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SOFIA 2026 Awards :: The Sofia International Film Festival presents its top prize to Broken Voices
Ondrej Provaznik’s movie 'Broken Voices' has clinched the Sofia City of Film Award, while Ralitza Petrova took home the Best Director gong for Lust..

OSCAR 2026 :: ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ Wins Historic Oscar Gold
David Borenstein’s ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ took home the Oscar statuette for Best Documentary Feature on Sunday night when the American film awards took place in Los Angeles. In ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ we follow Pasha, an ordinary teacher..

IIFMA :: Calls on the film industry to amplify the voice of the arrested filmmakers
At least 20 artists and filmmakers have been murdered during the recent uprising in Iran in the month of January. The Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association calls upon the cinema..

Filmmagasinet Ekko :: Interview :: Panahi: Will the legacy of violence continue in Iran?
65-year-old Jafar Panahi has been a thorn in the side of the Iranian regime for decades and has been in prison several times, but despite a new sentence, he refuses to leave his homeland..

CPH:DOX 2026 :: Competition programme
CPH:DOX returns for its 23rd edition from March 11–22, 2026, continuing its tradition of combining cinematic excellence with urgent global debate. A selection of 74 titles, hand-picked from thousands of submissions from around the world..

Interview: Mohammadreza Eyni & Sara Khaki on Gender Roles and Showcasing a True Trailblazer in ‘Cutting through Rocks’
In Eyni & Khaki’s ‘Cutting through Rocks’, Sara Shahverdi runs for a seat on the town council in her rural Iranian village. When she wins, she sees an opportunity for change..

BERLINALE 2026 Awards :: İlker Çatak’s 'Yellow Letters' bags the Golden Bear at the 76th Berlinale
BERLINALE 2026: This year’s edition also saw the triumph of Emin Alper’s Salvation, Lance Hammer’s Queen at Sea and Grant Gee’s Everybody Digs Bill Evans..

Mohsen Amiryousefi :: From Mr. mortician of the Bitter Dream To Mr. President Pezzeshkian
Mr. Pezzeshkian, this is the first time that an old mortician writes a letter to the President, and I hope it has some effect.. because as a movie says, we are the most hopeful depressed people in the world right now!..

BERLINALE 2026 :: Cineuropa: Ten films we’re looking forward to at the 2026 Berlinale
We preview what is sure to be another starry and political edition of the festival, and recommend our own highlights from the line-up..

Mostafa Aleahmad :: Dancing with the Devil :: A filmmaker's Reflection on the Crisis of the Iranian Left
When the left prefers to dance with the devil than with freedom. Part of the tragedies of today's Iran can be considered the result of the actions of generations that continue to live an ideological life..

Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Iranian drama arrested in Tehran
One of the Oscar-nominated screenwriters of the Iranian drama “It Was Just an Accident” has been arrested in Tehran just weeks before the Academy Awards. No details on the charges against Mehdi Mahmoudian were available..

EXCLUSIVE: DEADLINE
EXCLUSIVE: French actresses Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard and Camille Cottin as well as Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos have joined 800 cinema professionals in a statement condemning the Iranian government’s killing and torture of its own people..

Jafar Panahi on The killing of filmmaker Javad Ganji:
International filmmakers and artists: Stand with your Iranian colleagues now. Do not let the Islamic Republic cover up mass murder and silence dissent through threats, fake banners, and sham prosecutions..

“This Regime Will Fall”: Director Jafar Panahi on Deadly Iran Protests & Filmmaking Under Censorship
With Iran gripped by nationwide protests that activists say have left at least 2,600 people dead, we recently spoke with renowned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose latest film..

Democracy Now! Iran Escalates Deadly Crackdown on Mass Protests
Amy Goodman speaks with Iranian dissident Hamidreza Mohammadi, brother of the imprisoned Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi. He says “In the lack of internet and telephone communication, the regime has been able to kill a lot of people..”

Niki Karimi: #HELPIRAN :: Approx 12000 Died
THE TIME FOR SOFT AND PEACEFUL STATEMENTS IS OVER. PEOPLE ARE STANDING UNARMED IN FRONT OF LIVE BULLETS. WE NEED HELP. #IRAN ..

Renowned Iranian director Jafar Panahi Dedicates the NYFCC's "Best Director" award to Iranian protesters
The award was presented to Jafar Panahi for the film "It Was Just an Accident" at the 91st New York Film Critics Circle Awards. "I would like to dedicate it to the people of my country.."

Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof: "We are worried about our compatriots"
Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rasoulof, two prominent Iranian filmmakers, say (the Islamic) regime “has once again resorted to its most blatant tools of repression"..

Film Review :: I'm Still Here :: “The regime decided who to live and.. ”
Brazilian director Walter Salles was shaped by the ideals he encountered in the Paiva family home, depicted in I'm Still Here. When patriarch Rúben was kidnapped by the military dictatorship, it was an abrupt and momentous awakening..

Iran Sentences Director Jafar Panahi to Prison in Absentia
At the same time that Jafar Panahi swept @thegotham awards today, Iran has sentenced the Palme d’Or-winning director to one year in prison in absentia, his lawyer told the Agence France-Press news service on Monday..

Israel's First Iranian Film Festival :: Bridging Cultures Through Cinema
A collaboration between the Municipality of Sderot and Dana Sameah, an independent researcher building cultural bridges between Israel and Iran, this festival is born from a deep belief in the power of art to connect people..

POPOLI 2025 :: With Hasan in Gaza to open Festival dei Popoli
The 66th edition of the international documentary film festival will unspool in Florence from 1-9 November, with a 90-film line-up, and a raft of international and national guests..

Oscars 2026 :: Four Iranian directors compete for Oscars from four countries
Four Iranian directors are competing in the Academy Awards Best International Feature Film category this year, each representing a different country, with a shortlist of finalists due to be..

OSCARS :: Tajikistan Picks ‘Black Rabbit, White Rabbit’ as Best Int’l Feature Submission
Shahram Mokri's mystery drama, in which "three seemingly disparate stories weave into an enigmatic whole," is his fourth feature and the country's fourth film sent to the Oscars..

VENICE 2025 Orizzonti :: Review: Divine Comedy
VENICE 2025: Ali Asgari’s metafictional sibling to 'Terrestrial Verses' takes a deep dive into the absurdity buried within the world of Iranian film censorship. Divine Comedy starts off with an audiovisual motif that feels partly pulled from..

OSCARS 2026 :: European titles submitted for the Oscars race
European countries reveal their titles submitted for the Best International Feature Film Award at the 2026 Academy Awards. Fifteen finalists will be selected from the total number of submissions and announced on 16 December ..

VENICE 2025 Awards :: The winners of the 82nd Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival 2025 Winners Announced. The closing ceremony is hosting the announcement of the awarded films of this year's edition. Director Jim Jarmusch, whose 'Father Mother Sister Brother' has won the Golden Lion..

Venice 2025 :: ‘La Grazia’ Review
Paolo Sorrentino opens the Venice Film Festival with a presidential drama more understated than usual for him, and better for it. Toni Servillo plays the president of Italy, who is staid to a fault (just like the movie), though with hidden depths. Sorrentino's movies have always been bursting..

Venice 2025 :: Venice is the launch pad of the Oscar season
The festival is presenting its most Oscar-friendly program in a long time, when heavyweights such as Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein and Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt are competing for the Golden Lion..

Film Memories :: Anything is possible! :: The time I helped a young genius
Per Holst produced Lars Von Trier's first feature dabut film, The Element of Crime. In a lifetime, he was one of Denmark's bravest producers, making over 70 films. In 2019, he told Filmmagasinet Ekko about his greatest challenge: Making Lars von Trier's mysterious debut film..

Abdolreza Kahani’s ‘Mortician’ Takes Top Prize At Edinburgh
Abdolreza Kahani’s ‘Mortician’ has won the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence, the top prize at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The award comes with a £50,000 cash prize and is decided by an audience vote..

Memorial :: Christian Braad Thomsen :: The most incorruptible man
In Aarhus we had two people – Christian Braad Thomsen and Jørgen Leth – who on paper looked very similar to each other.. But then the similarity ends. Because while Jørgen Leth is Aladdin, Christian Braad Thomsen is Noureddin – and now..

LOCARNO 2025 Competition :: Review: Yakushima’s Illusion
Naomi Kawase brings together two thorny questions for Japanese society: organ transplants and the tens of thousands of people who mysteriously disappear every year. What if, as Corry suggests, the aim of life was quite simply to..

Festivals & Awards :: Locarno Film Festival 2025: Preview
It’s August, so the leopard is ready to roar again. In its 78th year, the Locarno Film Festival, located in Switzerland by the blissful Lake Maggiore, returns with a slate that’s as hot as the summer Swiss sun..

Deadline :: ‘Divine Comedy’ :: Goodfellas Boards Ali Asgari’s Venice-Selected Iranian Censorship Satire
EXCLUSIVE: Goodfellas has acquired world sales rights for Iranian director Ali Asgari’s satire Divine Comedy, following a filmmaker’s mission to dodge censorship, ahead of its world premiere in Venice’s..

VENICE 2025 :: Venice welcomes 21 titles in competition for the Golden Lion
Great masters and new talents from different parts of the world, as always, in competition and out of competition, representing a large slice of today’s world cinema..

Tehran, Another View (2025) :: Movie Review
Ali Behrad's second feature screened at the 59th Karlovy Vary Film Festival is described as a vibrant portrait of Tehran and its inhabitants, exploring the city's atmosphere and culture. It features a cast of Iranian actors and is..

SUNDANCE 2025 :: Film Reviews :: ‘Come See Me in the Good Light’
“This is the beginning of a nightmare, I though ... my worst fear come true,” Gibson says. "But stay with me … because my story is about happiness being easier to find once we realize we do not have forever to find it.”

‘Better Go Mad in the Wild,’ ‘Bidad,’ ‘Sand City,’ ‘Forensics’ Win Karlovy Vary Festival Awards
Stars of 'Don't Call Me Mama' and 'When a River Becomes the Sea' won the acting honors, 'The Visitor' and 'Out of Love' shared the directing award, and Stellan Skarsgard received a statuette..

Karlovy Vary :: ‘Bidad’ Review :: The Hollywood Reporter
Writer-director Soheil Beirgahi’s fourth feature follows a rebellious young performer who pays a hefty price for her insubordination. In this bracing protest drama, a talented singer uses her voice to take on the Iranian regime..

'Plan 75': sombre euthanasia movie captures the escalating anxieties around ageing
Filmmaker Chie Hayakawa imagines a Japan where the elderly volunteer to die. With 'Plan 75', Hayakawa begins her feature film career by posing a moral question about the end of life..

Iranian Director Soheil Beiraghi on Controversial 'Bidad'
Iranian director Soheil Beiraghi is coming to Karlovy Vary Film Festival to present the independently made drama 'Bidad'. But he won’t be joined by his cast and crew. ‘It’s Not My Problem What the Islamic Republic Will Do to Me When I’m Back. It’s Theirs’..

CANNES 2025 :: Un Certain Regard :: Review: I Only Rest in the Storm
Portuguese auteur Pedro Pinho crafts an epic chronicle of an expat NGO worker discovering himself in Guinea-Bissau. A frizzy-haired Portuguese aid worker, thrives under pressure in public, but wilts in his personal life..

Karlovy Vary selection Bidad's (Outcry) Iranian Film Crew Sentenced
The Iranian drama 'Bidad' is set to have its world premiere at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) on July 9, but the film arrives under extraordinary circumstances..

EDINBURGH 2025 :: Edinburgh International Film Festival unveils its programme
The Scottish event is sharpening its new identity and is cooking up an ambitious line-up that blends world premieres, retrospectives and a revitalised international outlook..

BISHKEK 2025 :: Review: Rainbow's Tale
Saleh Alavizadeh’s debut feature offers a poignant Iranian anthology exploring the alienation of youth, skilfully interweaving emotional depth and dark humour. Premiering internationally at the Bishkek International Film Festival, Rainbow’s Tale..

Karlovy Vary reveals Secret Iranian feature ‘Bidad’ for Crystal Globe competition
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival has added Iranian feature Bidad by Soheil Beiraghi as the 12th and final title for its main Crystal Globe Competition..

Karlovy Vary IFF :: Cannes Winners, Serbian Miniseries ‘Absolute 100’ Join KVIFF Lineup
The 59th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) will feature key Cannes Film Festival winners in its Horizons section and a selection of action and horror movies..

Cinema Will Always Speak :: Workshop Edition :: Jafar Panahi to lead a filmmaking workshop in Italy
The acclaimed Iranian filmmaker and latest Palme d'Or winner will attend Le giornate del cinema of Monte San Savino to share his expertise. He will lead a hands-on filmmaking workshop this summer..

Director of The Seed of the Sacred Fig Condemns Pedram's Execution
Now his photo has been published. I am staring at his face. The past will not leave me.. I had seen him several times in the carpentry department of ward 4 (in the notorious Evin prison). He always had a smile on his face..

Variety (EXCLUSIVE) :: Mohammad Rasoulof on Jafar Panahi’s Cannes Palme d’Or
Jafar Panahi’s Cannes Palme d’Or is a ‘Powerful Blow to the Machinery of Repression in the Islamic Republic,’ Says ‘Seed of the Sacred Fig’ Director Mohammad Rasoulof..

CANNES 2025 Awards :: Jafar Panahi wins the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident
Jafar Panahi wins the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident. The Grand Prix has gone to Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, and other accolades to The Secret Agent, Mascha Schilinski..

Cannes 2025 :: ‘Alpha’ review: Julia Ducournau's ‘Titane’ follow-up is set against a mysterious French plague
Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani star in this surprisingly emotional family drama. Julie Ducornau is full of surprises. With her first two features, Raw and Titane, she established herself as one of..

Cannes 2025 :: ‘Once Upon A Time In Gaza’ :: Movie Review
Satirical, resonant follow-up to ‘Gaza Mon Amour’. Latest film from the Nasser brothers looks at everyday life in Gaza City in the 2010s. Gaza-born film-making brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser are prominent exponents of the Gazan imagination..

Cannes 2025 :: Directors’ Fortnight :: Yes :: Movie Review
Nadav Lapid valiantly attempts to take Israel’s temperature after 7 October but can only say so much from his soapbox. 'Yes' is easily one of the line-up’s best, and has premiered in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight..

Cannes 2025 :: ‘Sentimental Value’ :: Movie Review
Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard bring incredible tenderness to the story. This is Joachim Trier’s third picture to screen in Cannes Competition, after 2021’s The Worst Person In The World’s breakout lead Reinsve won Best Actress...

Cannes 2025 :: ‘Woman And Child’ :: Movie Review
Iran’s Saeed Roustaee Delivers A Fiery Feminist Portrait Of A Woman Who Refuses To Be Pushed Aside. ‘Woman and Child’ arrives in Cannes at the end of a very satisfying festival, and it could well be an awards contender. The standout is Parinaz..

Cannes 2025 :: Jafar Panahi Intends to Keep Up the Fight :: “Even My Closest Friends Had Given up Hope”
The dissident Iranian director, no longer under a travel ban from Tehran, returned to Cannes for the first time in two decades to present the competition film 'It Was Just an Accident'..

Cannes 2025 :: ‘The Little Sister’ Review: An odyssey of sexual self-discovery
The youngest of three daughters in a French Algerian family living in the suburbs of Paris, Fatima (Nadia Melliti) is a devout Muslim and dutiful daughter. She is also, she realises with growing..

Cannes 2025 :: 'Renoir' Review: Moving, emotional, and ultimately cathartic
Renoir is a quiet and stirring coming-of-age story that reminds us of our own childhood and the impactful time that can be. It tells the story of a family where everything is about to change..

ICA, London :: In Focus: Fatemeh Motamed-Arya :: Films & Special Programme :: 14 May - 1 June 2025
In Focus: Fatemeh Motamed-Arya is a special programme of eight films spotlighting the extraordinary career of multi-award-winning Iranian actress, Fatemeh (Simin) Motamed-Arya..

Cannes 2025 :: Cannes Jury President Juliette Binoche Condemns Killing of Palestinian Journalist
At the festival’s opening ceremony just a few hours later, Binoche, clad in a hooded white gown, took the stage and spoke passionately about the killing of Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassouna in an Israeli air strike last month..

Cannes 2025 :: "Sound of Falling" (In die Sonne schauen) :: Movie Review
Cannes 2025 Is Only A Day Old But Already Has Its First Raved About Movie… Let The Bidding Wars Begin For Mascha Schilinski’s ‘Sound Of Falling.’ Some Cannes Film Festivals take days to get going in terms of critical hits. Not this year..

"The Seed of the Sacred Fig" :: One of the main winners of the 2025 German Film Awards (Lolas)
"The Seed of the Sacred Fig", directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, has been awarded the Silver Lola, the German equivalent of an Oscar for second best movie, at the German Film Awards held in Berlin Friday night..

Variety (EXCLUSIVE) :: Cannes-Bound Iranian Film ‘Woman and Child’ Sparks Controversy
Even before Saeed Roustayee’s “Woman and Child” premieres at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, the Iranian director’s new work is sparking heated controversy that reflects deep soul searching..

"There’s Still Tomorrow" :: Movie review:
The award-winning Italian film about domestic abuse features a powerful performance by Paola Cortellesi. At times, “There’s Still Tomorrow,” with its striking black-and-white cinematography, resembles many romance films from the 1940s..

Cannes 2025 :: "The Daughters of Old Shiraz" to be screened at Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes!
A story from the heart of the back alleys of Shiraz, now in the heart of Cannes, a place to be seen worldwide. "The Daughters of Old Shiraz" is not just a film; it is a picture of the power of women..

PRODUCTION | France | Italy | Belgium :: Asghar Farhadi preparing his new French film 'Parallel Tales'
Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney and Adam Bessa will star in the cast of the Iranian director’s next movie, steered by Memento and set to be sold by Charades..

Cannes 2025 :: Simultaneous presence of official and underground Iranian films at Cannes
The 78th Cannes Film Festival has become a special period for Iranian cinema, as two films representing its official and underground currents, have been selected in the festival's main competition section..

2025 Cannes Film Festival :: Lynne Ramsay & Saeed Roustayi Added to Palme d’Or Competition
The competition section films vying for the Palme d’Or will finally have moved from the initial selection of nineteen to twenty-one with Thierry Frémaux inviting Lynne Ramsay (Die, My Love)..

The Two Popes :: Superbly acted and a lot of fun to watch
Can two Catholic men share the Papacy without driving each other crazy? Led by outstanding performances from its well-matched leads, The Two Popes draws absorbing drama from a pivotal moment in modern organized religion.."

‘My Favourite Cake’ Directors Given Suspended Jail Sentence in Iran
Iranian directorial duo Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha have been given a 14-month suspended jail sentence by an Iranian court on charges that include alleged production of obscene content pertaining to their film “My Favourite Cake.”..

CANNES 2025 :: Cannes welcomes 19 contenders for the Palme d’Or
The festival presents a blend of safe bets and new faces in the competition, with three former winners, nine filmmakers having previously taken part and seven new entries. It all started with a record number of 2,909 features from 156 countries.."

A Castle With Red Walls :: In Memory of a forever banned filmmaker
A documentary about an Iranian filmmaker, whose more than 100 films have been banned in Iran both before and after the 1979 Islamic revolution. He died on October 2019 and didn't manage to see any one of his banned films screened publicly..

Staying :: Mani Haghighgi's new documentary released after 30 years
"I was outside Iran during the missile attack on Tehran, in the final days of the war, and I considered this a great loss in my life experience. I thought I would talk to a number of prominent Iranian painters who had decided to stay in.."

CPH:DOX 2025 :: Review: 'Facing War' :: NATO chief Stoltenberg navigates his final year
NATO chief Stoltenberg navigates his final year, balancing Ukraine support promises with rising European war fears. His diplomatic skills face tests in maintaining alliance unity, especially with leaders like Erdogan and Orban..

"Blue" :: Eleonora Puglia's directorial debut :: starring Rocco Siffredi
Eleonora Puglia's directorial debut Blue follows Luce, a young student who faces difficult choices while navigating the deceptive world of the internet, particularly erotic websites and social media. The film addresses the dangers of the digital realm..

‘6 A.M.’ Review: A Time-Ticking Thriller in Which the Protagonist’s Freedoms Prove Illusory
Iran's beloved satirist Mehran Modiri switches with mixed results. He writes, directs and performs in the intense but increasingly contrived social issues movie ‘6 A.M.’ in which a small incident escalates into a big tragedy..

The Oscars 2025 :: Can ‘The Girl with the Needle’ win an Oscar?
Denmark is in the running this year for best international film at the Oscars. But the acclaimed film — which highlights a real-life child killer and delves into abortion — might be too political for the Academy...

The Oscars 2025 :: 97th Academy Awards :: In the Shadow of the Cypress :: Q&A with the directors
"In the Shadow of the Cypress" has ridden a challenging road to being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Made in Iran out of the pockets of directors Shirin Sohani..

BERLINALE 2025 Awards :: Dag Johan Haugerud’s Dreams (Sex Love) bags the Berlinale Golden Bear
The 75th Berlinale has been brought to a close by the traditional awards ceremony held at the Berlinale Palast, which saw the triumph of Dag Johan Haugerud’s Dreams (Sex Love) ..

IFFR 2025 :: Igor Bezinovic’s ‘Fiume o morte!’ Wins Tiger Award
Igor Bezinovic’s hybrid documentary “Fiume o morte!” was awarded the Tiger Award, the top prize of the International Film Festival Rotterdam on Friday evening. “We live in a very intense period and I hope that the good guys will win”..

IFFR 2025 :: Sunshine Express :: Tiger Competition
Nominated for the prestigious Tiger Award at the 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Amirali Navaee's Sunshine Express is a sumptuous allegory, examining how totalitarian systems sustain themselves through collective complicity...

IFFR 2025 Review: The Crowd :: Sahand Kabiri
The Crowd shows the young filmmaker Sahand Kabiri’s sense of rhythm (and that’s not just the ambient techno needle drops) as well as his brazen willingness to fly in the face of the rules and regulations of Iranian censorship..

Roberts: Film and TV Awards :: Full of Love :: The Danish film of the year
Stine Stengade took home the evening's first award for Full of Love for her outstanding performance in a supporting role, but that was only the beginning for Christina Rosendahl's film, which received six additional awards..

GOLDEN GLOBES 2025 :: European (co-)productions sweep the Golden Globes
Emilia Pérez triumphs with four statuettes and The Brutalist follows with three, with Flow shining bright as the surprise winner of the animated picture category..

‘Nostalgia’ :: Mario Martone’s Neapolitan Thriller :: An Unsentimental Look at Returning Home
This cautionary tale about reconnecting with family and first love is best when it's at its cruelest. “Our past is a labyrinth.. But there are these little voices that still call you from time to..

EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2024 :: Emilia Pérez sweeps the European Film Awards
The film by Jacques Audiard has dominated proceedings with five wins; other winners include No Other Land, Flow, Armand and Souleymane's Story..

Vahid Vakilifar :: Director of Rhinos Conquered The Middle East (2024)
The director, whose films have appeared at festivals like Rotterdam, Tribeca, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, and Antalya, embraces a style distinct from the traditional approach of Iranian cinema..

K9 :: Sailing Against the Tide :: Vahid Vakilifar, An Independent Filmmaker
Vahid Vakilifar's fourth film, K9, is an intoxicating visionary sci-fi that believes in the power of light despite the darkness consuming the world. Even in the bloodiest images there is at least a glimmer of hope..

Movie Review :: Daddio (2024)
Dialogue can lie, but faces tell the truth. Stories are told through faces. It takes enormous trust on the part of a director to allow this to happen, to let the faces do most of the heavy lifting. A two-character film with wall-to-wall dialogue. Dakota Johnson's and Sean Penn's faces fill..

‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘Seed of the Sacred Fig,’ ‘The Room Next Door’ Lead European Film Award Nominations
The 37th European Film Awards, which take place annually in the lakeside Swiss city of Lucerne, have unveiled their nominations for 2024. Unsurprisingly, the list is led by French..

VALENCIA 2024 :: Review: A Bathroom of One's Own
“I have never known why people like the smell of napalm in the morning. Nor why it is strange that I like the smell of the bathroom. You know, that dense, sometimes fruity aroma, but for me the bathroom is the only place where I can..”

New York 2024 Review :: NO OTHER LAND Chronicles Living Under Occupation
A co-production between Palestine and Norway, the film was selected for the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, winning..

"My Favorite Cake" :: film directors accused of "Spreading Corruption" in a new case
In addition to "Propaganda Against the Regime", they have also been accused of two new charges, including "spreading corruption through the production of vulgar films and spreading..

‘All We Imagine as Light’ and ‘April’ Lead Nominations for Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Two films by women directors, Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” and Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “April” lead the nominations for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards..

Trump Campaign staff Calls "The Apprentice" Malicious Defamation
US presidential candidate Donald Trump's legal team are reaching out for Ali Abbasi, "The Apprentice" Danish-Iranian film director. The story of Trump is also the story of the development of the perception of reality in our..

Azar Nafisi's READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN is now a film!
The autobiographical story of a fearless teacher who secretly gathers seven of her female students to read forbidden Western classics in revolutionary Iran. It is directed by Eran Riklis, written by Marjorie David..

Could ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ Cause the Academy to Rethink How Countries Select International Oscar Candidates?
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s politically-charged thriller is becoming..

TOKYO 2024 :: EXCLUSIVE: Trailer for Roya Sadat’s historical drama film Sima’s Song
The movie, premiering at Tokyo, tells a tale of friendship and ideological clashes as two women navigate the complexities of Afghanistan's shifting political landscape..

TOKYO 2023 :: Film Review :: Maria by Mahdi Asghari Azghadi :: A captivating thriller noir
“Maria” is a captivating thriller noir that remains interesting from beginning to end, while making a very intriguing comment about the impact of cinema..

Tokyo film festival reveals 2024 Line-up with strong Asian presence
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today revealed the lineup for its 37th edition, which includes world premieres of features from China, Japan and Hong Kong among its competition strands..

WARSAW 2024 :: The 40th Warsaw Film Festival :: Main programme
This year’s edition of the Warsaw Film Festival, unfolding between 11 and 20 October, will present 84 feature films, amongst which 26 world premieres, 18 international premieres, 6 European premieres, 5 Eastern European..

TIFF 2023 :: Farhad Delaram :: Director of Achilles
Writer-director Farhad Delaram made this film as the bloody crackdown on protesters began in his home country. His feature debut is a testament to the magnitude of collective cracks that - when amassed - can tear down walls..

VENICE 2024 Awards LIVE: The awards of the 81st Venice Film Festival
The list of winners is being unveiled at the festival's closing ceremony. “Cinema is in great shape.” These were the words of Isabelle Huppert, the chair of the jury, which has handed the Golden Lion to director Pedro Almodóvar..

VENICE 2024 Orizzonti Extra :: Nader Saeivar :: Director of The Witness
“The new generation wants to win using forgiveness and beauty”. VENICE 2024: The Iranian director explains how he intended to commemorate the women’s movement and its non- violent forms of protest..

VENICE 2024 International Film Critics’ Week • Milad Tangshir • Director of Anywhere Anytime
“I wouldn’t just remake a timeless masterpiece – I’m not crazy”. The director explains how a regular bicycle can, for some people, mean the difference between survival or simply not..

VENICE 2024 :: International Film Critics’ Week :: Awards
Vietnam's Don’t Cry, Butterfly wins the Grand Prize at Venice’s International Film Critics’ Week. US title Homegrown scooped the prize for Best Technical Contribution, while Jethro Massey’s Paul & Paulette Take a Bath snagged the Audience Award..

VENICE 2024 Out of Competition • Thomas Vinterberg • Director of Families Like Ours
The acclaimed director talks about his choice of subject, his creative process and whether there’s a Danish film wave still out there. “You could say that we inspired COVID, rather than..”

Venice 2024 :: ‘The Witness’ :: Director Talks Iran Situation, Working With Jafar Panahi (EXCLUSIVE)
“The Witness,” premiering at the Venice Film Festival, has sold to Benelux, France and No.mad Entertainment. Directed by Nader Saeivar, and co-written by Saeivar and Jafar..

VENICE 2024 Out of Competition • Amos Gitai • Director of Why War
What fuels the human need to destroy and kill? Why do people go to war with each other? The Israeli director offers a kaleidoscopic film essay on war, fuelled by a historic exchange of letters between Einstein and Freud..

TIFF 2024 :: Offers a stellar lineup of highly anticipated films
Another September, another Toronto International Film Festival. This year feels particularly special, like there’s something in the pre-festival air. Perhaps it’s because of the stellar lineup, with other festival heavy hitters..

TIFF 2024 :: Seven Days :: Haft Rooz :: WORLD PREMIERE
Written by Mohammad Rasoulof — also at the Toronto Film Festival with The Seed of the Sacred Fig — directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and shot by Mathias Neumann, Seven Days perfectly captures the personal costs of the struggle for..

Alain Delon, a universal icon :: A legend of French cinema and a key figure in the global film industry
“With the passing away of Alain Delon, France has lost one of its universal icons”. The French Presidency paid tribute to the star in a statement released on the very day of..

Oscars: Germany Submits Mohammad Rasoulof’s ‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’ For International Feature Film Race
Germany has selected Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s drama The Seed of the Sacred Fig as its submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy..

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SOFIA 2026 Awards
The Sofia International Film Festival presents its top prize to Broken Voices

by Savina Petkova, Cineuropa
March 23, 2026

Ondrej Provaznik’s movie has clinched the Sofia City of Film Award, while Ralitza Petrova took home the Best Director gong for Lust

On Saturday evening, the 30th Sofia International Film Festival handed out its anniversary-edition awards, as is customary, in the National Palace of Culture.

The festival’s international jury, composed of directors Gyorgy Palfi (jury chair), Matteo Zoppis, Yana Titova, Pavel G Vesnakov and Ukrainian writer-director Zhanna Ozirna, whose film Honeymoon won last year’s award, handed the most prestigious Sofia City of Film Award to Ondrej Provaznik’s Broken Voices (Czech Republic/Slovakia).

Director Ralitza Petrova with her Best Director Award for Lust (© Ivan Donchev/Sofia International Film Festival)

The jury statement praises the film “for its powerful and truthful depiction of concealed realities, its exceptionally precise and sensitive direction of actors, its carefully assembled cast, the subtle yet deeply compelling performances, and its richly evocative and authentic recreation of time and atmosphere”. The film also received the FIPRESCI Award.

The Special Jury Award went to The Condor Daughter (Bolivia/Peru/Uruguay) by Álvaro Olmos Torrico. Bulgarian filmmaker Ralitza Petrova was named Best Director for her movie Lust (Bulgaria/Denmark/Sweden). A Special Mention was given to actress Maria Petrova for her role in Myrsini Aristidou’s Hold Onto Me (Cyprus/Denmark/Greece).

The festival’s Balkan jury, composed of director John Paul Davidson, film critic Andrei Plakhov and producer Vanya Rainova, rewarded Teona Strugar Mitevska’s Mother (North Macedonia/Sweden/Belgium/Denmark/Bosnia and Herzegovina) and gave a Special Mention to God Will Not Help (Croatia/Italy/Romania/Greece/France/Slovenia) by Croatian helmer Hana Jušiæ.

In the International Documentary Competition, the big winner was Trillion by Viktor Kossakovsky, rewarded by a jury composed of director Vitaly Mansky, festival selector Stefan Uhrik and director Eldora Traykova for being a “highly conceptual film with powerful images and outstanding cinematography”. The Documentary Competition jury also awarded a Special Mention to A Fox Under a Pink Moon (Iran/France/UK/USA/Denmark) by Mehrdad Oskouei.

For the second year in a row, a jury of festival programmers – Mihai Chililov (programmer, Transilvania IFF), Dimitris Kerkinos (programmer, Thessaloniki IFF) and Bernd Buder (artistic director of FilmFestival Cottbus) – handed out an accolade, this time crowning Alexander Kossev’s Women Out of Order (Bulgaria) as Best Bulgarian Feature. Another feature set in Bulgaria, Nina Roza (Canada/Italy/Bulgaria/Belgium) by Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, won the Audience Award.

The full list of award winners is as follows:

Sofia City of Film Award
Broken Voices - Ondrej Provaznik (Czech Republic/Slovakia)

Special Jury Award
The Condor Daughter - Álvaro Olmos Torrico (Bolivia/Uruguay/Peru)

Best Director
Ralitza Petrova - Lust (Bulgaria/Sweden/Denmark)

Special Mention
Maria Petrova - Hold on to Me (Cyprus/Denmark/Greece)

Best Bulgarian Short Film
Balconada - Iva Tokmakchieva (Bulgaria/France)

Best Balkan Film
Mother - Teona Strugar Mitevska (North Macedonia/Sweden/Belgium/Denmark/Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Special Mention
God Will Not Help - Hana Jušiæ (Croatia/Italy/Romania/Greece/France/Slovenia)

Best Documentary
Trillion - Viktor Kossakovsky (USA/Norway)

Special Mention
A Fox Under a Pink Moon - Mehrdad Oskouei (Iran/France/UK/USA/Denmark)

Best Bulgarian Feature Film
Women Out of Order - Alexander Kossev (Bulgaria)

FIPRESCI Award
Broken Voices - Ondrej Provaznik

Award of the Bulgarian Guild of Film Critics
Made in EU - Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria/Germany/Czech Republic)

Audience Award
Nina Roza - Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (Canada/Italy/Bulgaria/Belgium)

Young Jury Award
The Condor Daughter - Álvaro Olmos Torrico

Best Teen Film
Atlas of the Universe - Paul Negoescu (Romania/Bulgaria)

FIPRESCI Platinum Award
Jafar Panahi, director (Iran)

Sofia Award for Contribution to the Art of Film
Emil Christov, cinematographer and director (Bulgaria)
Ivaylo Hristov, actor and director (Bulgaria)
Jan Englert, actor and director (Poland)

Special Award of the Sofia International Film Festival
Arnaud Desplechin, director (France)
György Pálfi, director (Hungary)
David Mackenzie, director (UK)

Night Train To Lisbon
Annette Focks

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