Author: CWB News Department

The NVISION Latino Film & Music Festival announces its premier sponsors for the 2024 event, which takes place from October 10 to 12 at Palm Springs Art Museum. With support from top organizations in media, finance, transportation, music and the arts, these valued partnerships solidify the vital role that Latino representation and recognition plays in the entertainment industry. This festival is poised to be a landmark cultural celebration and will significantly elevate Latino voices in film and music. “We are immensely proud to have such renowned brands from various industries rallying behind the NVISION Latino Film & Music Festival,” said…

Iranian director Payam Hosseini’s short film “Khalil” wins two awards at the 30th edition of Lessinia Film Festival, which was held last week in Verona, Italy. The short flick received best short film award as well as special jury award in its global premiere. The film is set in a small village on the Iranian plateau and follows the journey of a 13-year-old boy named Khalil, who has recently lost his father. Overwhelmed by the fear of his father’s fate in the afterlife, Khalil is deeply troubled by the possibility that his father may not receive God’s forgiveness and could…

The follow-up to his anarchic debut feature The Twentieth Century, a postmodern restaging of Canadian history that eschewed accuracy and realism in favor of strange psycho-sexual fetishes and aesthetic fixations, Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language takes a similarly irreverent approach to depicting his country’s geography and socio-political environment. The film initially centers on what appears to be an Iranian middle school, albeit one situated in an incongruously wintry landscape, where an irate teacher (Mani Soleymanlou), ranting at his misbehaving pupils, asks them, “Can’t you at least fool around in French?!” We soon follow two young girls (Saba Vahedyousefi and Rojina Esmaelli) who set out…

The 6th annual Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival happens this month with a slate of 40 original films exploring subjects including social justice, education, refugee resettlement, real estate redlining and the divisions of 21st century politics. (Courtesy of Morehouse College) International, independent and student filmmakers are celebrating the 6th annual Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival this month with a slate of 40 original films. The films explore subjects including social justice, education, refugee resettlement, real estate redlining and the divisions of 21st century politics. The film festival will feature internationally recognized films from high-profile filmmakers alongside films of…

TORONTO, ON — Many of the expected conventions of music biopics are present in “Piece by Piece,” about the producer-turned-pop star Pharrell Williams, and “Better Man,” about the British singer Robbie Williams. There’s the young artist’s urge to break through, fallow creative periods and regrettable chapters of fame-addled excess. But there are a few, little differences. In “Piece by Piece,” Pharrell is a Lego. And in “Better Man,” Williams is played by a CGI monkey. If the music biopic can sometimes feel a little stale in format, these two movies, both premiering this week at the Toronto International Film Festival,…

Danish director Frederik Louis Hviid makes his solo feature debut with an action-packed crime-thriller that doesn’t quite live up to its potential In a gripping cold open, a failed heist results in the death of two security professionals by a group of well-prepared criminals. Years later, they prepare for their next operation: the greatest heist in Danish history. With this premise, Frederik Louis Hviid makes his solo feature debut after his first film, Shorta  (Venice International Film Critics’ Week 2020), co-directed with Anders Ølholm. Hviid stays in-genre with his newest film, The Quiet Ones, a crime-drama-slash-thriller inspired by the true…

The not-for-profit organization Film Heritage Foundation, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai, Axis Bank and Education Partner – IED Istituto Europeo di Design are proud to present a first-of-its-kind Italian film festival titled ‘Cinema Italian Style – Celebrating Tornatore And The Masters Of Italian Cinema’. The cultural extravaganza will be conducted from September 27 – 29, 2024 in Mumbai at Regal Cinema, Mumbai. With a long-term vision to celebrate the legends of Italian cinema and exhibit restored Italian classics from over the past decades, the festival will be headlined by legendary Italian filmmaker and Oscar-winning director Giuseppe Tornatore for its…

Los Angeles documentary filmmaker , Susan Morgan Cooper has a new short documentary, I Can’t Give You Anything But Love [ The Jimmy McHugh Story] The film opens at the Music Hall, Beverly Hills on Sept 12 for one week for Academy Award Consideration. Director/Producer Susan Morgan Cooper has tackled several serious issues in her films. Susan’s film To the Moon and Back [ How President Putin held hostage 350 Russian orphans, and their American parents with the Russian Adoption Ban ] had a Congressional Screening leading to the passage of the Intercountry Adoption Law, making international countries more accountable…

Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language movie, The Room Next Door, which tackles the hefty themes of euthanasia and the climate crisis, won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice film festival on Saturday. Starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, the film received an 18-minute standing ovation when it premiered at Venice earlier in the week – one of the longest in recent memory.Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language movie, The Room Next Door, which tackles the hefty themes of euthanasia and the climate crisis, won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice film festival on Saturday. Starring…

Gatefield Caustival, a Nigerian arts and film festival focused on social justice, will launch its inaugural edition this month. The festival, themed State of Nigeria Live, will explore and challenge the current political and social landscape of Nigeria through the lens of art and film. It will address critical issues facing Nigeria’s democracy, including themes around press freedom, human rights, free speech and civic participation, particularly in the face of rising authoritarian trends. Attendees can expect film screenings, art installations and exhibitions, live music and spoken word performances, panel discussions, and elaborate networking segments. Some of the films that will be…