The Marrakech Film Festival’s sixth Atlas Workshops kicks off today under the fresh curation of former indie film sales agent and publicist Hédi Zardi.
Running November 27 to 30 in a rambling riad on the outskirts of Marrakech, the project and talent incubator is showcasing 25 projects hailing from Mena and Africa, 16 in development and another nine in production or post-production.
Zardi is best known on the market and festival circuit as the former co-founding head of Paris-based sales banner Luxbox, which he created in 2015 with Fiorella Moretti who continues to run the company.
Together, the pair launched a raft of buzzy festival titles on the market, brokering deals to Ava DuVernay‘s Array for Isabel Sandoval’s trans migrant drama Lingua Franca, Oscilloscope Laboratories for Costa Rican Oscar entry Clara Sola by Nathalie Alvarez Mesen, and KimStim for Suzanne Lindon’s coming-of-age debut feature Spring Blossom.
After eight years on the sales circuit,...
Running November 27 to 30 in a rambling riad on the outskirts of Marrakech, the project and talent incubator is showcasing 25 projects hailing from Mena and Africa, 16 in development and another nine in production or post-production.
Zardi is best known on the market and festival circuit as the former co-founding head of Paris-based sales banner Luxbox, which he created in 2015 with Fiorella Moretti who continues to run the company.
Together, the pair launched a raft of buzzy festival titles on the market, brokering deals to Ava DuVernay‘s Array for Isabel Sandoval’s trans migrant drama Lingua Franca, Oscilloscope Laboratories for Costa Rican Oscar entry Clara Sola by Nathalie Alvarez Mesen, and KimStim for Suzanne Lindon’s coming-of-age debut feature Spring Blossom.
After eight years on the sales circuit,...
- 11/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Marrakech International Film Festival folks have revealed 25 projects chosen for the sixth edition of its industry-oriented Atlas Workshops, designed to support up-and-coming talent from Morocco, the Arab region, and Africa — and as we saw this past Cannes Film Festival we really do feel the emergence of dozens of great filmmakers coming out of these regions. Atlas Workshops will feature 16 projects in various stages of development and nine films either in production or post-production. They were chosen from a pool of 300+ applications originating from across the Arab world and the African continent. We are quick to notice the Directors’ Fortnight selected Under The Fig Trees‘ Erige Sehiri presenting a new project in Marie & Jolie and Critics’ Week selected The Gravedigger’s Wife‘s Khadar Ayderus Ahmed is moving forward with his sophomore project titled Thundering Smoke.…...
- 11/3/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Projects come from 11 different countries across the Arab world and African continent.
The Atlas Workshops, the industry platform of the Marrakech International Film Festival, has unveiled 25 projects for its sixth edition, which runs from November 27-30.
Atlas Workshops has lined up 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries across the Arab world and African continent.
The line-up includes projects from Tunisian directors Youssef Chebbi and Erige Sehiri. Chebbi’s feature Ashkal played in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes last year, as did Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees.
Also coming to The Atlas Workshops is Somalia...
The Atlas Workshops, the industry platform of the Marrakech International Film Festival, has unveiled 25 projects for its sixth edition, which runs from November 27-30.
Atlas Workshops has lined up 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries across the Arab world and African continent.
The line-up includes projects from Tunisian directors Youssef Chebbi and Erige Sehiri. Chebbi’s feature Ashkal played in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes last year, as did Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees.
Also coming to The Atlas Workshops is Somalia...
- 11/3/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The Marrakech International Film Festival has unveiled the 25 projects selected for the sixth edition of its industry-focused Atlas Workshops, aimed at nurturing emerging Moroccan, Arab and African talent.
Running from November 27 to 30, the event will present 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries, selected from among the 320 applications received from the Arab world and African continent.
In a reflection of the growing diversity of the stories being told by Arab and African independent filmmakers, the selection spans a diverse range of film genres, from Lebanese director Sandra Tabet’s horror picture Rabies to Moroccan filmmaker Hind Bensari’s humanist documentary Out of School and Adnane Baraka’s poetic work We Don’t Forget.
Moroccan filmmaker Baraka made waves with his documentary Fragments from Heaven, about a nomad living in a tent in a remote part of Morocco who goes in search of meteorite fragments to boost the family fortunes.
Running from November 27 to 30, the event will present 16 projects in development and nine films in production or post-production from 11 countries, selected from among the 320 applications received from the Arab world and African continent.
In a reflection of the growing diversity of the stories being told by Arab and African independent filmmakers, the selection spans a diverse range of film genres, from Lebanese director Sandra Tabet’s horror picture Rabies to Moroccan filmmaker Hind Bensari’s humanist documentary Out of School and Adnane Baraka’s poetic work We Don’t Forget.
Moroccan filmmaker Baraka made waves with his documentary Fragments from Heaven, about a nomad living in a tent in a remote part of Morocco who goes in search of meteorite fragments to boost the family fortunes.
- 11/3/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen, behind “Compartment No. 6” and “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki”– both awarded in Cannes – will now turn his attention to new series “Yours, Margot.”
The upcoming series is one of the 10 projects chosen for Series Mania and Beta Group’s Seriesmakers.
Based on Meri Valkama’s novel, “Yours, Margot” will be produced, just like his previous films, by Helsinki-based Aamu Film Company, with “Compartment” scribes Andris Feldmanis and Livia Ulman also on board. This time Kuosmanen dissects the experiences of Vilja, who spent her childhood in East Berlin, following her foreign correspondent father. After his death, she finds old letters to “Erich,” all from mysterious “Margot.” Now, as an adult, she decides to return to Berlin and track her down.
“It’s a great story about a person who looks for the truth about her childhood years, but finds only different interpretations and contradictory memories.
The upcoming series is one of the 10 projects chosen for Series Mania and Beta Group’s Seriesmakers.
Based on Meri Valkama’s novel, “Yours, Margot” will be produced, just like his previous films, by Helsinki-based Aamu Film Company, with “Compartment” scribes Andris Feldmanis and Livia Ulman also on board. This time Kuosmanen dissects the experiences of Vilja, who spent her childhood in East Berlin, following her foreign correspondent father. After his death, she finds old letters to “Erich,” all from mysterious “Margot.” Now, as an adult, she decides to return to Berlin and track her down.
“It’s a great story about a person who looks for the truth about her childhood years, but finds only different interpretations and contradictory memories.
- 3/14/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Finland’s Aamu Film Company will invest in Jenni Jauri’s new production company Silmu Films, Variety has found out exclusively.
Aamu, founded in 2001 and co-owned by Jussi Rantamäki and Emilia Haukka, has become a local arthouse powerhouse thanks to its festival-friendly slate, especially Juho Kuosmanen’s “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” and Golden Globe-nominated “Compartment No. 6,” awarded the Grand Prix in Cannes.
“We had a good film with decent sales and we started to think about what we should do next,” Rantamäki said. “Aamu’s brand is simple and clear: we only work with a select few directors. We don’t want to change that; we don’t want to turn into a factory where you don’t know what is happening and with whom. So first we decided not to grow, and then realized we could invest in a new company instead.”
Apart from Kuosmanen,...
Aamu, founded in 2001 and co-owned by Jussi Rantamäki and Emilia Haukka, has become a local arthouse powerhouse thanks to its festival-friendly slate, especially Juho Kuosmanen’s “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” and Golden Globe-nominated “Compartment No. 6,” awarded the Grand Prix in Cannes.
“We had a good film with decent sales and we started to think about what we should do next,” Rantamäki said. “Aamu’s brand is simple and clear: we only work with a select few directors. We don’t want to change that; we don’t want to turn into a factory where you don’t know what is happening and with whom. So first we decided not to grow, and then realized we could invest in a new company instead.”
Apart from Kuosmanen,...
- 2/23/2023
- by John Hopewell and Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Finnish-Somalian filmmaker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed – whose debut feature “The Gravedigger’s Wife” played in Critics’ Week at Cannes – is at the Red Sea Film Festival to premiere his short film “Night Stop,” but is also keen to talk to Variety about his next feature: a comedy to be shot in Africa with an African cast. “It’s a social film, but told through comedy this time,” he says. “A little bit on a tangent compared to my earlier film, because I love stories and using different genres to develop my themes.”
That urge to explore genre cinema was in evidence in “Night Stop,” which tells the story of a young man (Miguel Peltomaa) who encounters a series of mysterious strangers after his bicycle breaks down one evening. “It is a story about multiple marginalized identities. It’s a genre film, but this story deals with youth mental health issues affecting Europe as well.
That urge to explore genre cinema was in evidence in “Night Stop,” which tells the story of a young man (Miguel Peltomaa) who encounters a series of mysterious strangers after his bicycle breaks down one evening. “It is a story about multiple marginalized identities. It’s a genre film, but this story deals with youth mental health issues affecting Europe as well.
- 12/8/2022
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Also out this weekend: ’Decision To Leave’ and ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’.
Warner Bros’ Black Adam is this weekend’s widest UK-Ireland release, playing at 664 sites.
Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra reunites with Jungle Cruise star Dwayne Johnson for this latest outing from the DC Extended Universe, that follows a Middle Eastern slave who is transformed into a god, with Sarah Shahi, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo and Pierce Brosnan also starring.
DC’s 2022 releases kicked off with The Batman in March, a record wide release for Warner Bros, playing at 709 locations. It took £13.5m in its opening weekend. DC League Of Super-pets...
Warner Bros’ Black Adam is this weekend’s widest UK-Ireland release, playing at 664 sites.
Spanish filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra reunites with Jungle Cruise star Dwayne Johnson for this latest outing from the DC Extended Universe, that follows a Middle Eastern slave who is transformed into a god, with Sarah Shahi, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo and Pierce Brosnan also starring.
DC’s 2022 releases kicked off with The Batman in March, a record wide release for Warner Bros, playing at 709 locations. It took £13.5m in its opening weekend. DC League Of Super-pets...
- 10/21/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s strong, big-hearted film is the classy story of a man seeking money for his wife’s operation
Somali-born film-maker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed has had a deserved festival success with this debut feature, set in Djibouti. It’s a gentle, humorous film in Africa’s quietist cinema tradition with grace notes of irony and wit.
Guled (Omar Abdi) is a gravedigger, who lives with his wife Nasra (Yasmin Warsame) and young son Mahad (Kadar Abdoul-Aziz Ibrahim); he is in fact more like an itinerant labourer, hanging out with other gravediggers with their shovels over their shoulders, waiting for work; they occasionally even chase ambulances into the hospital forecourt, eagerly clustering round as the poor patient is carted out, hoping for the worst. But when his wife is diagnosed with a serious kidney illness, needing an emergency operation costing 5,000, Guled is struck with a sickening realisation, never explicitly spelled out,...
Somali-born film-maker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed has had a deserved festival success with this debut feature, set in Djibouti. It’s a gentle, humorous film in Africa’s quietist cinema tradition with grace notes of irony and wit.
Guled (Omar Abdi) is a gravedigger, who lives with his wife Nasra (Yasmin Warsame) and young son Mahad (Kadar Abdoul-Aziz Ibrahim); he is in fact more like an itinerant labourer, hanging out with other gravediggers with their shovels over their shoulders, waiting for work; they occasionally even chase ambulances into the hospital forecourt, eagerly clustering round as the poor patient is carted out, hoping for the worst. But when his wife is diagnosed with a serious kidney illness, needing an emergency operation costing 5,000, Guled is struck with a sickening realisation, never explicitly spelled out,...
- 10/18/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The title premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2021.
Aya Films, a UK distribution company with a focus on African and Black films, has acquired Finnish-Somali filmmaker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s directorial debut The Gravedigger’s Wife.
The Somali-language feature will be released theatrically from October 21 across the UK. It will mark the first time a fully Somali-language feature has been released in UK cinemas. France’s Orange Studio handles international sales.
The title premiered in 2021 at Cannes Critics’ Week, and made history in the same year as Somalia’s first ever Oscar submission.
Set in Djibouti City in the Horn of Africa,...
Aya Films, a UK distribution company with a focus on African and Black films, has acquired Finnish-Somali filmmaker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s directorial debut The Gravedigger’s Wife.
The Somali-language feature will be released theatrically from October 21 across the UK. It will mark the first time a fully Somali-language feature has been released in UK cinemas. France’s Orange Studio handles international sales.
The title premiered in 2021 at Cannes Critics’ Week, and made history in the same year as Somalia’s first ever Oscar submission.
Set in Djibouti City in the Horn of Africa,...
- 9/7/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Some stories of struggle and survival have the power to grip you and The Gravedigger’s Wife does so with a certain ease.
Part of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival African Stories strand comes the latest from writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed. And there’s much to cheer about with movie picking up Best Film at the African Movie Academy Awards 2021.
Set in the city of Djibouti it opens with a group of men digging graves where we are introduced to Guled (Omar Abdi). We follow Guled who is battling to provide for his family, be a role model to his son Mahad (Kadar Abdoul-Aziz Ibrahim) and take care of his sick wife Nasra (Yasmin Warsame). From here we see him dealing with this turmoil in his life and his decision to go the arduous journey for help in paying medical bills.
From the start you get a sense that...
Part of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival African Stories strand comes the latest from writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed. And there’s much to cheer about with movie picking up Best Film at the African Movie Academy Awards 2021.
Set in the city of Djibouti it opens with a group of men digging graves where we are introduced to Guled (Omar Abdi). We follow Guled who is battling to provide for his family, be a role model to his son Mahad (Kadar Abdoul-Aziz Ibrahim) and take care of his sick wife Nasra (Yasmin Warsame). From here we see him dealing with this turmoil in his life and his decision to go the arduous journey for help in paying medical bills.
From the start you get a sense that...
- 3/5/2022
- by Thomas Alexander
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This debut feature from Khadar Ayderus Ahmed - which has a fable-like quality - is a sharp reminder that universal healthcare, rough around the edges though it might sometimes be, remains a triumph in the face of wider inequalities, allowing much fairer access for all than many global systems.
The situation is brought sharply home in the Finnish-Somalia writer/director's film as Guled (Omar Abdi), who spends his time at the hospital gates waiting for the death of others, so that he can make ends meet and finds himself staring it straight in the face when his wife Nasra becomes sick with kidney disease and requires a $5,000 operation, which they cannot afford.
There's a straightforwardness to the telling of this tale - which is Somalia's Oscar nomination and screening at Glasgow Film Festival - that adds to its accessibility despite its strong...
The situation is brought sharply home in the Finnish-Somalia writer/director's film as Guled (Omar Abdi), who spends his time at the hospital gates waiting for the death of others, so that he can make ends meet and finds himself staring it straight in the face when his wife Nasra becomes sick with kidney disease and requires a $5,000 operation, which they cannot afford.
There's a straightforwardness to the telling of this tale - which is Somalia's Oscar nomination and screening at Glasgow Film Festival - that adds to its accessibility despite its strong...
- 3/4/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Norway's first film noir Death Is A Caress will screen as part of the Edith Carlmar retrospective The Glasgow Film Festival has announced further programme details for this year's festival, which will run from March 2 to 13.
The festival, which will run in hybrid format, will screen a programme of African Stories - a collection of contemporary films celebrating the rich diversity of life in countries across the continent. The films range from Casablanca Beats, a joyous salute to the power of music to transform lives in Morocco and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s multi award-winning Djibouti-set The Gravedigger’s Wife, to documentaries including Once Upon A Time in Uganda, about one man’s mission to create an action movie industry in the country. Gff is working with Scotland’s Africa in Motion film festival on events around some key titles. This programme of films will combine to provide a taste of a vital and booming filmmaking continent.
The festival, which will run in hybrid format, will screen a programme of African Stories - a collection of contemporary films celebrating the rich diversity of life in countries across the continent. The films range from Casablanca Beats, a joyous salute to the power of music to transform lives in Morocco and Khadar Ayderus Ahmed’s multi award-winning Djibouti-set The Gravedigger’s Wife, to documentaries including Once Upon A Time in Uganda, about one man’s mission to create an action movie industry in the country. Gff is working with Scotland’s Africa in Motion film festival on events around some key titles. This programme of films will combine to provide a taste of a vital and booming filmmaking continent.
- 12/16/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Of the six Sub-Saharan African submissions, the buzziest titles include Somalia’s first-ever entry, “The Gravedigger’s Wife” from feature debutant Khadar Ayderus Ahmed and Chad’s Cannes competitor, “Lingui: The Sacred Bonds” from veteran helmer Mahamet-Saleh Haroun.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s dysfunctional family dramedy “Barakat” from Amy Jephta earns points for likeability although it represents a genre not usually awarded by the Academy. Nevertheless, the tale of a family feud developing when the clan matriarch decides to take a second chance on love is a universally relatable one.
“The Gravedigger’s Wife” arri-ves at the Academy screenings trailing the top prize from Fespaco, Africa’s largest film festival. Mogadishu-born director-writer Ahmed came to Finland as a refugee at the age of 16 and returned to his African roots for his first feature, which is both a touching love story and a tragedy of social injustice about a poor man trying to get treatment for his ailing wife.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s dysfunctional family dramedy “Barakat” from Amy Jephta earns points for likeability although it represents a genre not usually awarded by the Academy. Nevertheless, the tale of a family feud developing when the clan matriarch decides to take a second chance on love is a universally relatable one.
“The Gravedigger’s Wife” arri-ves at the Academy screenings trailing the top prize from Fespaco, Africa’s largest film festival. Mogadishu-born director-writer Ahmed came to Finland as a refugee at the age of 16 and returned to his African roots for his first feature, which is both a touching love story and a tragedy of social injustice about a poor man trying to get treatment for his ailing wife.
- 12/14/2021
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
After going dark for the first time in more than half a century, the return of the Cannes Film Festival proves one major point: the event is still a significant launch pad when it comes to the International Feature Film Oscars. Indeed, of the 90-plus submissions recorded so far this year, nearly a quarter made their debut on the Croisette, be it in Competition, Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight or Critics’ Week. It’s perhaps to be expected—since the Academy first introduced the category in 1956, foreign-language auteur works have dominated more commercial fare—but the skew towards Cannes is telling. Other festivals have their place—notably Berlin and Venice, with Sundance emerging this year as an unexpected new contender—but, as a rough guide, Cannes has physically premiered six of the last 10 winners and presented last year’s victor, Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round (Denmark) under the umbrella of its virtual 2020 label.
- 12/10/2021
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
CAA has signed Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, the up-and-coming director of “The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Somalia’s first ever official submission for the Oscars international feature film race.
“The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Ahmed’s feature debut,” world premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week and went on to win the Amplify Voices Award at Toronto. The film also played BFI London, Chicago and Palm Springs, as well as the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) where it scooped the top prize.
The movie recently played in Mogadishu at the National Theatre of Somalia, Ahmed’s native country. Orange Studio represents the film in international markets. It was produced by Finland’s Bufo, and co-produced by Germany’s Twenty Twenty Vision and France’s Pyramide Productions.
Set in the African town of Djibouti City, the drama portrays a poverty-stricken family and revolves around a gravedigger (Omar Abdi) on a desperate quest to fund an...
“The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Ahmed’s feature debut,” world premiered at Cannes’ Critics’ Week and went on to win the Amplify Voices Award at Toronto. The film also played BFI London, Chicago and Palm Springs, as well as the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (Fespaco) where it scooped the top prize.
The movie recently played in Mogadishu at the National Theatre of Somalia, Ahmed’s native country. Orange Studio represents the film in international markets. It was produced by Finland’s Bufo, and co-produced by Germany’s Twenty Twenty Vision and France’s Pyramide Productions.
Set in the African town of Djibouti City, the drama portrays a poverty-stricken family and revolves around a gravedigger (Omar Abdi) on a desperate quest to fund an...
- 12/6/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Marrakech International Film Festival’s project incubator showcased 15 projects in development and nine projects.
Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother Of All Lies and Tunisian-French director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees have won the top post-production prizes at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops talent and project incubator.
The films were among 15 projects in development and nine projects in post-production presented in the fourth edition of the workshops, running online from November 22 to 25 and attended by more than 300 international film professionals.
The post-production jury comprised Nuha Eltayeb, director of content acquisitions for the Middle East,...
Moroccan filmmaker Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother Of All Lies and Tunisian-French director Erige Sehiri’s Under The Fig Trees have won the top post-production prizes at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops talent and project incubator.
The films were among 15 projects in development and nine projects in post-production presented in the fourth edition of the workshops, running online from November 22 to 25 and attended by more than 300 international film professionals.
The post-production jury comprised Nuha Eltayeb, director of content acquisitions for the Middle East,...
- 11/25/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Documentary Exposure from The Babushkas Of Chernobyl director Morris gets its world premiere.
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival has unveiled its international competitions line-up, a roster that includes Venice Silver Lion winner The Power Of The Dog, Tatiana Huezo’s Prayers For The Stolen, and the world premiere of Holly Morris’s documentary Exposure.
The programme includes the international premiere of Franziska Stünkel’s The Last Execution. The festival runs October 13-24 and is the longest running competitive festival in North America.
The International Feature Competition line-up comprises: Péter Kerekes’s 107 Mothers (Slo-Czech-Ukr); Mohammed Diab’s Amira (Egy-Jor-uae-Saud...
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival has unveiled its international competitions line-up, a roster that includes Venice Silver Lion winner The Power Of The Dog, Tatiana Huezo’s Prayers For The Stolen, and the world premiere of Holly Morris’s documentary Exposure.
The programme includes the international premiere of Franziska Stünkel’s The Last Execution. The festival runs October 13-24 and is the longest running competitive festival in North America.
The International Feature Competition line-up comprises: Péter Kerekes’s 107 Mothers (Slo-Czech-Ukr); Mohammed Diab’s Amira (Egy-Jor-uae-Saud...
- 9/16/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The Marrakech International Film Festival has opted to postpone its 19th edition, citing the current global health situation. However, the Festival Foundation will continue to present its industry and talent development program with the fourth edition of the Atlas Workshops to be conducted online from November 22-25 with the support of Netflix. This follows a similar path to 2020 when the Moroccan fest was also canceled and the Atlas Workshops, which launched in 2018, were moved online.
The mission of the workshops is to support the new generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers through bespoke consultation, as well as to expose them to the international market through the presentation of their projects at a co-production market.
In 2021, two winners of the Atlas Prize for Post-Production were selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week: Khadar Ahmed’s The Gravedigger’s Wife and Egyptian filmmaker Omar El Zohairy’s Feathers,...
The mission of the workshops is to support the new generation of Moroccan, Arab and African filmmakers through bespoke consultation, as well as to expose them to the international market through the presentation of their projects at a co-production market.
In 2021, two winners of the Atlas Prize for Post-Production were selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week: Khadar Ahmed’s The Gravedigger’s Wife and Egyptian filmmaker Omar El Zohairy’s Feathers,...
- 9/14/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
"I'm forty-five years old, and I hunt dead bodies for a living." ScreenDaily has revealed an official promo trailer for an indie film from Africa titled The Gravedigger's Wife, marking the feature directorial debut of a Somalian filmmaker named Khadar Ahmed. This is premiering at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival in the sidebar known as Critics' Week (Semaine de la Critique), where they often premiere a lot of great under-the-radar films. The Gravedigger's Wife is set in the East Africa country of Djibouti. In times of misfortune, Guled and his family have to push themselves to the limits. Guled is already working hard as a gravedigger to make ends meet: how can they find more money to save Nasra and keep the family together? The film stars Omar Abdi as Guled, Yasmin Warsame, Kadar Abdoul-Aziz Ibrahim, Samaleh Ali Obsieh, Hamdi Ahmed Omar, and Awa Ali Nour. "The family drama plays out...
- 6/21/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
French production and sales arm will unveil four new films at the EFM.
France’s Orange Studio will kick off sales this EFM on French director Sophie Boudre’s intergenerational comedy-drama Schoolmates!, the latest production from Paris-based Vendôme Production, the company behind La Famille Bélier and English-language remake Coda.
Based on a true story, popular comedy actress Alice Pol co-stars as a village school headmistress whose school burns down forcing her to move her classroom into a local retirement home. Cohabitation between the children and seniors will not be easy. Jonathan Zaccaï and veteran French pop icon Eddy Mitchell also top the cast.
France’s Orange Studio will kick off sales this EFM on French director Sophie Boudre’s intergenerational comedy-drama Schoolmates!, the latest production from Paris-based Vendôme Production, the company behind La Famille Bélier and English-language remake Coda.
Based on a true story, popular comedy actress Alice Pol co-stars as a village school headmistress whose school burns down forcing her to move her classroom into a local retirement home. Cohabitation between the children and seniors will not be easy. Jonathan Zaccaï and veteran French pop icon Eddy Mitchell also top the cast.
- 2/22/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The Doha Film Institute, which is a leading incubator for quality Arab fare, has announced the 39 projects receiving its Spring grants — roughly half of which are directed by women.
Several of the nearly completed works that made the cut are likely to surface on the international festival circuit, starting with Venice in September.
These include “Gaza My Love,” a buzzed-about comedy about the disruptive effect of the discovery of an ancient Greek statue at the bottom of the Gaza sea, co-directed by Palestinian twin brothers Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser, whose Gaza hairdressers-set drama “Degradé” made a splash in 2015; “The Gravedigger” by promising Somalia-born director Khadar Ahmed that tells the story of a Djibouti gravedigger trying to re-unite his family in a time of strife; and Iraqi director Shawkat Amin Korki’s “The Exam,” about two sisters who cheat on a college admissions exam to avoid a forced marriage. Korki...
Several of the nearly completed works that made the cut are likely to surface on the international festival circuit, starting with Venice in September.
These include “Gaza My Love,” a buzzed-about comedy about the disruptive effect of the discovery of an ancient Greek statue at the bottom of the Gaza sea, co-directed by Palestinian twin brothers Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser, whose Gaza hairdressers-set drama “Degradé” made a splash in 2015; “The Gravedigger” by promising Somalia-born director Khadar Ahmed that tells the story of a Djibouti gravedigger trying to re-unite his family in a time of strife; and Iraqi director Shawkat Amin Korki’s “The Exam,” about two sisters who cheat on a college admissions exam to avoid a forced marriage. Korki...
- 7/1/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Doha Film Institute (Dfi) supports 39 projects in spring 2020 funding round.
Upcoming films by Palestinian filmmaking duo Tarzan and Arab Nasser, award-winning Cambodian director Kavich Neang and Iraqi filmmaker Shawkat Armin Korki were among the 39 projects that have been granted support by the Doha Film Institute as part of its spring 2020 funding round.
Three-quarters of the selected projects are from the Middle East and Africa.
The Nasser brothers won support for their fiction feature Gaza My Love (previously announced as Apollo) which is in post-production. It revolves around a fisherman who is emboldened to court a market stallholder he has long...
Upcoming films by Palestinian filmmaking duo Tarzan and Arab Nasser, award-winning Cambodian director Kavich Neang and Iraqi filmmaker Shawkat Armin Korki were among the 39 projects that have been granted support by the Doha Film Institute as part of its spring 2020 funding round.
Three-quarters of the selected projects are from the Middle East and Africa.
The Nasser brothers won support for their fiction feature Gaza My Love (previously announced as Apollo) which is in post-production. It revolves around a fisherman who is emboldened to court a market stallholder he has long...
- 6/30/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦69¦
- ScreenDaily
Emerging African filmmakers triumph at project development event.
Ethiopian director Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s Addis Ababa-set tale of self-discovery Sweet Annoyance scooped the top €10,000 development prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s second Atlas Workshops on Friday (Dec 6).
The four-day meeting drew some 270 international cinema professionals and presented 28 projects in development and post-production from Middle Eastern, North African and African filmmakers.
The jury for the 10 projects in the running for the Atlas Development Awards was composed of Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi, Lebanese producer Georges Schoucair and Juliette Schrameck, managing director of Paris-based mk2 Films.
Set against the nightlife of the Ethiopian capital,...
Ethiopian director Hiwot Admasu Getaneh’s Addis Ababa-set tale of self-discovery Sweet Annoyance scooped the top €10,000 development prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival’s second Atlas Workshops on Friday (Dec 6).
The four-day meeting drew some 270 international cinema professionals and presented 28 projects in development and post-production from Middle Eastern, North African and African filmmakers.
The jury for the 10 projects in the running for the Atlas Development Awards was composed of Moroccan director Laïla Marrakchi, Lebanese producer Georges Schoucair and Juliette Schrameck, managing director of Paris-based mk2 Films.
Set against the nightlife of the Ethiopian capital,...
- 12/7/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Djibouti’s “The Gravedigger,” Morocco’s “Zanka Contact” and Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance” were among the major winners in the post-production and development categories of the second edition of the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops.
“The Gravedigger,” by Khadar Ahmed, and “Zanka Contact,” by Ismaël el Iraki, won the top awards – €20,000 and $11,000 respectively – in the post-production competition, and “The Gravedigger” also won the new $3,300 Naas prize for film circulation. Both pics are first features.
Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance,” by Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, Morocco’s “The Original Lie,” by Asmae El Moudir, and Rwanda’s “Ikimanuka – Seasons of the Weary Kind,” by Samuel Ishimwe, were the winners in the development competition, and received $11,000, $5,500 and $5,500 respectively.
The new $6,660 Artekino prize attributed during the workshops was awarded to Morocco’s “Les Meutes” by Kamal Lazraq. This is the first time that French-German broadcaster Arte has attributed an award in an African film festival.
“The Gravedigger,” by Khadar Ahmed, and “Zanka Contact,” by Ismaël el Iraki, won the top awards – €20,000 and $11,000 respectively – in the post-production competition, and “The Gravedigger” also won the new $3,300 Naas prize for film circulation. Both pics are first features.
Ethiopia’s “Sweet Annoyance,” by Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, Morocco’s “The Original Lie,” by Asmae El Moudir, and Rwanda’s “Ikimanuka – Seasons of the Weary Kind,” by Samuel Ishimwe, were the winners in the development competition, and received $11,000, $5,500 and $5,500 respectively.
The new $6,660 Artekino prize attributed during the workshops was awarded to Morocco’s “Les Meutes” by Kamal Lazraq. This is the first time that French-German broadcaster Arte has attributed an award in an African film festival.
- 12/7/2019
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Second edition of project platform will showcase 28 feature projects.
Upcoming feature films by Egyptian director Tamer el Said and Moroccan Bafta nominee Ismaël Ferroukhi are among the 28 projects to be showcased at the second edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops, running December 3 to 6.
“We got off to a good start in the first edition,” says Remi Bonhomme, who has spearheaded the meeting.
He notes the winner of the last year’s main post-production prize– Hassen Ferhani’s documentary 143 Sahara Street – went on to enjoy a successful festival career, clinching the best emerging director prize in...
Upcoming feature films by Egyptian director Tamer el Said and Moroccan Bafta nominee Ismaël Ferroukhi are among the 28 projects to be showcased at the second edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops, running December 3 to 6.
“We got off to a good start in the first edition,” says Remi Bonhomme, who has spearheaded the meeting.
He notes the winner of the last year’s main post-production prize– Hassen Ferhani’s documentary 143 Sahara Street – went on to enjoy a successful festival career, clinching the best emerging director prize in...
- 11/29/2019
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Les Arcs Work In Progress Line-Up; Eurimages Co-Pro Award; Apc Buys Movistar+ Series – Global Briefs
The Les Arcs Film Festival has unveiled its selection of work in progress projects for 2019. The event, held at a French ski resort, is a film fest with an industry wing that has become well regarded in its 11 years’ of existence. A total of 18 features will take part this year, seven of which are directed by women (39%) – there were 34% female applicants. None of the selected films have sales agents attached. They are: Anna Nemes’ Beauty Of The Beast (Hungary); Eva Küpper’s Dark Rider; Ekaterina Selenkina’s Figures In The Urban Landscape (Russia), Slávek Horák’s Havel (Czech Republic), Khadar Ahmed’s The Gravedigger; Luàna Bajrami’s The Hill Where Lionesses Roar; Alex Camilleri’s Luzzu (Malta); Alessandro De Toni’s Myjing (Italy); Nabil Ben Yadir’s Praey; Fredrik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm’s Shorta (Denmark); Roman Vasyanov’s...
- 11/26/2019
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Haugesund, Norway — Actor Omar Abdi, who starred in the Ahmed-scripted short “Citizens,” and actress Yasmin Warsame, who made her name as a Canadian model, will topline romantic-tragedy “The Gravedigger,” the latest big screen project from Bufo, the Helsinki-based outfit behind Berlinale winner “The Other Side of Hope.”
The film follows a Djibouti gravedigger trying to re-unite his family in a time of strife.
Bufo founders Mark Lwoff and Misha Jaari will lead the charge on this international co-production, working alongside France’s Pyramide Productions and Germany’s Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion.
Financing partners include Finland’s Church Media Foundation and The Finnish Film Foundation, France’s Cnc, The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and World Cinema Fund, and Germany’s Ffhsh, along with co-production partners Yle and Zdf/Arte.
The Somali-language film will begin lensing in Djibouti this October, with an intended finish date of Spring 2020. Bufo’s boutique...
The film follows a Djibouti gravedigger trying to re-unite his family in a time of strife.
Bufo founders Mark Lwoff and Misha Jaari will lead the charge on this international co-production, working alongside France’s Pyramide Productions and Germany’s Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion.
Financing partners include Finland’s Church Media Foundation and The Finnish Film Foundation, France’s Cnc, The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture and World Cinema Fund, and Germany’s Ffhsh, along with co-production partners Yle and Zdf/Arte.
The Somali-language film will begin lensing in Djibouti this October, with an intended finish date of Spring 2020. Bufo’s boutique...
- 8/23/2019
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Second edition set to unfold in French capital June 10-12.
Hana Makhmalbaf, Ivan I. Tverdosvsky and Jonas Carpignano will be among the directors presenting new projects at the second edition of the Paris Coproduction Village in June.
A joint venture between Les Arcs European Film Festival and Champs Elysées Film Festival, the event is set to unfold June 10-12 in the French capital.
Hana Makhmalbafwill present her first feature since the 2009 Green Days, a new UK-produced project entitled Single Mother.
Russian Ivan I. Tverdosvsky, who is being touted as an upcoming director to watch following the festival success of his Corrections Class, will unveil Zoology.
Jonas Carpignano, whose Mediterranea is premiering in Critics’Week, will unveil his next film, A Ciambra, as part of the Cinéfondation selection, which will also be presented at the village.
A total of 14 projects have been selected for the central line-up, five of them European, three Asian and...
Hana Makhmalbaf, Ivan I. Tverdosvsky and Jonas Carpignano will be among the directors presenting new projects at the second edition of the Paris Coproduction Village in June.
A joint venture between Les Arcs European Film Festival and Champs Elysées Film Festival, the event is set to unfold June 10-12 in the French capital.
Hana Makhmalbafwill present her first feature since the 2009 Green Days, a new UK-produced project entitled Single Mother.
Russian Ivan I. Tverdosvsky, who is being touted as an upcoming director to watch following the festival success of his Corrections Class, will unveil Zoology.
Jonas Carpignano, whose Mediterranea is premiering in Critics’Week, will unveil his next film, A Ciambra, as part of the Cinéfondation selection, which will also be presented at the village.
A total of 14 projects have been selected for the central line-up, five of them European, three Asian and...
- 5/18/2015
- ScreenDaily
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