Film, unlike any other art form, has the power to connect us as human beings. It allows us to empathize with others and step into their shoes, to travel across borders, and even travel through time. As the new director of the Goethe-Institut in Los Angeles, I am proud to present some of the best new German cinema to the audiences of Southern California. The 18th annual festival takes place from October 11th – 14th with screenings at the American Cinematheque and the Goethe-Institut. German Currents 2024 opens Friday, October 11th, at the Egyptian Theatre, with the exclusive red-carpet LA…
Author: CWB News Department
Actor Boman Irani, whose directorial debut ‘The Mehta Boys’ received standing ovation at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) recently, has been feted with the prestigious SAFA (South Asian Film Association) award for his directorial debut. The award recognises his exceptional talent and contribution to the world of cinema. In the presence of his family and co-actors, Boman Irani accepted the prestigious award with pure joy. He took to social media to express his excitement, as he shared, “Winning at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival for ‘The Mehta Boys’ feels like a dream come true”. He further mentioned,…
Iran has selected In the Arms of the Tree as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards. Iran’s Farabi Cinema Foundation made the announcement this morning. IRNA, the country’s English-language news service, said the pick was made after “a 10-day review process.” IRNA said a “nine-member selection committee” picked the film from a final selection process that included two other finalists. Those films Isatis, directed by Alireza Dehghan, and The Silent City, directed by Ahmad Bahrami. Directed by Babak Lotfi Khajepasha, In the Arms of the Tree screened at the Shanghai International TV Festival and the Fajr Film Festival. The film’s official…
While Nepali fiction cinema represents a vibrant industry, the documentary film scene remains small and little known in the Himalayan nation. One of the very few festivals featuring such movies is the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (Kimff) that showcases films and documentaries with a strong focus on mountainous life and adventures, but also climate change and the life of rural communities. The 2024 edition showed over 20 movies from a dozen countries. But how is the life of documentary filmmakers outside of this once-a-year event? To hear about the challenges and joys of such a rare profession in Nepal, Global Voices spoke to…
Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem appeared at the San Sebastián Film Festival on Friday night. The Vanilla Sky actress and The Good Boss actor who have been married since 2010, stole the show as they held hands and graced the red carpet at the Kursaal Theater during the opening night gala. n a sheer white gown accented with a black bow at the neckline, the Oscar-winning actress embodied the essence of a glamorous movie star while her partner, who is also an Academy Award recipient, donned a timeless black and white tuxedo. During the Spanish Gala, Bardem became visibly emotional as he praised his…
Javier Bardem gave a lengthy and eloquent assessment of Israel’s current military attacks in Gaza this morning during a press conference at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Bardem is in town to finally pick up his 2023 Donostia award for career achievement after he was unable to attend the festival last year due to the US actors’ strike. He began his answer to a question about politics and Israel by saying “What is happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable, it is terrible, it is dehumanizing. I believe that this Israeli government is the most radical government that Israel has ever had.” Bardem continued…
As Heritage Day on September 24 approaches, it’s a perfect time to honour the rich tapestry of South Africa’s cultures – not just through the smoky aromas of a braai but also by immersing ourselves in the cinematic stories created by South Africa’s talented individuals. District 9 (2009): https://youtu.be/DyLUwOcR5pk?si=J3GGMk_C_r5zqzgz Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 is more than just a gripping sci-fi spectacle; it’s a sharp political commentary on South Africa’s history. Released in August 2009 with a $30 million budget, the film imagines a world where the government segregates stranded aliens in the 1980s. Two decades later, as plans are made to relocate…
When C. Tangana meets the flamenco guitarist Yerai Cortés, he is impressed by his music and his uniqueness. He asks him about his project and he tells him about an album. Although it is a guitar album, this album tells his life story, is about his family, and, in particular, about a sorrow, a sorrow that he wants to tell the world about. This resulted in La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés the debut film by SAN SEBASTIAN 2024 New Directors (better known musically as C. Tangana). Titled like that album, it stars Cortés himself and has been selected as the opening film in…
Carrie Coon is only in London on a flying visit. A very short break from filming season three of The Gilded Age, Julian ‘Downton Abbey’ Fellowes’s hit HBO series set in New York’s 1880s boom years, for which Coon received another Emmy Award nomination and which she was convinced was about to be cancelled. “I told everyone it was over,” she says. Coon welcomes us warmly, jumping up to offer us a glass of water – because you’re never too jetlagged to be polite. She knows Big Issue’s work. “We have something similar in Chicago, though not as substantial as this. And you’ve…
For consistency’s sake, it’s best to stick to one definition of an “international film,” and be similarly hasty with saying what that definition is. Here, it might well be best to go with what the Academy Awards considers an international film, which is nice and broad, being “A feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States of America and its territories with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track.” So, with that, some of the following movies might have some English dialogue, or could be set in the U.S. or other English-speaking countries, but if they’re potential competitors for the…