Cairo Film Festival Postponed As Middle East Tensions Rise

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Leading European artists, including Maria Choustova (“Donbass”), Sergei Loznitsa (“Donbass”), Pawel Lozinski (“Film balkonowy”) and Radu Jude (“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn”), have taken a stand to support the Israeli film community as it seeks to rally voices and help free over 220 hostages in Gaza. These names penned a heartfelt letter addressing the resurgence of antisemitism across Europe and the significant part that European artists must play in raising the alarm. The letter will be sent to the European Film Academy with a request to circulate it among its 3,000 members ahead of the European Film Awards ceremony on Dec.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Richard Linklater’s action comedy “Hit Man” is set to open the Marrakech International Film Festival, which has announced its lineup of more than 70 films mixing known titles and fresh fare. The fest is forging ahead with its 20th edition, which will run Nov.

UPDATED with rescheduled date: The Academy Museum Gala, which had been postponed last month in the wake of Hamas‘ attack on Israel, has been rescheduled for December 3.

Mark Schilling Japan Correspondent “Snow Leopard,” the last film by Tibetan director Pema Tseden prior to his death in May, was awarded the Grand Prix at the closing ceremony of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on Wednesday. Premiering out of competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival and later screening at Toronto, the film depicts the argument between a father and his adult son of how to deal with the title beast, which has descended from the mountains to kill sheep in their village.

Family drama Snow Leopard, directed by the late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, has won the Tokyo Grand Prix, the top prize at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. Scroll down for the full list of winners.

The London East Asia Film festival came to a close on Sunday night with the UK premiere of Concrete Utopia, Korea’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars. After the event’s Best Film award went to Iron Mask, by Kim Sung Hwan, artistic director Hyejung Jeon presented its Rising Star award to Concrete Utopia’s Pak Bo-young. Actress Park returned after the film for a Q&A with director, Um Tae-hwa, to discuss the film’s themes of survival, which suddenly seemed shockingly relevant after recent events in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza.

Greater Manchester's civic leaders have called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

EXCLUSIVE: Black Bear has closed a raft of international deals on Guy Ritchie’s next project, the as yet untitled action film which wrapped principal photography in Spain this week.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Israeli film and TV industry has penned an open letter urging the international community to overcome “polarization” and rally “in the name of humanity” as more than 200 civilians, including infants, children, women and men from different nationalities, are still being held as hostages by Hamas in the Gaza strip. “Time is of the essence; international pressure is crucial and your support is critical,” said the letter.

Naman Ramachandran India’s Film Bazaar, South Asia’s largest film market, has selected a range of projects from around the world for its annual co-production market. The 20 selected projects are from 11 countries, most are already structured as co-productions, and they are all South Asian-themed.

EXCLUSIVE: Plan B Entertainment has set a joint venture with Oscar-winning documentarian and filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, known for movies including Touching The Void, One Day In September, Whitney, The Last King Of Scotland and State Of Play. 

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Iranian drama film “Empty Nets” was Monday named winner of the AFF Feature Fiction Award at the Adelaide Film Festival. Directed by Behrooz Karamizade, it collected an A$10,000 ($6,320) cash prize.

Maha Dakhil, who was Co-Head of Motion Pictures at CAA, has stepped down from leadership and resigned from the agency’s internal board after her controversial comments on Israel’s response to the Hamas terror attacks.

Sam Heughan is speaking out to explain why he signed a letter from the group Artists for Palestine UK.

Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (DFI) has cancelled the 11th edition of its Ajyal Film Festival, which was due to take place from November 8 to 16, due to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Ellise Shafer Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival has now been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The festival was previously rescheduled to Oct. 27- Nov.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome Film Fest opener “There’s Still Tomorrow,” a bold period dramedy that marks the directorial debut of popular Italian actor Paola Cortellesi, has scored a slew of international sales. The film, shot in black-and-white and set in post-World War II Rome, riffs on Italy’s neorealist past, albeit with a female empowerment element angle and a contemporary A-list Italian cast.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Cairo International Film Festival’s upcoming 45th edition has been canceled due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Cairo fest and market, which is the oldest running film event in the Middle East and Africa, announced its decision Wednesday on Instagram with the following statement: “Minister of Culture Dr. Neven El-Kelany has decided to postpone the 45th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival, which was scheduled to take place from Nov.

The American Cinematheque announced on Tuesday that its 2023 American Cinematheque Awards have been pushed from their November 4th date due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, with a new date for the annual ceremony to be announced in the coming weeks.

EXCLUSIVE: James Franco is starring in a Middle Eastern TV crime drama penned by Shades of Blue creator Adi Hasak. Check out a teaser below.