Author: CWB News Department

resented at the 19th Rome Film Fest in the Grand Public section, the new film by Gabriele Muccino, Here Now, begins like a love story under the sun of Sicily, but soon turns into an action thriller, until its very last moments. The director behind The Last Kiss and Kiss Me Again [+], lent for a long time to Hollywood (where he shot, amongst others, The Pursuit for Happyness and Seven Pounds), now and for the first time measures himself against a genre high in adrenaline, in which his proverbial style of direction of actors (“Gabriele is a director who gets agitated, sweats, shouts at you”, says one of them) adds…

DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival has become an important event for celebrating documentary filmmaking. Each film presented at Dokubaku makes it possible for audiences to explore diverse perspectives, gaining insights into topics that may otherwise remain overlooked. Established in 2017, DokuBaku has become a leading platform for documentary films, promoting discussions on important social issues. In an interview with AZERNEWS, Imam Hasanov, the founder and artistic director of the DokuBaku Film Festival, reflects on the festival’s journey, its mission, and its vision for the future. Q: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind starting DokuBaku Film Festival? What are the…

TEHRAN-The 41st Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) was inaugurated on Friday at Mellat Cineplex in Tehran with a tribute to the martyrs of Gaza. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mehdi Azarpendar, the festival secretary, said: “This festival has started with the slogan ‘A Fanciful World’. Of course, we know that the world we live in now isn’t all that fancy, but we hope for a time when there will be a great man in the world, making it more fantastic; a great man that calls for an end to the killing of children, so we no longer witness these…

It’s not quite an ultra-villain origin story. But nor is Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice in any way a flattering depiction of its subject, the young(ish) Donald Trump (a horribly convincing Sebastian Stan). The film follows Trump’s early journey, starting as “Little Donnie”, the browbeaten second son of an overbearing father who scoffs that his boy “needs all the help he can get”. But, as the film tells it, the young Donald finds a second father figure in the well-connected and widely feared rightwing lawyer Roy Cohn (Succession star Jeremy Strong, bringing his trademark unblinking gimlet intensity to the performance, with chilling effect).…

Paris, 1935. Penniless aspiring actor Madeleine Verdier (Nadia Tereszkiewicz, with a note-perfect performance made up almost entirely of pouts, shrugs and eye-rolls) has just pleaded guilty to the murder of a powerful theatre producer. But at the sensational trial, in which Madeleine is defended by her roommate, newly graduated law student Pauline Mauléon (Rebecca Marder), Madeleine is unexpectedly acquitted. However, this is only the beginning of the story in the latest from François Ozon, which touches on gender politics and the fickle focus of celebrity, all the while maintaining a tone of adorably frothy insouciance. https://youtu.be/S7dxAEOMykI?si=mxtJF4QtRtbdPjUx This is Ozon at his…

On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, I attended the screening of “Dear America, A Letter from Black Women” at the Yonkers Riverfront Library, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of transformative. This documentary is a powerful tool that peels back the layers of systemic issues affecting Black women in America. It’s not just a film; it’s a necessary wake-up call—a clarion call for all of us to recognize the often-overlooked narratives that shape our society. As a mother raising children in this cultural state space of New York, I can’t stress enough how critical it is for every school in…

Maybe because it’s one of the most immediate art forms, it can be hard to talk about music. But on Friday at the Middleburg Film Festival, composers and songwriters Lesley Barber, Kris Bowers, Charles Fox, Mychael Danna, Clement Ducol & Camille, Taura Stinson, and Diane Warren were able to get at some key insights into how scores and songs can support great film storytelling. As it does with most things, the time musicians have to grapple with a story matters. The danger of too little time is that you won’t be able to get the work done, of course, but there is such a…

Paolo Sorrentino and Piccolo America — which runs both Rome’s largest open-air film festival and Europe’s first 24-hour movie theater — want to see your short films. Together, Sorrentino’s newly formed company Numero 10 and Piccolo America have launched their premier short film festival, Corto Condorello. Aimed at young filmmakers under 35 around the world, the festival boasts a jury including Willem Dafoe, Debra Winger, Carla Bruni, Jan Komasa, and Radu Mihaileanu, with “Parthenope” director Sorrentino serving as chair. Ahead of the festival running November 22 through 24 in Rome, submit your films to Corto Condorello via Film Freeway here through Sunday, October 20. The jury…

Iranian actress Soheila Golestani has been nominated for Best Actress at the Asia Pacific Awards for her role in The Seed of the Sacred Fig, directed by Iranian dissident filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. The nomination comes as Golestani faces pressure from security forces in Iran due to her support of the 2022 nationwide protests. Golestani gained prominence on social media during protests following Mahsa Amini’s death in custody, appearing in a video alongside other artists without the mandatory hijab. Her participation in the protests has led to increased scrutiny from Iranian authorities. The actress’s ability to attend the award ceremony remains uncertain due…

This month, the 19th Annual Tasveer Film Festival and Market (TFFM) makes a return to the Pacific Northwest to showcase filmmakers and creatives from the South Asian community. The festival will feature films that range from narratives and documentaries to animated shorts, broadcasting South Asian stories to a global audience. The films will be shown in person at the SIFF Cinema Uptown and PACCAR IMAX Theater at Pacific Science Center from Oct. 15 to 20, with the market occurring Oct. 15 to 18 at the Tagney Jones Hall and the M5 Creative Building in Seattle Center. The virtual screenings will be offered…