“Hotel Mumbai” is based on real events that took place in November 2008, when ten members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani Islamic terrorist organization, carried out an insanely-bold series of attacks on Mumbai, starting from the rail station and making their way to the Taj hotel where a number of guests were staying, including American ones. A thriller directed by Anthony Maras and co-written ... more >
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HOTEL MUMBAI, walking back uneasy to the scene of the crime
Film premiered at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival
Armie Hammer, Dev Patel and Nazanin Boniadi
Directed by Anthony Maras
ICEMAN (“Der Mann aus dem Eis”)
Discover the first unsolved murder case in the history of mankind
Jürgen Vogel, André Hennicke and Susanne Wuest
Directed by Felix Randau
When the perfectly-preserved body of a Stone Age man was found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991, it became a world sensation. "Ötzi" (renamed Kelab) was so well-preserved, in fact, that one could draw several different conclusions about his life and his violent passing. These hypotheses now make up the template of this new Felix Randau-directed film, and result in a gripping drama starring Jürgen Vogel ... more >
“ASH IS THE PUREST WHITE,” Zhangke Jia’s sweeping melodrama in four parts, is a must-watch!
Two people, on the outer limits of society, coming together and coming undone, and coming together again
Tao Zhao and Fan Liao
Directed by Zhangke Jia
Qiao (played by Tao Zhao) a gangster’s girlfriend in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi, dreams of an immutable kind of love, the one that defies and lasts. Her and her boyfriend seem on the periphery of society, like dark angels, hovering nearby. She bides her time, even though she doesn’t embrace the lifestyle fully, and, after a violent incident involving him (Bin, played by Fan Liao), ... more >
BARRY AVRICH’s latest effort will look at grifters playing fast and loose with the high-stakes art world
Melbar Entertainment Group announced that production has begun on the feature documentary about the infamous Knoedler Gallery art scandal, one that involved one of the largest art forgeries in history. Over sixty forged abstract expressionists works of art sold to high society collectors and prestigious art institutions for over $80 million in total. The film will be completed in late 2019. The ... more >
Twenty years on, the Cannes Festival’s Gilles Jacob remains an ardent believer in the Cinéfondation’s virtue to discover and foster new filmmaking talent
He was president of the Cannes Festival for four decades, and launched Un Certain Regard, in addition to Cinéfondation
So I got curious about Cinéfondation, an incubator created within the Cannes Festival's ecosystem to lend certain filmmakers a helping hand, whether that's advice, a network, or funds. It's been two decades since its inception and I needed to situate this program within the festival's many other endeavors. Gilles Jacob, former president of the Cannes Festival, created Cinéfondation in 1998, over ... more >
CANNES FESTIVAL, the Cinéfondation “Atelier” is a rite of passage that aims to help student directors get finishing funds
Featured director: Pakistan's Parveen Bilal
The Cannes Festival selection is augmented, each year, with a spate of student movies by young filmmakers sending their unfinished projects from around the world in the hope of finding a sensitive ear and a receptive heart. With deep pockets, preferably. L’Atelier (“workshop” in the French original) is a way for students in search of finishing funds to come to Cannes, pitch their project, meet ... more >
Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez’s “DOS FRIDAS” to premiere at next Chicago Latino Film Festival
Ishtar Yasin Gutiérrez is a filmmaker who’s already got several documentaries and feature films under her belt. In 1998 she launched Astarte Films from San Jose, Costa Rica, a city where she's been working as screenwriter and filmmaker. She was born in Moscow, Russia to an Iraqi father and a Chilean-Costa Rican mother. Her first film, “El Camino,” premiered at the 2008 Berlinale. It would later ... more >