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Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s harrowing domestic abuse drama is now available on Virtual Cinema and VOD.

Joy and her six-year-old daughter Angel live in Manila, with her husband, Dante, a small-time criminal. As so often in the past, Dante comes home drunk at night and brutally beats Joy. This time, he also hurts Angel. Joy grabs her daughter and flees to the local police station, to finally get him sent to jail. But Joy is to discover that the search for justice comes at a price. Her case, obstructed by corruption, bureaucracy and seemingly indifferent officials. Lacking witnesses to support her case, and her husband released back onto the street, Joy starts to feel that she and her daughter are increasingly under threat.

This remarkably confident debut feature is extremely real, at times, blood-boilingly infuriating, and demands to be seen

“Verdict” was the official Philippine entry to the International Film...

Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s taut drama shows a Filipino legal system more concerned with expediency than justice as a woman takes her violent husband to court

Justice is not delayed but could still be denied in this arresting Filipino movie, which tracks a case of domestic abuse with such conviction, it is often easy to forget it’s staged drama rather than documentary. The first half-hour is especially frantic and immersive as it begins with the assault in question. Hard-up Manila mother Joy (Max Eigenmann) is preparing supper for her young daughter, Angel, in their cramped, cluttered little apartment. Her husband Dante (Kristoffer King) returns home drunk. A violent argument quickly erupts, in which Joy is brutally beaten and Dante slashed on the arm with a knife. As the police and women’s protection services intervene, we’re pitched almost in real time through the Manila night: down streets, through homes,...

Sovereign is proud to announce the release of writer/director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s harrowing domestic abuse drama, on 12th March, across streaming services.

Joy and her six-year-old daughter Angel live in Manila, with her husband, Dante, a small-time criminal. As so often in the past, Dante comes home drunk at night and brutally beats Joy. This time, he also hurts Angel. Joy grabs her daughter and flees to the local police station, to finally get him sent to jail. But Joy is to discover that the search for justice comes at a price. Her case, obstructed by corruption, bureaucracy and seemingly indifferent officials. Lacking witnesses to support her case, and her husband released back onto the street, Joy starts to feel that she and her daughter are increasingly under threat.

Verdict was the official Philippine entry to the International Film Category for the Oscars in 2020 and the deserved winner...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Inclusive Cinema addresses racism; Swipe pops champagne documentary; BFI seeks film fund director; Sky goes green; Sovereign acquires “Verdict”; and Blackstone buys “Stars Wars” building.

The U.K.’s Inclusive Cinema project has launched a guide for improving the cinema experiences of ethnically diverse audiences and staff — a directive that challenges institutions to make good on their Black Lives Matter and anti-racism statements from 2020.

The guide, titled “Dismantling Structural Inequality in Your Cinema,” was commissioned from artist and freelancer Sadia Pineda Hameed, and is cited by its writer as “the last toolkit that cinemas should need.” The toolkit examines the role of cinemas in the context of systemic injustice and focuses on preventing harm towards people of color. From immediately actionable tools, to encouraging inner, reflective and dialogue-based work, towards undoing systemic injustice, the guide is intended to create lasting change for future generations, and...

Pilipino drama marks the feature debut of Raymund Ribay Gutierrez.

Award-winning Pilipino drama Verdict has been secured for the UK and Ireland by Sovereign Film Distribution, in a deal with Films Boutique.

The feature debut of Raymund Ribay Gutierrez premiered at Venice in 2019, where it won the special jury prize in the Horizons strand, and went on to screen at Telluride, Toronto and Busan. It was also the Philippines submission for the Academy Award.

Sovereign is planning a day-and-date release for Verdict on March 12, with any theatrical element dependent on an easing of pandemic restrictions.

The story centres on a battered wife,...

Raymund Ribay Gutierrez was born in Makati City, Manila, Philippines. He has directed the Festival shorts “Imago” and “Judgement”, both of which were nominated for a Palme d’Or at Cannes; “Imago” also won the TIFF Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film. “Verdict” is his feature debut.

On the occasion of Verdict screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival, we speak with him about the transition from short to features, domestic violence and bureaucracy in the Philippines, the cinematography and the editing in the film, and many other topics.

How was the transition from short films to feature ones? What was the biggest difficulty and what the biggest difference?

Making films is always difficult either short or feature. Both has it’s respective discipline to acknowledge. Telling short stories that feels like a feature and telling a full-length stories that feels like a short.

The film deals with domestic...

The topic of domestic violence is usually a tricky one. Luckily, Filipino director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez picks the right approach: the straight one for his feature debut “Verdict”. The film premiered at Venice, in Orizzonti competition and its universal appeal of domestic drama combined with procedural about the faulty state of the country’s bureaucracy should assure its vibrant and long festival life.

“Verdict” is Screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival

The film opens at home with Joy Santos and her daughter Angel (Jordhen Suan). Their evening routine is suddenly interrupted when Joy’s husband and Angel’s father Dante comes back home violently drunk and angry about some miscommunication between him and Joy. As the argument gets more and more heated, he gets physically violent toward his spouse, even hitting their child who gets in between. After slashing him with a kitchen knife in an obvious act of self-defense,...

Five Flavours Asian Film Festival invite you for a journey through taste, colors, and sounds of the Asian continent, hoping they can provide food for your thoughts and solace for your spirits.

The Programme of this year’s Festival comprises more than forty titles representing the extreme variety of Asian cinemas – from horror cinema to sweet melodramas, from grasping auteur cinema to relaxing journeys around the continent.

All the films will be presented online between November 25 and December 6.

Preparing this year’s edition forced the organisers to face up to completely new challenges – from the matters of logistics to finding new ways of thinking about their mission, priorities, building bridges between filmmakers and audiences outside the screening rooms. The online edition of the Festival is not a compromise, but a different way to reach the, perhaps even wider, audiences, discover the rich variety of Asian cultures, and explore the contemporary...

Films Boutique has sold Mohammad Rasoulof’s Berlinale Golden Bear winning “There Is No Evil” nearly worldwide in the run-up to the movie’s screening at Cannes’ virtual Marché du Film.

Acquired by Kino Lorber in the U.S. and Pyramide in France following its world premiere at Berlin, “There Is No Evil” charts the ordeal of four men who are put in front of an unthinkable but simple choice that, whatever they decide, will directly or indirectly affect themselves, their relationships and their entire lives.

The Berlin-based sales company has now sold “There Is No Evil” in Australia (Madman), in Austria (Stadtkino), Baltics (Kino Pavasaris), in Benelux (September Films), in Bulgaria (Beta Film), in Canada (Acéphale), in China (Time-In-Portrait), in Russia and the Cis (Kinofon), in Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe), in Denmark (Camera Film), in Germany (Grand Film), in Hong Kong (Edko), in Latin America (Impacto), in...

Brillante Mendoza graduated in advertising from the university of Santo Tomas in Manila. He started his career as a production designer in films, television, theatre and in television advertising. Today, he is one of the one of the most important Filipino filmmakers with films winning accolades at major festivals. At Venice both Lola (2009) and Thy Womb (2012) were nominated for the Golden Lion. At Cannes, Service (2008) vied for the Palme D’Or, Kinatay (2009) won Best Director, Taklub (2015) screened in Un Certain Regard, and 2016’s Ma’ Rosa screened in competition, winning Best Actress. Mendoza also works as a producer with young directors, with his latest work, “Verdict” by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez, screening at Busan this year, along with his own latest movie, “Mindanao“.

We speak with him about his career and Filipino cinema, Netflix, shooting a film about and in Mindanao, the animation part of the film, and inevitably, the pandemic.

You...

The annual Palm Springs International Film Festival in California is always an opportunity to catch up on many of the contenders for the Best International Feature — née Best Foreign-Language — Film Academy Award. Now in its 31st edition, the festival this year has 51 of them, from favorite-to-beat “Parasite” from South Korea and Senegal’s “Atlantics,” to other films quietly making strides in the race: Czech Republic’s “The Painted Bird,” Sweden’s “And Then We Danced,” Russia’s “Beanpole,” Romania’s “The Whistlers,” North Macedonia’s documentary contender “Honeyland,” Norway’s “Out Stealing Horses,” and many more.

The festival will screen 188 films from 81 countries, including 51 premieres, from January 2-13, 2020. The Awards Buzz section includes a special jury of international film critics, who will review these films to present the Fipresci Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay in this category.

One hundred eighty-eight films films from 81 countries including 51 premieres highlight the lineup for the 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which kicks off January 2 with a star-studded gala that has become a must-stop during awards season for Oscar hopefuls. The festival, which runs through January 13, also is known for showcasing a large number of submissions in the Motion Picture Academy’s International Film (formerly Foreign Language) competition and will feature 51 of those entries.

The opening-night film on January 3 is the Italian farce An Almost Ordinary Summer, while the closer is director Peter Cattaneo’s heartwarming dramedy Military Wives in which Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan and Jason Flemyng lead a superb ensemble cast. The film had its world premiere at September’s Toronto International Film Festival and became an instant crowd-pleaser. Bleecker Street releases it in 2020.

Among the previously announced honorees at the January 2 gala are Antonio Banderas, Renee Zellweger,...

Wang Lina’s A First Farewell took awards for best director and best actress.

Pema Tsedan’s Balloon was named best picture while Wang Lina’s A First Farewell took awards for best director and best actress (Sonam Wangmo) at the first Golden Coconut Awards at China’s Hainan Island International Film Festival (Hiiff) on Sunday night (December 8).

Both films, in the Tibetan language and Uighur language respectively, coincidentally touch on ethnic minority issues in China.

The Golden Coconut Awards are a new addition this year, handing out cash prizes in 10 categories among films selected for the festival’s international competition for feature,...

For most awards observers, the Asian Oscars race narrative in the international feature category begins and ends with Bong Joon Ho’s South Korean contender “Parasite.” That said, there are other notable submissions from around the continent that might spring a surprise or two.

The deliciously surgical dissection of Korean society that is “Parasite” has rightly won acclaim and awards around the planet, beginning with its unanimous Palme d’Or victory at Cannes. Neon is distributing the film in the U.S. and its impressive box office will do the film’s prospects no harm. A nom seems certain.

Tiny Singapore has been punching well above its weight in recent years and this year’s submission from the country, Yeo Siew Hua’s “A Land Imagined,” has been garlanded with awards since it exploded onto the global festival circuit with three trophies at Locarno, including the Golden Leopard, in 2018. The...

The film is directed by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen.

Saudi Arabian filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s Scales, about a young girl who defies chauvinistic traditions to prove her worth, took the best film prize at the Silver Screen Awards of the 30th Singapore International Film Festival.

It was a unanimous decision by the jury who found it “a very original and strong film from a first-time filmmaker who speaks about patriarchy with the simplicity of a fable”.

Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap served as jury head, with Malaysia’s Amir Muhammad, Hong Kong’s Pang Ho Cheung and Indonesia’s Nia...

The late Kristoffer King’s powerful — and final — role as an abusive husband in the Philippines’ Oscar hope Verdict won the best performance prize at the Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen Awards.

At Saturday's ceremony, held at the National Museum of Singapore, Verdict director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez paid an emotional tribute to his friend and leading man, who died in February at age 36 after complications due to diabetes.

“After all the violence in the film Kristoffer King would always try to laugh with the other actors afterwards. He was a very gentle man,”...

The late Kristoffer King’s powerful — and final — role as an abusive husband in the Philippines’ Oscar hope Verdict won the best performance prize at the Singapore International Film Festival Silver Screen Awards.

At Saturday's ceremony, held at the National Museum of Singapore, Verdict director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez paid an emotional tribute to his friend and leading man, who died in February at age 36 after complications due to diabetes.

“After all the violence in the film Kristoffer King would always try to laugh with the other actors afterwards. He was a very gentle man,”...

The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors.

The Singapore International Film Festival (Sgiff) has revealed the line-up for its 30th edition, which runs Nov 21-Dec 1.

The festivals’s long-running Silver Screen Awards includes a nine-strong Asian feature film competition, featuring several titles by first-time directors. Most of the contenders are already award winners, including Gu Xiaogang’s Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains which earned best film and best director at First International Film Festival in Xining, Yosep Anggi Noen’s The Science Of Fictions, which received a special mention at Locarno,...

Every year since its creation in 1956, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) invites the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue and that was released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 October 2018 and 30 September 2019.

Here are the Asian Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film. There are some excellent movies in this bunch and we have seen and reviewed already some of them.

Afghanistan

“Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” by Sahraa Karimi

Hava, Maryam, Ayesha

Armenia

“Lengthy Night” by Edgar Baghdasaryan

Lenghty Night

Bangladesh

“Alpha” by Nasiruddin Yousuff

Alpha

Cambodia

“In The Life of Music” by Caylee So and Sok Visal

In The Life of Music

China

“Ne Zha” by Jiaozi

Ne Zha

Georgia

“Shindisi...

A record 93 countries submitted entries in the International Feature Film race at the 2020 Oscars. That is up by six from last year,when the category was still called Best Foreign-Language Film, and eclipses the record 92 submissions in 2018. The nations represented ranged from A (Albania) to V (Vietnam). Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees is made difficult by the two-step process.

First, the several hundred academy members of the Foreign-Language Film screening committee are required to watch a number of the submissions (upwards of a dozen) over a two-month period that ends in mid December. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top six vote-getters make it to the next round, as will three films added by the 20 members of the executive committee.

Those nine semi-finalists will be screened three per day beginning in early January by select committee members in Gotham, Hollywood, London and San Francisco. These 40 folks will...

Expanded shortlist of 10 films to be announced on December 16.

The Academy on Monday (7) confirmed that 93 countries have submitted films for consideration in the international feature film category for the 92nd Academy Awards.

Ghana, Nigeria and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants with Kwabena Gyansah’s Azali, Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart, and Umid Khamdamov’s Hot Bread, respectively.

Earlier this year, the Academy board voted to rename the category formerly known as foreign language film, and expand the shortlist from nine to 10 films.

The shortlist will be announced on December 16. Nominations for the 92nd Oscars will be unveiled on January 13, 2020, and the Oscars...

The 2020 foreign-language Oscar nominees will come from submissions from 93 countries, up from last year’s 87, and breaking the record 92 from 2017. A contender for the renamed Best International Feature must be a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.

Ghana, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants, but Uganda did not qualify. China (Yu Yang’s “Ne Zha”) and Senegal (Mati Diop’s “Atlantics”) submitted their films under the wire on the deadline of October 1.

Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted not only to rename the Foreign Language Film category, but to expand the shortlist from nine films to 10.

The 2019 submissions, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Albania, “The Delegation,” Bujar Alimani, director;

Algeria, “Papicha,” Mounia Meddour, director;

Argentina, “Heroic Losers,” Sebastián Borensztein, director;

Armenia, “Lengthy Night,” Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;

Australia, “Buoyancy,” Rodd Rathjen, director;

Austria, “Joy,...

The 2020 foreign-language Oscar nominees will come from submissions from 93 countries, up from last year’s 87, and breaking the record 92 from 2017. A contender for the renamed Best International Feature must be a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.

Ghana, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan are first-time entrants, but Uganda did not qualify. China (Yu Yang’s “Ne Zha”) and Senegal (Mati Diop’s “Atlantics”) submitted their films under the wire on the deadline of October 1.

Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted not only to rename the Foreign Language Film category, but to expand the shortlist from nine films to 10.

The 2019 submissions, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Albania, “The Delegation,” Bujar Alimani, director;

Algeria, “Papicha,” Mounia Meddour, director;

Argentina, “Heroic Losers,” Sebastián Borensztein, director;

Armenia, “Lengthy Night,” Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;

Australia, “Buoyancy,” Rodd Rathjen, director;

Austria, “Joy,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the full list of countries that have submitted a pic for consideration for the new International Feature Film Oscar category.

Here are the 93 nations and their hopefuls, in alphabetical order:

Albania, The Delegation, Bujar Alimani, director;

Algeria, Papicha, Mounia Meddour, director;

Argentina, Heroic Losers, Sebastián Borensztein, director;

Armenia, Lengthy Night, Edgar Baghdasaryan, director;

Australia, Buoyancy, Rodd Rathjen, director;

Austria, Joy, Sudabeh Mortezai, director;

Bangladesh, Alpha, Nasiruddin Yousuff, director;

Belarus, Debut, Anastasiya Miroshnichenko, director;

Belgium, Our Mothers, César Díaz, director;

Bolivia, I Miss You, Rodrigo Bellott, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Son, Ines Tanovic, director;

Brazil, Invisible Life, Karim Aïnouz, director;

Bulgaria, Ága, Milko Lazarov, director;

Cambodia, In the Life of Music, Caylee So, Sok Visal, directors;

Canada, Antigone, Sophie Deraspe, director;

Chile, Spider, Andrés Wood, director;

China, Ne Zha, Yu Yang, director;

Colombia, Monos, Alejandro Landes, director;

Costa Rica, The Awakening of the Ants,...

Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s debut feature Verdict has been selected by the Philippines for consideration for the international feature film category at the 2020 Oscars.

The film was executive produced by Gutierrez’s mentor Brillante Mendoza — Cannes winner for Kinatay (2009) — and focuses on the issue of domestic violence in the Philippines. It stars Max Eigenmann and the late Kristoffer King.

Verdict was selected for screening in the Horizon section at this year’s Venice festival, and it went on to win the Special Jury Prize. It has also screened at Telluride and Toronto.

The 26-year-old Gutierrez’s first short Imago (2016) ...

Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s debut feature Verdict has been selected by the Philippines for consideration for the international feature film category at the 2020 Oscars.

The film was executive produced by Gutierrez’s mentor Brillante Mendoza — Cannes winner for Kinatay (2009) — and focuses on the issue of domestic violence in the Philippines. It stars Max Eigenmann and the late Kristoffer King.

Verdict was selected for screening in the Horizon section at this year’s Venice festival, and it went on to win the Special Jury Prize. It has also screened at Telluride and Toronto.

The 26-year-old Gutierrez’s first short Imago (2016) ...

JokerIn CompetitionGolden Lion – Joker (Todd Philipps) | ReviewSilver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) – An Officer and a Spy (Roman Polanski) | ReviewSilver Lion (Best Director) – Roy Andersson (About Endlessness) | ReviewCoppa Volpi for Best Actress – Ariane Ascaride (Gloria Mundi)Coppa Volpi for Best Actor – Luca Marinelli (Martin Eden) | ReviewBest Screenplay – Yonfan (No. 7 Cherry Lane)Special Jury Prize – La Mafia non è più quella di una Volta (Franco Maresco)Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress – Toby Wallace (Babyteeth) | ReviewOrizzontiAtlantisOrizzonti Award for Best Film – Atlantis (Valentyn Vasyanovych)Orizzonti Award for Best Director – Théo Court (Blanco en Blanco)Special Orizzonti Jury Prize – Verdict (Raymund Ribay Gutierrez)Orizzonti Award for Best Actress – Marta Nieto (Madre)Orizzonti Award for Best Actor — Bik Eneich (Un fils)Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay – Jessica Palud, Philippe Lioret, Diastème (Revenir)Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film – Darling (Salim Sadiq)Lion of the Future AwardYou Will Die at 20 (Amjad Abu Alala...

“Joker” from director Todd Phillips won the Golden Lion, and “J’Accuse,” or “An Officer and a Spy,” from director Roman Polanski has won the Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s runner up prize, at the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival.

The comic book film starring Joaquin Phoenix in an origin story of the iconic Batman villain beat out a lineup that also included films such as James Gray’s “Ad Astra” and Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat” for the top prize.

“I want to thank Warner Bros. and DC for stepping out of their comfort zone and taking a big swing on me,” director Todd Phillips said as he accepted the Golden Lion.

Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” stars Jean Dujardin in a film about the Dreyfus Affair. His presence at the festival generated some backlash, as it’s his first film since the director...

Roman Polanski wins the Silver Lion grand jury prize for An Officer And A Spy.

Todd Phillips’ Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the DC Comics villain, cemented its Oscar credentials after winning the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

At tonight’s award ceremony (September 7) the Silver Lion grand jury prize went to Roman Polanski’s An Officer And A Spy. Despite the controversy following the director, the film also picked up the Fipresci prize yesterday.

Swedish veteran Roy Andersson won the best director award for comedy About Endlessness.

The Lucrecia Martel-led jury awarded best screenplay to Hong Kong animation No.

Who will win the Golden Lion?

The winners of the 2019 Venice Film Festival are being announced this evening (Saturday, September 7).

Screen will update this story with all they winners as they happen. Refresh for latest updates.

Lion of the Future (Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film)

You Will Die At 20, dir. Amjad Abu Alala

Horizon Awards

Best Film

Atlantis, dir. Valentyn Vasyanovych

Best Director

Théo Court, White On White

Special Jury Prize

Verdict, dir. Raymund Ribay Gutierrez

Best Actress

Marta Nieto, Madre

Best Actor

Sami Bouajila, A Son

Best Screenplay

Jessica Palud, Philippe Lioret, Diastème, Revinir

Best Short

Darling,...

Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s first feature forced its way into his consciousness. It all started with the screaming. "I was relaxing, and suddenly I could hear a couple fighting, really loudly," he recalls. "I took a look outside and saw a woman bruised, brutally. Her husband was asking us for help as their child had been accidentally hit by a plate."

Verdict, Gutierrez’s full-length debut, trains its focus on domestic violence in the Philippines, an issue that affects a quarter of all married women in the country, according to government statistics.

"I’m very close ...

Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s first feature forced its way into his consciousness. It all started with the screaming. "I was relaxing, and suddenly I could hear a couple fighting, really loudly," he recalls. "I took a look outside and saw a woman bruised, brutally. Her husband was asking us for help as their child had been accidentally hit by a plate."

Verdict, Gutierrez’s full-length debut, trains its focus on domestic violence in the Philippines, an issue that affects a quarter of all married women in the country, according to government statistics.

"I’m very close ...

The topic of domestic violence is usually a tricky one. Luckily, the Filipino director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez picks the right approach: the straight one for his feature debut “Verdict”. The film has just premiered at Venice, in Orizzonti competition and its universal appeal of domestic drama combined with procedural about the faulty state of the country’s bureaucracy should assure its vibrant and long festival life.

The film opens at home with Joy Santos and her daughter Angel (Jordhen Suan). Their evening routine is suddenly interrupted when Joy’s husband and Angel’s father Dante comes back home violently drunk and angry about some miscommunication between him and Joy. As the argument gets more and more heated, he gets physically violent toward his spouse, even hitting their child who gets in between. After slashing him with a kitchen knife in an obvious act of self-defense, Joy, pretty beaten up, runs...

Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival, part of the late-summer trifecta of such cinematic binges — including those in Venice and Toronto– that officially kick off awards season each year, has revealed its slate of titles. The festival’s 46th year officially starts on Friday Aug. 20 and ends Monday Sept. 2.

Among the the must-see movies is “Marriage Story,” filmmaker Noah Baumbach‘s portrait of a broken marriage and the bitter and twisted process of dissolving such a union. The film already premiered at the Venice International Film Festival to passionate raves for both its writer/director as well as stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.

The much-anticipated high-altitude world premieres include director Rupert Goold‘s “Judy,” with Renee Zellweger (see above) bringing to life Judy Garland in the last few weeks of her life while doing a run of sold-out concerts in London in 1969 — the year of her death from an accidental...

A woman from the Philippines takes her husband to court after a night of drunken abuse in Verdict, the feature debut from Raymund Ribay Gutierrez. This first film was clearly long awaited, with the director’s two most recent shorts, Judgement and Imago, selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in Cannes. But even though the subject matter is urgent as well as important, this two-hour drama feels too much like an ersatz Brillante Mendoza joint, with the Cannes best director winner (for 2009’s Kinatay) perhaps not coincidentally the executive producer as well as a “creative consultant” here....

A woman from the Philippines takes her husband to court after a night of drunken abuse in Verdict, the feature debut from Raymund Ribay Gutierrez. This first film was clearly long awaited, with the director’s two most recent shorts, Judgement and Imago, selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in Cannes. But even though the subject matter is urgent as well as important, this two-hour drama feels too much like an ersatz Brillante Mendoza joint, with the Cannes best director winner (for 2009’s Kinatay) perhaps not coincidentally the executive producer as well as a “creative consultant” here....

Fathom for a moment the unknowable number of domestic violence victims around the world. It’s a distressing notion, considering that even in the age of Time’s Up, countless cases in which women and children suffer at the hands of male rage go either dismissed or unreported. With sharp-eyed empathy and a disciplined sense of pacing, writer-director Raymund Ribay Gutierrez defiantly sets out to confront this reality in a cramped corner of Manila, drawing attention to one such tragic incident in his reflective feature debut “Verdict.” , where nightmarish bureaucracy gobbles up compassion and the urgent needs of the survivors take a backseat in a grueling Kafkaesque circus.

And yet, the case in question — fictional, but based on long-standing truths in the contemporary Philippines according to a statement from the filmmaker — could not be any simpler, backed by indisputable evidence every step of the way. We meet its key players...

The 76th Venice International Film Festival is organised by La Biennale di Venezia, and will be held on the Lido di Venezia from 28 August to 7 September 2019. The Festival is officially recognised by the Fiapf (International Federation of Film Producers Association).

The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. In addition to the sections mentioned in the following paragraphs, the Festival also organises retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.

Here are all the Asian movies we found in the line-up:

La Vérité

Venezia 76 Competition – An international competition comprising a maximum of 20 feature-length films, presented as world premieres.

La VÉRITÉ (The Truth)

Director Kore-eda Hirokazu / France, Japan / 106’

Lan Xin Da Ju Yuan (Saturday Fiction)

Director Ye Lou...

The lineup has been unveiled for year’s edition of the Venice International Film Festival, taking place August 28 through September 7. Aside from films previously announced as coming to Tiff, some major new announcements include Olivier Assayas’ Wasp Network, James Gray’s Ad Astra, Roy Andersson’s About Endlessness, Ciro Guerra’s Waiting for the Barbarians, David Michôd’s The King, Benedict Andrews’ Kristen Stewart-led biopic Seberg, and Roman Polanski’s J’accuse. Only two films by female directors made into the competition lineup: Haifaa Al-Mansour’s The Perfect Candidate and Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth.

Check out the lineup below (hat tip to Mubi), which also includes other sections at the festival.

Competition

The Truth (Hirokazu Kore-eda)

The Perfect Candidate (Haifaa Al-Mansour)

About Endlessness (Roy Andersson)

Wasp Network (Olivier Assayas)

Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach)

Guest of Honour (Atom Egoyan)

Ad Astra (James Gray)

A Herdade (Tiago Guedes)

Gloria Mundi (Robert Guédiguian...

A new documentary component means that the work-in-progress section of this year’s Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum will double from 10 to 20 projects. The selection includes Ruby Yang (“The Blood of Yingzhou District”) and Hou Hsiao-hsien (“The Assassin”) as documentary producers, and Brillante Mendoza (“Kinatay”) as producer on the fiction side.

The Wip program expands the long-running Haf project support operations. It creates a platform for late-stage projects seeking closing funds, post-production partners, distributors, sales agents, festivals and other film-industry services

In its first two years the Wip section of Haf has presented notable films which enjoyed festival success last year. They include “Ayka,” which collected the best actress award in Cannes this year, and “The Man Who Surprised Everyone,” which won the Orrizonti Award for best actress at the Venice festival.

“With the expanded platform, Haf will become the first project market to receive both fictional and documentary...

Other winners include ’Cold War’, ’All Good’, ‘Skate Kitchen’.

Jasmin Mozaffari’s debut feature Firecrackers has won best film at the Stockholm International Film Festival 2018.

The Canadian drama, which premiered in Toronto, is about two young women desperate to escape their repressive small town; a night of debauchery could derail their future plans. Screen spoke to Mozaffari about the film after its debut.

The jury praised the film’s “originality in portraying the love between two friends, in its urge for freedom, autonomy, loyalty in a violent world, and bringing us to situations in a way that we have never seen before,...

Cannes Film Festival has finally revealed the full programme of its 71st edition and the small Asian selection is very promising and includes few regular participants along with some talented new newbies.

Let’s have a first look at the list.

Competition

“Burning” by Lee Chang-dong (South Korea)

This much anticipated adaptation of “Barn Burning”, a short story by Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, is a tale of three young adults and – in full Murakami’s style – a mysterious accident. Back after a 7-year break, director Lee Chang-dong has summoned Yoo Ah-in (“The Throne” and “Veteran”), Steven Yuen (“Okja”) and pretty new actress Jeon Jong-seo for the roles.

“Ash is Purest White” by Jia Zhangke (China)

Jia Zhangke returns to Cannes with this big-budget and ambitious film; a love story set on the backdrop of China criminal world in the industrial town of Datong, spanning from 2001 to 2017. Within the cast the...

Other winners include Sand Storm, American Honey, Old Stone, Hooligan Sparrow.

The jury of the 27th Stockholm International Film Festival has given the top award, the Bronze Horse, to Bulgarian director Ralitza Petrova for Godless.

The film previously won the Golden Leopard in Locarno as well as the New Talent Grant Pix in Copenhagen last week. It tells the story of a young physiotherapist struggling to survive in an economically depressed mountain town in post-Communist Bulgaria, who forms an unlikely bond with one of her elderly patients.

The jury — comprised of producer Annika Rogell, directors Roland Vranik, Wayne Roberts and Frida Kempff, and actress Julia Ragnarsson – said the film was “an astonishing masterpiece. This is filmmaking of the highest order and marks the arrival of a new great within cinema. A film that will forever live in the hearts and minds of viewers. It is a true work of art and, simply put, is...

Damien Chazelle’s musical romance starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling was the people’s favourite as the Toronto International Film Festival wrapped on Sunday.

The Grolsch People’s Choice Award is a timely boost heading into awards season: Last year, Room took the prize and went on to garner the best lead actress Oscar for Brie Larson.

La La Land is shaping up to be a strong awards prospect. Stone won the Coppa Volpi for best actress in Venice, where the film received its world premiere, and observers have noted its strong all-round profile.

The festival has set a free screening of La La Land on Sunday evening at 6pm at Roy Thomson Hall. Lionsgate will release the film in the Us on December 16.

Lion was named runner-up and Queen Of Katwe second runner-up.

Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award went to Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, while Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro won the...

With the Toronto International Film Festival wrapping up today, they’ve handed out their award winners. While our top picks will be arriving shortly, the big winner of the festival was Damien Chazelle‘s La La Land, which won the People’s Choice Awards, while Raoul Peck‘s I Am Not Your Negro won on the documentary side. Other winners include Free Fire in the Midnight Madness category and Jackie in the Platform section, which is in its second year.

Check out the full press release below.

The short film awards below were selected by a jury comprised of American filmmaker Abteen Bagheri (That B.E.A.T.), French filmmaker Eva Husson (Bang Gang), and Canadian filmmaker Jeff Barnaby (Rhymes for Young Ghouls).

Short Cuts Award For Best Canadian Short Film

The Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Alexandre Dostie’s Mutants. The jury remarked, “Mutants...

The third cascade of world premieres in 15 days flowed from the headquarters of the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday as programmers revealed their Midnight Madness, Tiff Docs, Vanguard, Tiff Cinematheque and Short Cuts selections.

This week’s offering includes Ben Wheatley’s all-star gangster thriller Free Fire, which opens Midnight Madness one year after the premiere of the British auteur’s High-Rise; fast-rising Chadwick Boseman in revenge thriller Message From The King in Vanguard and a Tiff Docs strand that features climate change documentary The Turning Point, featuring and produced by Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio.

The 41st Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 to 18.

Wp = world premiere, IP = international premiere, Nap = North American premiere, Cp = Canadian premiere, Tp = Toronto premiere.

Midnight Madness

Ben Wheatley’s all-star gunfight Free Fire starring Brie Larson, Armie Hammer and Cillian Murphy will open the section, which includes Morgan Spurlock’s documentary Rats, Adam Wingard’s Blair Witch, André Øvredal’s [link...