Lions of Mesopotamia had its world premiere at SXSW, on Saturday, March 9th. The film is the true of hope and victory when Iraq’s national soccer team – aka Lions of Mesopotamia – earned the 2007 Asian Cup amid the bloodiest days of Iraq’s civil war. The fairytale story is directed by Emmy winner Lucian Read and produced by Jupiter Entertainment. In an interview with the film’s producer Patrick Reardon and director Lucian Read after their premiere, h...

Olmo Schnabel's directorial debut PET SHOP DAYS screened as a Festival Favorite at SXSW, 2024. The film stars Jack Irv, Darío Yazebek Bernal, alongside Willem Dafoe, Peter Sarsgaard and more. Impulsive black sheep Alejandro (Bernal) and pet store employee Jack (Irv) enter a whirlwind romance that sends them down the rabbit hole of depravity in Manhattan’s underworld. In an interview at SXSW with director&nbs...

RESYNATOR is a feature documentary film and synth resurrection project started by director Alison Tavel in 2014. The true story centers around a resurrected synthesizer (aka the RESYNATOR), that was invented by Alison’s late father Don Tavel in the ‘70s, which she dug up from her grandmother’s attic twenty-five years after his ing and has been on a mission to share it with the world ever since. RESYNATOR had its world premiere at SXSW on March 10th, 2024, and won the Docu...

Sam Shainberg The short film SHOTPLAYER (2024), directed by Sam Shainberg, screened in the Documentary Short Competition at this year’s SXSW. SHOTPLAYER is an impressionistic journey into the mind of Wilfred Rose, one of New York City's most notorious pickpockets. As he returns to the subway for the first time in many years, he reflects on a life of crime in a society that has left many of its citizens behind. SHOTPLAYER asks the question: When ...

Composer Will Bates has composed original scores for a myriad of filmmakers including acclaimed directors Mike Cahill (Another Earth; I Origins; Bliss), Alex Gibney (We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks; Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief; Zero Days; The Forever Prisoner), Ry Russo-Young (You Won’t Miss Me; Nobody Walks) and Fisher Stevens (Mission Blue; Bright Lights).  Bates’ p...

Director, producer, writer Talia Shea Levin’s erotic, quirky satire “Make Me A Pizza” (2024) feels like a modern seventies’ mock porn with attitude. A hungry (in more ways than one) woman calls a pizza delivery guy and fantasizes about him delivering more to her than just his cheesy sausage filled pizza, and they embark on a bumpy messy ride together. Inventive, wacky and hilarious, it is sure to make viewers belly laugh. The film had its World Premiere at SXSW in earl...

THE PUZZLE PALACE “Amassing the world’s largest puzzle collection is a labor of love for one inseparable couple.” “The Puzzle Palace” (2024) is a short documentary film about the unique love story of George and Roxanne Miller, their life living in the suburbs of Boca Raton, Florida and their mutual ion for puzzles, proud owners of one of the world’s largest puzzle collections. The film was produced and directed by Jenny Schweitzer Bell and Brian Bell and...

Interview with Ian Bjorn, an fearless and talented actor shares his insight into his acting career and speaks on his time at the Cannes festival by Bella https://www.ianbjorn.com/   Ian on the red carpet in Cannes   ...

THE PUZZLE PALACE “Amassing the world’s largest puzzle collection is a labor of love for one inseparable couple.” “The Puzzle Palace” (2024) is a short documentary film about the unique love story of George and Roxanne Miller, their life living in the suburbs of Boca Raton, Florida and their mutual ion for puzzles, proud owners of one of the world’s largest puzzle collections. The film was produced and directed by Jenny Schweitzer Bell and Brian Bell and...

 Diane Warren Award-winning documentary filmmaker Bess Kargman, known for her documentary short “Coach” (2013), which won the Jury Award at Tribeca Film Festival in 2013, screened her breakthrough feature documentary film “Diane Warren: Relentless” (2024) at SXSW where it held its World Premiere. It tells the up close and personal story of renowned and prolific multi academy award-winning singer/songwriter Diane Warren, featuring interviews with Diane Warren, C...

Director, producer, writer Talia Shea Levin’s erotic, quirky satire “Make Me A Pizza” (2024) feels like a modern seventies’ mock porn with attitude. A hungry (in more ways than one) woman calls a pizza delivery guy and fantasizes about him delivering more to her than just his cheesy sausage filled pizza, and they embark on a bumpy messy ride together. Inventive, wacky and hilarious, it is sure to make viewers belly laugh. The film had its World Premiere at SXSW in earl...

Keith Le Goy, Chairman of Sony Pictures Television (SPT), is confirmed to  the Festival’s elite Summit Series keynote lineup, which features the industry's boldest voices and the world’s most influential media leaders. As the driving force behind all television production operations across the US, Latin America and Europe, Le Goy has overseen a portfolio of globally renowned programming, including SPT’s legendary game shows, Whe...

Iris Knobloch © Olivier Vigerie - Festival de Cannes The Board of Directors has unanimously re-elected Iris Knobloch as President of the Festival de Cannes for a second three-year term. This new mandate, beginning in July 2025, will cover the 2026, 2027 and 2028 editions. This decision reflects a renewed vote of confidence in her leadership, acknowledging her achievements, ensuring stability, and enabl...

Rudolf FITZGERALD-LEONARD © Problemkind Film - Diwa SHAH © IMDB - Anastasia VEBER © Dusya Sobol - Eglé RAZUMAITE © Nikita Ševcov - Sofia ALAOUI © Mehdi Sefrioui - Theo MONTOYA © Nata Teva Sofia Alaoui, Rudolf Fitzgerald-Leonard, Theo Montoya, Eglé Razumaité, Diwa Shah and Anastasia Veber are the six new filmmakers welcomed to the 48th session of La R...

The Short Films and La Cinef Jury presided by Lubna Azabal and comprised of Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Paolo Moretti, Claudine Nougaret and Vladimir Perišić has awarded the 2024 La Cinef Prizes today during a ceremony held in the Buñuel Theatre, followed by the screening of the winning films. La Cinef consisted of 18 student films, chosen out of 2 263 entries coming from 555 film schools around the world. © Maxe...

Ioan Allen, a creator of the Dolby Stereo film program, receives medal from the Festival de Cannes, marking 50 years of Dolby's work in feature films Following half a century of technical collaboration, the Festival’s Louis Lumière auditorium will also be equipped with Dolby Atmos immersive audio for 2025   credit photo Joachim Tournebize   Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB), a leader in immersive entertainment experiences, announced that at the 77th edition o...

In honor of Dame Donna Langley, Kering and the Festival de Cannes were pleased to welcome the of the Festival jury as well as Julianne Moore, Justine Triet, Uma Thurman, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Salma Hayek Pinault, Michelle Yeoh, Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Jacques Audiard or Judith Godrèche on the occasion of the official Women In Motion dinner. François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, Iris Knob...

Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for screenwriter-director Radu Jude and an unexpected succes for the social satire Kontinental ’25 which has sold many European territories after world premiering at Berlinale just a week ago.  Representatives of the Romanian production company Saga Film told FNE that Luxbox sold Kontinental '25 to 21 countries including (to Météore Films); Italy (I Wonder Pictures); Portugal (Films4you); Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denma...

AMPLIFYING GROWTH, CONCORD ORIGINALS ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE ROLES FOR CHARLES HOPKINS AND WESLEY ADAMS   Appoints Imogen Lloyd Webber as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications (Worldwide)   Concord Originals, the film and TV division of Concord, the world’s leading independent music company and licensor of stage productions, has expanded its executive ranks and elevated Charles Hopkins to Vice President of Development and Wesley Adams to Vice President of P...

FINE YOUNG MAN (‘HOMBRES INTEGROS’) Santa Barbara international film festival Interview with director Alejandro Andrade Pease and lead actor Andrés Revo by Emmanuel Itier   ‘Hombres Integros’ (Fine Young Man) is the journey of a young man, Alf, played by the talented Andres Revo and looking for himself. Growing to become the man he truly is in spite of the macho environment that he suffocates in. Directed by “maestro” Alejandro Andr...

  Spring of the Vanishing  Santa Barbara international film festival Interview with investigative reporter Andrew Glazer and J. Weston Phippen (producer)., by Emmanuel Itier Watch the trailer!                    ...

O HORIZON Santa Barbara film festival Interview with director: Madeleine Rotzler, by Emmanuel Itier   Having lost my dad recently I can identify to Madeleine Rotzler splendid new film: ‘O Horizon’. In this film, Abby, played by the talented Maria Bakalova, is developing a new technology to talk with her deceased father, Warren, played by maestro David Strathairn. Madeleine has assembled a very poetic and charming movie with a deep soul. Her choice of perfect shots is enhan...

(L-R) Nicole Sperling, Alex Coco, Alex Heineman, Brian Young, Coralie Fargea and Cale Boyter attend the producers at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 10, 2025 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Santa Barbara International Film Festival) Courtesy of SBIFF This high caliber brought together a very impressive lineup of industry heavyweight producers attached to the key Oscars contender films: Cale Boyter (Du...

World Premiere of "Anastasia Kobekina – Now or Never"  Many share the dream of a global career - but what does it truly take to make that dream a reality? Following the charismatic cellist Anastasia Kobekina, the documentary offers a unique look behind the closed doors of her record label, concert halls and into her private life. Having started to play the cello at age four, Anastasia struggles with the decisions made for her and those she must make, when asking herself: &...

Jean Paul Phillipot RTBF Lucia Recalde European commission Natalia Gorscack RTV Slovenja Wolfganng Bergmann Arte  Moderated by Aliena Haig The was followed by the screening of the work in progress of Gustavia + the Black Prince by Elzevir Films. Special Screening: Gustavia + The Black Prince, presented by Elzévir Films + Auditorium Films + SVT The ballet 'Gustavia' and the documentary 'The Black Prince' explore the extraordinary journe...