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The 12 feature documentaries in the running for the 2023 European Film Awards (EFAs) have been revealed.

Scroll down for full list of titles

They include Mati Diop’s Dahomey, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale in February. The film tracks the journey of 26 plundered royal treasures from the former West African kingdom of Dahomey exhibited in Paris, now being returned to Benin. French filmmaker Diop was previously nominated for a European Discovery Award at the EFAs with her Cannes 2019 award-winner Atlantics.

Titles that premiered at Berlin make up nearly half the total selection and also include At Averroes & Rosa...

The Berlin Film Festival is once again finding house room for Hong Kong’s most commercially successful enfant terrible, Soi Cheang, aka Cheang Pou Soi, who previously brought film noir “Limbo” to the Berlinale.

This time he attends with “Mad Fate,” a film about destiny that may be Cheang’s most bloodthirsty, but which the director says is intended to be inspirational. It plays in the Berlinale Special section.

Born in Macau, Cheang developed his career at the feet of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To, the great stylists of the crime and action film genre across the Pearl River estuary in Hong Kong. To, who is on the Berlin jury this year, is also a producer on “Mad Fate” through his Makerville label.

“Essentially the story is about a fortune teller who meets a young man who has this really strong desire to commit murder.

Sakra, a big-budget martial arts fantasy directed and starring Donnie Yen, is heading for a North American theatrical and digital release.

Rights to the film were acquired by WellGo USA which is a major stateside purveyor of Chinese and other Asian titles.

The company has set dates in April for a theatrical outing, shortly followed by a release to digital platforms, according to an emailed conversation with its president and CEO Doris Pfardrescher. Other details of its release and marketing campaign have yet to be finalized.

The film, a mainland China-Hong co-venture, was released in theaters in several territories in Southeast Asia in late January in time for the Lunar New Year holiday peak season. In China, it did not join the New Year scramble for screens and instead was released straight to streaming.

Yen previously described “Sakra” as the most authentic film he had ever made and came at...

Warning: Spoilers for Dark Web Finale #1

The Marvel Universe insults the X-Men yet again by officially recognizing the existence of Hell - but not the island of Krakoa. The mutant island nation has dominated past few years of X-Men stories, but the human world has yet to unanimously recognize the independent sovereign country. Now in Dark Web Finale #1, humanity reveals their true feelings toward mutants: in their eyes, mutants warrant less sympathy than demons from Limbo.

The Dark Web event has descended upon Manhattan, transforming inanimate objects into sentient murderous machines who attempt to eat civilians. Thanks to the machinations of Chasm (Spider-Man's evil clone), and Madelyne Pryor (Jean Grey's clone), the otherworldly realm of Limbo threatens to unleash a demon army upon the human world. Spider-Man and the X-Men launch a desperate attack to stop the clone duo, but the battle cannot be won without a sacrifice: a legal one.

Exclusive: Athens-based audiovisual group Tanweer is expanding its business into world sales of local language content, kicking off with an augural slate at the EFM.

The new operation will be headed by Tanweer Senior Vice President Aruzia Khan and executive Eliana Eliopoulos, who will both be on the ground in Berlin.

Until now, Tanweer has been primarily focused on production at home and buying rights for its home territory of Greece as well as satellite arms in Turkey, India and the Middle East.

The inaugural sales slate includes the epic 32-episode historical drama series Red River, recounting the Ottoman persecution of the Greek community living in the region of Pontus in northeastern Anatolia in the early 20th Century.

Directed by veteran Greek director Manousos Manousakis, the show is adapted from Charis Tsirkinidis’s novel of the same name. The 4M production is billed as the most expensive in the history of Greek television.

‘Motorway’ Director In The Driving Seat

Cheang Pou Soi (better known as Soi Cheang) whose latest film “Mad Fate” will premiere this month at the Berlin Film Festival, will be further honored next month when the Hong Kong International Film Festival makes him its Filmmaker in Focus.

He was born in Macau, but gained his footing in the much larger Hong Kong film industry, under the tutelage of Ringo Lam, Andrew Lau, Joe Ma, Wilson Yip and Johnnie To. He achieved a breakthrough with 1999 digital video “Our Last Day.”

“Cheang is a key figure among Hong Kong’s post-1997 generation of filmmakers and notable for his sombre but unmistakably personal visual style,” Hkiff Society director Albert Lee said in a statement. “He seldom deviates from mainstream storytelling conventions, but innovatively explores new boundaries of filmmaking across different genres, from horror and thriller to action films. In the stark dystopia he creates,...

The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF47) will honour Soi Cheang as this year’s Filmmaker-in-Focus.

One of Hong Kong’s most stylish and formidable directors, Cheang joins an illustrious and growing list of recent Hkiff Filmmakers-in-Focus, including Sandra Ng, Stanley Kwan, Michael Hui, Sammo Hung and Brigitte Lin.

Returning to its traditional dates after last year’s postponement, HKIFF47 will take place from 30 March to 10 April. At the centre of this year’s cinephile extravaganza is the showcase of Cheang’s 12 seminal works, the publication of a commemorative book and, in collaboration with long-term festival partner Moleskine, the release of a limited edition notebook. Cheang will also attend a Face-to-Face session to share his insights and vision with the public.

In making the announcement, Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Executive Director Albert Lee paid tribute to Cheang and said the festival was proud to recognise his indelible contribution to Hong Kong cinema.

Warning! This post contains Spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #18

In the latest issue of Marvel Comics' Amazing Spider-Man, Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly has taken his corruption as Chasm even further as the new ruler of Limbo. Featured as part of the ongoing Dark Web crossover with the X-Men, Ben had been working with Jean Grey's clone Madelyne Pryor as both of them wanted revenge against those they were cloned from. However, a falling out between the Goblin Queen and Chasm has led to Ben taking Pryor's power in this new issue.

In Amazing Spider-Man #18 from Zeb Wells and Ed McGuinness, Peter Parker and Limbo's new demon version of Spider-Man joined forces to fight the demonic facsimile of the Sinister Six Ben created to torment the original Websligner after banishing him to Limbo. However, Madelyne and Jean ended up reconciling, a positive ending to their rivalry which led...

Production has begun in Brisbane, Australia, on dramatic comedy film “A Savage Christmas.”

The story is that of a trans woman who, after years of estrangement, returns home for Christmas with her new boyfriend. Expecting her transition to be the focus, it is instead overshadowed by family secrets and lies which threaten not only their lives but another Christmas lunch.

The film is written, directed and produced by feature debutant Madeleine Dyer, who has pitched it as stylistically resembling “Death at a Funeral” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” Screen Australia’s head of content Grainne Brunsdon said the film “blends off-beat humor while reflecting our nation’s diversity.” Dyer co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Mulvihill and Max Jahufer.

The film is also the debut production from Roaring Entertainment, a newly formed company by Brisbane-based producers Ben McNeill and Mulvihill.

Members of the Savage family are played by Helen Thomson (“Elvis”), Darren Gilshenan,...

Quick Links Inside Game Explained: What Really Happens During Inside's Ending Inside Game Alternate Ending Explained

Inside's ending is by far one of the most confounding conclusions to a game in recent memory, which is why explaining the Inside ending can be quite tough. Even getting to the Inside game's ending can be difficult at times since it requires problem-solving skills with little to no help, aside from spotlights occasionally showing players the direction to head in. For those looking to find the real meaning, here's the Inside game explained.

Toward the end of Inside, players will find themselves - and the unnamed boy protagonist - absorbed into a creature known as the Huddle, which appears to be made up of human limbs and has been experimented on by scientists. Once inside the Huddle, the last 30 minutes or so requires players to escape the containment facility playing as the Huddle.

Warning! This post contains a Preview for Amazing Spider-Man #18

In a new preview for Marvel Comics' Amazing Spider-Man, the new Demon Spider-Man of Limbo is ready to face his very own twisted rogues' gallery, and Peter Parker is thoroughly confused in the ongoing Dark Web crossover. Having been sent to the realm of Limbo, Ben Reilly's dark new form as Chasm is attempting to take Spider-Man's very soul to restore the memories he lost that were copied from Peter himself. However, a series of very odd events has led to the creation of not only the new Insidious Six but also a demonic version of Spider-Man who genuinely seems to want to do good.

In the new preview for Amazing Spider-Man #18 from Zeb Wells and Ed McGuinness, Rek-Rap has arrived to help Peter Parker face the Insidious Six, a demonic version of the classic Sinister Six created by...

Berlin Film Festival artistic director Carlo Chatrian and executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeck unveiled the International Competition and Encounters lineups on Monday for the festival’s 73rd edition, running February 16-26.

“It’s quite an eclectic selection,” Chatrian told the press conference in Berlin this morning. “You will see we tried to include as many genres and cinematic forms as possible.”

Related Story Berlin Film Festival Lineup: Sean Penn, Philippe Garrel, Margarethe Von Trotta & Christian Petzold In Competition — Full List Related Story Sean Penn Documentary On Ukraine And Volodymyr Zelenskyy To Debut At Berlin Film Festival Related Story Berlin Film Festival: Watch Competition Lineup Revealed Live

The International Competition features 18 titles, 15 of them world premieres, involving 19 different territories. Encounters, the Berlinale’s equivalent of Un Certain Regard which was launched in 2020, will showcase 16 films.

Chatrian has stuck with his love of mixing established names, including Philippe Garrel (The Plough), Margarethe von Trotta...

2023 truly begins taking shape with next month’s Berlinale, which will run from February 16 to February 26 and feature more than a few of our most-anticipated films this year. Among them are Christian Petzold’s Afire (Roter Himmel), starring new muse Paula Beer; Hong Sangsoo’s In Water, which will appear in the Encounters section; and Philippe Garrel’s The Plough, once known as La lune crevée starring his three children Louis, Esther, and Lena, and (judging from the still) his first color feature since 2011’s A Burning Hot Summer. Meanwhile: Angela Schanelec will return with Music, and––six years after the wonderful Person to Person––it’s nice spotting a new feature from Dustin Guy Defa, The Adults.

Find the lineup below and head back next month for our coverage of the festival headed by Kristen Stewart’s jury.

Competition

20,000 Species of Bees (Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)

The Shadowless Tower (Zhang...

Ivan Sen's 'Limbo' and Rolf de Heer's 'Survival of Kindness' will be in the mix for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival next month, the first Australian films to screen in the official competition since 2006's 'Candy'.

The post ‘Limbo’, ‘Survival of Kindness’ in Berlin competition line-up appeared first on If Magazine.

The Berlin International Film Festival unveiled the competition lineup for its 2023 edition on Monday morning, naming the 18 movies that will compete for the coveted Gold and Silver Bears at the 73rd Berlinale.

Berlinale executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian presented a very international and arthouse-heavy lineup, with a strong focus on politically-charged cinema.

In a late addition, Superpower, Sean Penn and Aaron Kaufman’s documentary on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Russian invasion of the country and the ongoing war, will have its world premiere in Berlin’s out-of-competition Berlinale Special section. The doc, made for Vice Studios, Aldamisa Entertainment and Fifth Season, is being sold internationally by Fifth Season.

Berlin 2023, taking place a year after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion, will have a major focus on Ukraine. Even the festival’s official pin will be in the Ukraine colors of blue and yellow.

In competition, German auteur...

Sean Penn, Jesse Eisenberg, Canadian actor-director Matt Johnson, South Korean auteur Hong Sangsoo, and Korean-Canadian director Celine Song are headed to the upcoming Berlin Film Festival.

Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian and executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeck on Monday unveiled the main Competition and Encounters selections for the fest’s 73rd edition, which will feature a rich mix of known names and newcomers, as well as a strong political emphasis.

Penn will be in Berlin with “Superpower,” the doc he co-directed with Aaron Kaufman that depicts the struggle between Volodymyr Zelensky, the actor and comedian who became president of Ukraine, and Russian president Vladimir Putin, as Russia deploys a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“Penn was in Kiev shooting a film with Zelensky when the war in Ukraine burst,” Chatrian said at a press conference in Berlin. “Reality made the film change into something less comfortable and more meaningful,” he added. “We...

Indonesian thriller ‘Autobiography’ and Mexican documentary ‘Sanson And Me’ among line-up.

Australia’s Adelaide Film Festival (Oct 19-30) has unveiled its first line-up since shifting from a biennial to an annual event, including 12 titles in competition.

This year’s event comprises 129 films, of which 22 world premieres, from more than 40 countries.

The competition features include Indonesian thriller Autobiography, which scooped a Fipresci prize at the weekend after playing in the Horizons strand of the Venice Film Festival. The debut feature of film critic-turned-director Makbul Mubarak is about a young man who keeps house for a retired general, finding himself torn between...

Burgeoning Saudi Arabian content company Arabia Pictures Group is joining forces with Greece-based audiovisual group Tanweer on a strategic partnership that will see them cooperate on production and distribution across all formats in the Middle East and North Africa.

They have kicked off the partnership with the development and production of a slate of three features to be shot in the Mena region and directed by emerging talents.

The first title on the slate is romantic comedy #Gawwezni starring U.K.-Egyptian star Amir El-Masry, which has recently wrapped filming. El-Masry, whose credits include Limbo and Industry and is soon to be seen in Netflix’s The Crown and Jessica Hausner’s Club Zero, plays a man who falls madly in love but when a spell is cast on him cannot act on his feelings, leading to a series of comic situation.

The cast also features Egyptian actress Mayan El Sayed...

Elsa Zylberstein and Mathieu Demy have also joined the cast, as the UK shoot commences.

Danish actor Sidse Babett Knudsen and British-Egyptian star Amir El-Masry have joined the cast of Little Joe filmmaker Jessica Hausner’s Club Zero, as the shoot commences in Oxford, UK.

France’s Elsa Zylberstein and Mathieu Demy are also set to star, alongside the previously announced Mia Wasikowska.

The first image from the production has also been released, featuring Hausner directing Wasikowska and newcomer Luke Barker.

Club Zero is an intense psychological drama set in an elite school and stars Wasikowska as a new teacher...

“History of the Occult” director Cristian Ponce, “The Trace We Leave Behind” producer André Pereira and “Huesera” producer Edher Campos all have projects at the 3rd Sanfic Morbido Lab, Sanfic’s genre/fantastic film showcase which looks packed with riches.

Also noticeable, three of the six projects are set to be directed by female genre auteurs – Argentina’s Laura Sánchez Acosta, Spain’s Marta Medina del Valle and French-Spanish screenwriter Elisa Puerto Aubel – as women create an ever larger number of the most exciting elevated genre movies coming out of Spain and Latin America.

Appropriately enough, given Sanfic takes place in Santiago de Chile, Chile accounts for two projects at the Lab, Daniel Aspillaga’s “Plasma,” a part body horror mockumentary, and Cristián Grez Donoso’s “Magic Word,” turning on an aged and crazed former amusement park actor.

The potential impact of projects is underscored by recent events. On “A Mother’s Embrace,...

Other contenders include biopic ‘Anita’, ‘Drifting’ and ‘Raging Fire’, the final thriller by the late Benny Chan.

Soi Cheang’s crime thriller Limbo leads the pack for the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards (Hkfa) with 14 nominations, as the event prepares to return as an in-person ceremony following last year’s cancellation as a result of the pandemic.

The black and white crime noir, which premiered in Berlinale Special in 2021, secured nods including best film, best director and for actors Lam Ka Tung[/link], Cya Liu and Fish Liew. The thriller centres on a veteran detective and rookie copy who team up to catch a serial killer.