engaging conversations with filmmakers.”

What is lost by the virtual component? 

Jennifer Vaux – “The connectivity with the audiences and hearing it in real-time. It’s just that immediacy that you lack in a virtual environment.”

What are indie filmmakers’ expectations? 

Brian Stevenson – “At the end of the day, filmmakers want to make a little bit of money – so I am very honest with them [and tell them] ‘Depending on the genre…depending on the category, I’m not really quite sure about the revenue numbers. You’ll probably do fairly well, but you’re not going to make a million dollars…’”

Is there more content than ever? From the acquisition perspective? 

Jennifer Vaux – “It’s definitely ebbing and flowing in terms of what you’re looking at and what the pandemic has allowed us to do. Early on, we were able to do some innovative deals with some distributors and so we licensed our first exclusive series called ‘Cypher,’ which was from an independent company…We were able to do some really interesting Pay 1 deals because I guess the other folks who have a much larger budget than we do maybe had passed.”

“Now you’re seeing that sort of leveling out…there was a lot in development, but all the produced stuff has found a home, so now we’re just trying to play the shell game of what content we can serve up.”

What about Documentaries on Streaming? 

Brian Stevenson – “If you can find some kind of a packaging opportunity or any kind of a promotional opportunity for your documentary to be a whole block of programming that has a kind of headliner like [‘Black Boys’] had, then there can be some opportunity there….Otherwise…documentaries are very hard to move unless you have a special marketing opportunity.”

How is the value component of cast for each of you? 

Jennifer Vaux – “Recognizable cast truly is important, especially to cut through a lot of the title availability. So, if there’s a recognizable person, then people will click on that thumbnail…We had a few movies where Chadwick Boseman starred in early in his career, and when he did Black Panther, all of a sudden these movies were really popular…”

Adam Koehler – “I think it’s also important to mention that it depends on the specific nature of the film with the cast attached. If the target demographic for the film is a younger audience, then maybe someone like Helen Mirren may not hold as much value to that specific demographic as it would for another. Whereas if you’re trying to cater to an audience in their young twenties, someone with a really huge Instagram following would probably hold more value.”

What are the challenges today? Where are the opportunities? 

Adam Koehler – “Essentially, when it comes to acquisitions, streamers have largely driven up the price for a lot of content out there, making it a little harder for traditional distributors like us to compete at the same level as a tech company. So, in order to get around that, I would say that we are pre-buying a little bit more, financing a little bit more, getting a bit more in on the ground floor with a lot of films that come our way, that way we can already have the commitment of distributing the film before these other players can come in and swoop it away…Not everything can be “Palm Springs”, not everything can be “Coda”,  so when filmmakers go into a festival with the expectation that [these films] represent the level that films sell at,’ it makes it a little more difficult for us to manage the expectations of sales agents and filmmakers to move forward with an acquisition.

Check out attending Day 5 here! You’ll be glad you did!

television

THE REEL CHALLENGE

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

48HR Filmmaker Competition

November 19–21

Presented by San Luis Obispo International Film Festival

and the Central Coast Film Society

WHAT:  Filmmakers will compete in a 48HR competition to create a short film of 90 seconds or less which will be screened and celebrated at the 2022 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.

On Friday, November 19 at 5:00 PM, filmmakers will be given a prop they must showcase in their film. They will then have 2 days to write the script, cast the characters, shoot and edit the film before they submit it for judging on Sunday, November 21 at 5:00 PM.

In partnership with the Central Coast Film Society, SLO Film Fest is taking the next step to inspire and encourage the local filmmaking talent the film festival has promoted since it began. Inspired by the current creativity being exhibited across today’s social media platforms, The Reel Challenge will provide an opportunity for Central Coast filmmakers, creators, students, and anyone interested in the medium a chance to see their ideas come alive on the big screen in front of audiences at next year’s edition of the film festival.

Once all submissions are in, a group of judges will review each of the films submitted and select winners for the competition. Winners will be invited to have their films screened at the 2022 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.

ELIGIBILITY: All creatives residing on the Central Coast of California – Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, or Santa Barbara County.  All ages, group/crew sizes, and experience levels are welcome.

REGISTRATION: The deadline to register for The Reel Challenge is 4:00 PM PST on Friday, November 19.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfvB6cH0Vs4_wZXa7rrwuV_8M5bJZ-YMGcpphLrrJbB15tdDA/viewform

PRESS CONTACT: 

John Wildman  Wildworks PR/FilmsGoneWild.comjswildman@hotmail.com   323.600.3165

Academy Awards, Ojai Film Festival, Oscar

A Night to Remember – An Evening with Chloé Zhao

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Ojai resident Chloé Zhao wrote and directed Nomadland, recipients of Best Picture and Best Director Oscars at the 2020  Academy Awards. Zhao makes a special appearance at the 2021 Ojai Film Festival on Saturday, November 13 at 7 pm. A screening of her 2017 film The Rider precedes a Q&A with Director Zhao, followed by a reception, all at the Ojai Art Center.

Growing up in Beijing Zhao felt drawn to influences from Western pop culture. She attended a boarding school in London before moving to Los Angeles to finish high school. She worked odd jobs as a party promoter, in real estate, and bartending before studying film production at New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

In 2010, Zhao’s short film, Daughters, premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and won Best Student Live Action Short at the 2010 Palm Springs International ShortFest and Special Jury Prize at the 2010 Cinequest Film Festival.

Zhao directed her first feature film in 2015, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, which premiered as part of the US Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival. It later played at Cannes Film Festival as part of the Director’s Fortnight selection.

Next Zhao wrote, produced, and directed The Rider, an American contemporary western drama shot in the Badlands of South Dakota. The film won the Art Cinema Award at the Cannes Film Festival and received Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Film and Best Director. Rotten Tomatoes wrote: “[The film’s] hard-hitting drama is only made more effective through writer-director Chloé Zhao’s use of untrained actors to tell the movie’s fact-based tale.”

The Rider follows a young cowboy’s journey of self-discovery after a near-fatal accident ends his professional bronc riding career. Zhao engaged a cast of non-actors who lived on the ranch where she shot the film. Her inspiration came from a cowboy she befriended on the reservation where she filmed Songs My Brothers Taught Me.

Seating is limited for this special screening of The Rider with Academy Award-winning writer, director Chloé Zhao in attendance. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased here!

(Source: Ojai Film Fest News)

American Film Market

AFM Online 2021 Day 3 Highlights – International Film Market: Consumption of Black Culture, Rejection of Black Stories

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

The NAACP convenes a panel of storytellers to explore the myths and rigors of international distribution for black-themed content and leading roles.

Covering a plethora of relevant topics spanning from the beginning of the film industry to the present day, the convened panel of Mo Abudu, CEO, EbonyLife Group, Dr. Darnell Hunt, Dean of the Division of Social Sciences, and Professor of Sociology and African American Studies, UCLA, Johnny Jones, Executive Director of Worldwide Marketing Content, Warner Bros. Pictures, Gabriel Lerman, Board Member, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Tirrell D. Whittley, CEO, Liquid Sou,l and moderator Kyle Bowser, SVP Hollywood Bureau, NAACP, delivered insight into the prevalent issues of international distribution of black-themed content and leading roles.

Here are a few pertinent questions and responses:

How might you answer the question of what is a black film? 

Mo Abudu – “For me it’s been a real struggle, getting our foot in the door with African stories that are also black stories. Even if I’m knocking on the door of an African American, it’s kind of tough going because they’ve got African American stories they want to tell.”

“So yes, we’re getting our foot in the door, and we’re being listened to, and we’re having to work twice as hard. I keep saying that there are three levels of discrimination for an African woman – number 1, you are a woman, number 2, you are a black woman, number 3, I am an African black woman trying to sell an African story to either a white person or an African American person.”

We do in fact have these gatekeepers who will conclude that we do not have enough demand to justify the investment… 

Darnell Hunt – “Well I’m here to tell you that it’s all a myth – it’s not true….First of all, the thing you have to remember is that the global audience looks a lot more like American diversity than Europe, I mean Europe is only about 18% of the world’s population and maybe 22% of the world GDP – all the rest of it is this rainbow around the world who want to hear diverse stories. And one of the things we’ve seen in the US context is that, as diversity has become more common on-screen, diverse audiences flock to it, they want to see that. They’re not going back now.”

Kyle Bowser – “When you have these distributors who have this reticence to greenlight projects that need to travel internationally, I don’t think it’s simply because they’re not good stories or because there’s some shortcoming in the casting or whatever it is, I think implicitly, they are supporting a norm that was established long ago.”

Darnell Hunt – “White supremacy is real, and it works in many different ways – some of it is intentional, some of its implicit bias…some of it’s lack of imagination to appreciate and recognize a quality story when you see it because your experience does not support it. That’s why it’s important to have diverse voices in the executive suites for greenlighting these stories and we just don’t. All of our data shows that 92% of studio heads and CEOs are white, and about 87% are male – that freezes out a range of voices.”

Projects never get made sometimes because there’s not enough international interest – so from the perspective of the studio, how does that work out? 

Johnny Jones – “It’s show business, and the larger companies such as Warner Bros., Disney, etc., they want a big return on their investment – because it is a business. So they’re going after the largest common denominator in terms of what they’re producing, what they know the consumers will consume, how they can sell merchandise, etc – it’s a business.”

“Different content works differently in different markets.”

“I think it’s important to be in the room where it happened, but you need a voice – you need a strong voice and you need leverage. And the people who have leverage, believe it or not, are some of these actors.”

Darnell Hunt – “One of the things that we should not discount is the ways in which the audience is self-assured, not just in the US but globally. And one of the drivers of that, we’ve argued in our Hollywood bursar reports, is streaming. Last year during the pandemic, most new titles were released via streaming platforms, and our top 200 films, which we normally look at on the global box office, actually shifted to the most diverse in history because a lot of smaller films were released on streaming platforms. These never would have made our sample if we’re only looking at theatrical releases. And what that did was show the ways in which diverse audiences really gravitated towards diverse content once they knew it was there.”

Thoughts on the streaming space? 

Mo Abudu – “I often say that [Nigeria] is only 6 hours from London, you’re not going to the moon or something, but a lot of the times, just getting large corporations to set up a department that’s even going to have an African unit can take years and years.”

“Netflix has trailblazed that, they’re on the continent because you know what? They don’t want to leave anything on the table. There is a massive audience there, there is a billion people living on the continent, the internet is spreading around the world, they are getting subscribers, so they are deciding to invest in local stories for local and local stories for global.”

“We have to, as black content producers, find our “Squid Game”, and find those big projects that make studios realize that we are worth investing in.”

Other general thoughts? 

Tirrell D. Whittley – “So when creators come in and producers come in and they’re talking to a room full of white executives that don’t know their perspective, there’s no champion on the other side of the table, no one to translate at times what certain things mean, it is a very uphill battle.”

“With young people, I really try and encourage them to learn about the system, own the system, participate in the system – from an executive perspective. Understanding the financing, understanding the greenlight – the more women on that side of the table the more stories you’ll see – because they understand that women’s stories matter.”

“When it comes to content, specifically film and television, there is a gatekeeper system that says, ‘we want to dictate what goes forward.’”

American Film Market, distribution

TBA STUDIOS ACQUIRES WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR MALAYSIAN THRILLER “LIGHTS OUT”

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TBA Studios adds another gem to its impressive catalog of diverse genre films from all over the globe with the recent distribution acquisition of the Malaysian thriller Lights Out (original title Siapa Tutup Lampu).

Lights Out is helmed by young and up-and-coming director Aliff Ihsan Rahman with a screenplay by Azhar Jalil and produced by Horizon Film Entertainment & Articulate Fusion Productions.

 

It follows the story of five friends (Akmal, Arif, Aryana, Azie, and Amir) who go on holiday to Genting Highlands.  On the way home, they get involved in an accident that kills Amir.  The other four are called to the morgue to identify Amir’s body.

 

While waiting for the doctor to arrive, they discover they are locked in the morgue, which is frequently disturbed by mysterious sights and sounds.  It is most unsettling especially when the lights suddenly go out.

 

The four friends suspect that the entity bothering them is Amir’s restless spirit. While confined in the morgue, they each retell how they betrayed their friend, and their wrongdoings on Amir were revealed one by one. Will they all make it out of the morgue alive?

 

Recently completed, Lights Out has already generated buzz in its home country.  This highly anticipated thriller stars Azizul Ammar, Uyaina Arshad, Naim Daniel, Azhar Jalil, Ismi Melinda, Afieq Shazwan, Geoff Andre Feyaerts, Melissa Campbell, and Mark O’Dea.

  “We are planning a theatrical release of the film in Malaysia and Indonesia,” says Mohd Shahir Sulaiman, Managing Director of Horizon Film Entertainment.   “With Cindy Sison of TBA Studios as our international sales agent, we are optimistic about reaching new audiences globally.”

Lights Out is one of the films TBA Studios is premiering at the American Film Market alongside other acquisitions such as the music documentary FANNY: The Right To Rock, urban crime thriller Boundary, and award-winning documentary A Is For Agustin.

TBA Studios is one of the leading film production and distribution companies in the Philippines known for its groundbreaking films such as historical epics General Luna, Goyo: The Boy General, and hit romcom I’m Drunk, I Love You.

To know more about TBA Studios or see updates on Lights Out, visit www.tba.ph

(Press release provided by Cindy Sison)