International: Middle East
Toronto 2023 Review: NAGA, Drug-Infused Race Against the Clock
Sara is in the middle of the desert, a fair drive from her city of Riyadh. She's been taking drugs. The police raided the event she was at, scattering everyone. She can't find her boyfriend. She doesn't have the keys...
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Locarno 2023 Review: Dissent and Dreams Intersect in CRITICAL ZONE's Midnight Tehran Odyssey
Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh clinched the main award with its psychedelic portrayal of Tehran's nocturnal wanderings.
ASHKAL: THE TUNISIAN INVESTIGATION Review: Riveting Supernatural Noir
If a person sets themselves alight and no one sees it, does the act lose its meaning? Is a half-built housing complex still a potential home, or a constant reminder of impermenance? Can justice be served only through the law,...
Exclusive: Poster & Trailer for Tunisian Supernatural Thriller ASHKAL
With a slightly new title, Ashkal: The Tunisian Investigation, this eeri mystery was something of a sleeper hit on the festival circuit in 2022. We're seeing a rise in more genre.leaning work coming from MENA countries; considering the rich folkloric...
Cannes 2023 Review: ABOUT DRY GRASSES, Turkish Drama Is Too Profound By Half
Nuri Bilge Ceylan returns with his seventh consecutive Cannes Competition entry, another sprawling three-hour plus drama about the human condition.
Lighthouse 2023: Final Wave Announced, Brittany Snow's PARACHUTE To Open
Tickets go on sale tomorrow for this year's edition of the Lighthouse Film Festival in Long Beach Island, New Jersey. We already highlighted the midnighter program, led by Ted Geoghegan's Brooklyn 45, the other day. The final wave of titles...
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 Review: It's Big. Really Big. For JOHN WICK Fans That's Great.
In his ongoing quest to defeat The High Table, John Wick discovers a way to earn his freedom once and for all. In order to do so he must defeat his most formidable foe yet, a ruthless, high ranking member...
Series Mania 2023 Preview: Retro Nostalgia, 80s/90s Wave, Female Power Dominate World Television Series
French series festival Series Mania grew to become an important event dedicated uniquely to TV series in Europe. The festival brings world premieres of the intriguing international series to big screens throughout eight days of discoveries. The 2023 edition will...
Rotterdam 2023 Review: ENDLESS BORDERS Aims For Humanism
Directed by Abbas Amini, the drama from Iran blends social melodrama and refugee thriller in an audience-driven narrative depicting a flight for freedom.
International Genre Focused Hub 'Fantastic Pavilion' to Launch at Marche du Film at Cannes
Variety had the exclusive yesterday, an announcement of the creation of Fantastic Pavilion, "... a significant booth and exhibition space located at the Cannes Marché du Film in the Palais des Festivals". Announced this week during Ventana Sur in...
Venice 2022 Review: WORLD WAR III, Slapstick Iranian Thriller Unveils Trickling Terror
Directed by Houman Seyyedi, the wartime adventure is Iran's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
TetroVideo September Releases: PHILOSPHY OF A KNIFE, ECHOES FROM THE GRAVE And PROFANE
Time for another round of extreme horror from the good folks at TetroVideo. This month they're releasing Andrey Iskanov's Philosophy of a Knife, Usama Alshaibi's Profane and the horror anthology Echoes From The Grave. If you like your horror...
Neuchâtel 2022 Daily: Dario Argento and DARK GLASSES, Ali Abbasi and HOLY SPIDER, Lorenz Merz and SOUL OF A BEAST
The back half of any festival can turn up some unexpected gems, as I'm sure attendees of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland will discover today through Saturday, when the festive occasion wraps up. Allow me first, please,...
Neuchâtel 2022 Review: ASHKAL, Fire Without End
If a person sets themselves alight and no one sees it, does the act lose its meaning? Is a half-built housing complex still a potential home, or a constant reminder of impermenance? Can justice be served only through the law,...
Criterion in September 2022: EXOTICA, SOUND OF METAL, TAKE OUT Lead the Pack
Brian De Palma's 'Blow Out' should blow everyone away in 4K, as should new editions of Henri-Georges Clouzot's 'Le Corbeau' and Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project.
Frontières 2022: Full Line up Reveals a Market Reaching Further Than it Ever Has
With Marche du Film in the rearview window all eyes are turned to Montreal this coming July for the flagship co-production market taking place during Fantasia. The first wave of titles were announced prior to the weekend and this morning...
Review: HIT THE ROAD, Beautifully Shot, Cleverly Written, Masterfully Directed
Before watching Hit the Road, I vaguely remember reading that it was Panah Panahi's debut. Upon finishing the film, I felt compelled to double check that it was indeed his debut. I could have blamed my bad memory; but I...
Sitges And Cannes Announce This Year's Fantastic 7 Participating Projects
Sitges has announced, in partnership with The Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes, its lineup for this year's Fantastic 7 event. The event is a selection of 7 films that are near completion or are completed that will be...
DVD Review: GOLDEN VOICES, Wistful, Unsentimental Nostalgia
Vladimir Friedman and Maria Belkin star in a tale of migration, told by Evgeny Ruman and Ziv Berkovich, coming soon on DVD from Music Box Films.
Sundance 2022 Interview: SIRENS Director Rita Baghdadi and Stars Lilas Mayassi, Shery Bechara Talk Metal
Allowing your life to become the subject of a documentary is a brave feat under the most comfortable of circumstances, yet in Rita Baghdadi’s Sirens, we’re treated to an intimate window into a badass band who dare to be themselves,...
