Author: CWB News Department

CWB News Department, collects and republishes most important news and stories about International and Independent cinema, by noting the original source of the articles

The Marriage Project, the production company behind the new animated feature Karmic Knot is thrilled to announce its star-studded cast, bringing together some of Hollywood and Broadway’s most celebrated talents. Leading the ensemble is Tony-Award-nominated Broadway and film star Patrick Wilson, known for his roles in The Conjuring series and Insidious, who joins an illustrious group of actors including Dagmara Dominczyk (Succession, The Lost Daughter), Gracie Lawrence (lead singer of the band Lawrence), Emma Kenney (The Connors, Shameless), Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe), and Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Stranger Things). Written and directed by visionary filmmaker Signe Baumane (Rocks…

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Junmi Chen is a visionary LGBTQ+ activist and documentary filmmaker from China, now based in the United States. Their work artfully bridges storytelling and social justice, shedding light on marginalized voices and catalyzing systemic change. As a filmmaker, Junmi intertwines compelling narratives with their advocacy, using the power of film to inspire awareness and action. Their work continues to impact communities worldwide, championing human rights and equality. Gao Guo is a queer activist, filmmaker, and Consultant for the UNDP “Being LGBT in Asia” project. With a background in fine arts and a deep commitment to LGBTQ rights, he has worked extensively…

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At Sunday night’s premiere of “Together,” a body-horror film starring real-life married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie, the Eccles Theatre erupted with shrieks, nervous laughter and cries of “Oh, shit!” Sundance audiences couldn’t get enough of the gory madness unfolding on-screen, and word quickly spread that “Together,” with its twisty look at relationships and gross-out set-pieces, had all the elements of an indie breakout. Studios and streamers, including A24 and Neon, started circling the film, trying to one-up each other in a feverish effort to land the buzzy project. The festival was already well underway, but it finally seemed…

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The Lithuanian Film Tax Incentive came into effect in January 2014 as a new policy measure to foster local and foreign film production in Lithuania. Recently, it has been extended until 31 December 2028. The Lithuanian Film Tax Incentive provides an opportunity to save money on film production budgets through a private investment scheme. The key information relating to the incentive is as follows: you can save up to 30% of your film production budget, and it is available for the production of feature films, TV dramas, documentaries and animated films, including domestically produced, co-produced or commissioned films (produced under the service…

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Whether it’s in books by Kafka and Turgenev, in films such as Tim Burton’s Big Fish or Andrej Zvjagincev’s Russian masterpiece The Return, or even embodied by Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga, the difficulties we have when it comes to talking about and talking with our fathers is one of the most revisited taboos in film and literature, whether resulting from generational differences and varying expectations, authoritarian or distant paternal figures, or personal or historical trauma which hinders dialogue. Ado Hasanovic – an Italian-Bosnian director renowned for his short films which have won awards around the world – has made…

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The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards were announced Thursday and it was a big morning for “Emilia Pérez,” “The Brutalist” and “Wicked.” After acknowledgement of the impact of ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles by Academy leadership, Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott revealed the nominees for the film industry’s top prize, previewing the race that will play out in the weeks to come, culminating at the March ceremony. “Emilia Pérez” led with 13 nominations, followed by “The Brutalist” and “Wicked” with 10 each. Musical “Emilia Pérez” has seen success in spite of some controversy. The movie’s four Golden Globe wins did some…

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The score for Jesse Eisenberg’s latest film is made up almost entirely of music by the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. A Real Pain follows cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) on a Holocaust tour around Poland to explore the horrors of their family history. The choice of Chopin’s music, which runs as an undercurrent throughout the film, perfectly centres the picture in post-war Poland, giving rhythm to the narrative, and a simple elegance to the mood. “My entire soundtrack for my film is Chopin, Frederic Chopin, the classical composer,” Eisenberg told Billboard at the Golden Globes, where he received two nominations for Best…

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The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which is set to take place Feb. 4-15, one day longer than previous editions, in recognition of its milestone anniversary, has released its full program. The lineup — listed in full at the bottom of this post — is comprised of films from 60 countries. Thirty-three will be world premieres and 74 will be U.S. premieres. The U.S. premiere of Jane Austen Wrecked My Life will kick off the fest on Feb. 4, and the U.S. premiere of A Missing Part will close it on Feb. 15. This year’s fest will be dedicated to and raise financial support for…

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The Berlinale Series Market is set to reconvene from 16-19 February, at CinemaxX at Potsdamer Platz and Gropius Bau, as part of the European Film Market (EFM). Celebrated as a boutique hub for serial content from across the globe, this year’s market will feature the Berlinale Series Market Selects label, a flagship selection spotlighting shows with significant market potential. The programme also includes the Co-Pro Series Pitches, organised by the Berlinale Co-Production Market (see the news), alongside an engaging line-up of international showcases and a comprehensive conference schedule. Spain, the 2025 EFM Country in Focus (see the news), will present four series projects in development during the market,…

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Resilience is an act of quiet bravery. In its silence, revolutions are born. The stories honored in SIMA’s 2025 shortlist stand as powerful testaments to that truth. With narratives spanning 37 countries, these films do more than document our world; they celebrate the extraordinary resolve of individuals and communities who rise, despite the weight of uncertainty, to forge a path toward hope. The SIMA 2025 Finalists are now eligible for entry into SIMA’s global traveling series, Cinema Across Borders, and their award-winning education platform, SIMA Academy, which reaches over 140,000 students around the globe. Now moving on to the final…

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