Author: CWB News Department

In Where the Wind Blows, Hong Kong’s Oscar entry directed by Philip Yung, Young Lui Lok became a policeman to uphold justice. But the rampant corruption within the police force made it impossible for him to remain independent. He decides to make a name for himself within the police force by controlling organized crime. Nam Kong looks [like a] gentleman, but operates with a dagger under his cloak. He is socially active among the police force as well as the social circles, in fact laying the groundwork for the empire of corruption he builds with Lui Lok. Nam Kong and…

The story of the January , Latvia’s Oscar entry directed by Viesturs Kairiss happens in 1991 in Latvia and nineteen-year-old aspiring cinematographer Jazis’s whole world is thrown into chaos as he is dragged into the people’s peaceful protests against the Soviet Army’s attempted takeover of power in his country. January is an autobiographical take on the political upheaval in the early 1990s that changed the lives of the people of the former Soviet Union. Jazis and his friends Anna and Zeps are all aspiring filmmakers, trying to pursue their dreams of making movies and enjoying the freedom of young adulthood, when…

In World War III, Iran’s Oscar entry directed by Houman Seyedi,  Shakib is a homeless day laborer who never got over the loss of his wife and son in an earthquake years ago. Over the last couple of years, he has developed a relationship with a deaf and mute woman, Ladan. The construction site on which he works today turns out to be the set of a film about the atrocities committed by Hitler during WWII. Against all odds, he is given a movie role, a house and a chance at being somebody. When Ladan learns about this, she comes…

MAGNETIC FIELDS from director Yorgos Goussis, is the official international feature film Oscar entry from Greece for the 95th Academy Awards. MAGNETIC FIELDS is a tender, humorous road movie about two charismatic but lonely people who meet by chance. Their spontaneous need to connect delays their separation and a return to their everyday lives. The film is a nod towards the classic Claude Lelouch’s “Un Homme et Une Femme” and Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise”. Director writer Yorgos Goussis shot MAGNETIC FIELDS, his debut film, with a MiniDV camcorder and is known primarily for his work as a comic book creator.…

I had the opportunity of watching Bahman Maghsoudlou’s  Dariush Mehrjui Making The Cow and I was absolutely impressed by the great quality of this well-made, informative and at the same time entertaining documentary. Dariush Mehrjui Making The Cow not only deals with all aspects of this icon of international cinema, but also portrays the Iranian society and the state of art and culture state during the time of making The caw. After watching Dariush Mehrjui Making The Cow, I encountered the following interview with Bahman Maghsoudlou by Ali Moosavi in Film International about the past work of this filmmaker and…

It is the season for great scares with tons of movies for those into the horror genre. A unique film in this genre with a psychological terror spin, will be premiering October 28th, 2022 in limited theatrical release domestically and digitally on Apple iTunes. What makes this story disturbing is it based on true events in the home of the Producer, Director, and Writer William Mark McCullough. The McCullough family experienced terrifying moments that would make you ask questions about what is living inside the walls of this house. “A Savannah Haunting” is produced by innovative Emmy Award Nominee Alexis…

In a rare triumph for nonfiction cinema at a major film festival, American docmaker Laura Poitras has taken the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival for “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” — the third female director in a row to the take the honor on the Lido, following recent victories for Chloe Zhao and Audrey Diwan. In doing so, she narrowly edged out such hotly fancied filmmakers as Martin Donagh, Luca Guadagnino, Alice Diop and Jafar Panahi, all of whom nonetheless landed prizes of their own from a jury headed by actor Julianne Moore. An Oscar winner in…

While the history of cinema is filled with flawed portrayals of disabilities this new era seems to have invited some ingenuity. “Sound of Metal” used brilliant sound design to show the deterioration and distortion of deafness. Similarly “Beyond the Wall” has an approach to blindness that feels thoughtfully constructed, taking us within what the protagonist can experience and a tangible sense of what he feels robbed of. https://youtu.be/WkBuaS-Xlgo The film, at first seems like it may be building to an art-house Iranian version of shlocky horror-pic “Don’t Breathe.” Leila (Diana Habibi), a desperate woman on the run, finds shelter in…

Prey is a Hulu original action/sci-fi movie and a prequel to the movies in the Predator franchise. Set 300 years in the past, this Predator origin story tells the tale of the very first alien encounter, threatening the lives of the Comanche Nation. Before there was Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger), there was Naru (Amber Midthunder)—a skilled and resourceful warrior leading the fight against a high-tech predator—leaving her no other choice but to hunt…or be hunted. https://youtu.be/wZ7LytagKlc The following is an interview with Claudia Castello, the Editor of the PREY Bijan Tehrani: How did you start as a film editor and what…

It may be Maša Marković’s first year as head of industry at the Sarajevo Film Festival, but for the long-time festival staffer, it’s business as usual. CineLink Industry Days has long been considered the leading industry hub for Southeast European film professionals and has played a critical role in shaping talent and expanding content and co-productions in the region. This year marks the 20th anniversary of its co-production market, which presents ten of the most promising feature film projects in development from the region and, says Marković, this year’s strand is better than ever. “We really focus heavily on the…