Author: CWB News Department

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,…

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…

The Golden Globes® hosted its red carpet rollout for the 82nd Annual Golden Globes® on Thursday, January 2 at The Beverly Hilton. Attendees included comedian, actress and first-time Golden Globes® host Nikki Glaser along with producers and executives including Glenn Weiss (Showrunner, Executive Producer, and Director), Ricky Kirshner (Showrunner and Executive Producer), Helen Hoehne (Golden Globes President), and Barry Adelman (Executive Producer). The event included remarks by Golden Globes President Helen Hoehne and Golden Globes Host Nikki Glaser. Attendees got a preview of the stage design and mock up of seat card placements. Please note that seat card placements are subject to change. The 82nd Annual Golden Globes®, the first…

In the Shadow of the Cypress (Iran) has been shortlisted for the Brst Short Animation OSCAR, this beatiful film is also a nominee for an Annie Awards. In the Shadow of the Cypress directed and produced by Barfak Studio founders Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi. Originally titled Dar Saaye Sarv, the 2D piece centers on a former captain who struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder while trying to be a caring father to his daughter. https://youtu.be/LVzZ3CVanPk?si=qVQMjD7dn-dM6HdL Other short animated films, shortlisted for the Oscar 2025 are: “Au Revoir Mon Monde” “A Bear Named Wojtek” “Beautiful Men” “Bottle George” “A Crab in…

Launched in 1990, the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is a premier presenter of world cinema located in the beautiful Coachella Valley at the base of Mt. San Jacinto in southern California. The Festival brings together a sophisticated and diverse audience, including industry, film aficionados from across the country and filmmakers from around the world. The 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival is scheduled to be held physically from January 2 – 13, 2025. The annual star-studded Film Awards, honoring the best and brightest performances of the year, is scheduled for January 3, 2025. PSIFF is organized by…

Today, Tuesday December 17th, 2024, Academy awards annouced the shortlist for the Best International Film Oscar. Representing a kaleidoscope of various cultural perspectives, emotional depths and bold storytelling, these 15 films — selected from 85 eligible submissions — offer voters (and audiences) a rare opportunity to engage with global cinema. From the poetic minimalism of Latvia’s animated “Flow” to the audacious musical hybrid of France’s “Emilia Pérez,” this year’s slate will be among the most competitive in recent memory, especially since many of them stand a very good chance of landing additional nominations outside the category. Among the other prominent…

Newsflash: Iran has invaded the sleepy Canadian city of Winnipeg. Correction: Iranian cinema has actually invaded Winnipeg. Precision: Two Iranian movies that launched the nation onto the international film scene, Abbas Kiarostami’s Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987) and Jafar Panahi’s The White Balloon (1995), have somehow found their way into the capital of Manitoba. What exactly they’re doing there is never explained. Nor is it really the point of director Matthew Rankin’s bizarre and enchanting experimental comedy Universal Language, which picked up the first-ever audience award in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. Starring the director himself alongside a cast of Farsi-speaking locals both young and old, the film is…

In Iran’s Oscar Entry, In the Arms of a Tree, Kimia is about to divorce from Farid due to a strange illness, and this process has proceeded in a mutual respect and both are finalizing the divorce. Their two sons, unaware of their parents’ decision, live their normal lives and spend their days with great interest in each other until they face their parents’ decision: now the father wants to take one of the sons and the mother wants to take the other one. They have to prepare the children for this separation and start to teach them to be…

MELODY written, directed and produced by Behrouz Sebt Rasoul is 2025 Tajikistan’s Oscar Entry. Melody is a musician who teaches music to children with cancer. The children have a celebration at the end of autumn and ask Melody to compose a piece with the sounds of 30 birds for 30 kids with cancer. Melody goes to her fatherly village to record the sound of birds, where she encounters bird hunters. Helped by her mute servant Mengo who lives in her village house, Melody follows the birds. Here is diretor’s statement about MELODY: https://vimeo.com/1038793606 They manage to find only 20 birds…

Emilia Pérez leads the the nominations for the 2025 Golden Globes, which were unveiled live at a press conference at the Beverly Hilton on Monday morning. The film scored 10 noms, more than any other title in film or TV. That breaks the record previously held by a comedy or musical motion picture, surpassing Barbie, which scored a total of nine noms last year. Emilia Pérez was followed on the film side by The Brutalist with seven noms, Conclave with six, and Anora and The Substance with five each. The Bear leads the TV nominees with five total mentions, followed by Only Murders in the Building and Shogun with four each. Overall, Netflix leads all distributors with a total of…