Mubi has unveiled next month’s streaming lineup, including an exciting lineup of notable new releases: Bertrand Bonello’s Coma (along with Nocturama), Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet (as her newest film premieres at the New York Film Festival), Martin Rejtman’s The Practice alongside his previous features, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and more.
As David Katz said in his review from 2022’s Berlinale, “Coma is anything but a navel-gazing work, and more one of imaginative empathy. It is not Being Bertrand Bonello, but addressed to and concerning a person of a far-removed generation and gender: his teenage daughter Anna. Some amusing early interactions with pop culture, especially music, come from this cross-generational conversation: ‘turn that garbage off’ et al. But Bonello looks at the Zoomer state of mind, as he does for much else of importance, and has cutting, perceptive and troubling things to say.”
Check out the lineup below,...
As David Katz said in his review from 2022’s Berlinale, “Coma is anything but a navel-gazing work, and more one of imaginative empathy. It is not Being Bertrand Bonello, but addressed to and concerning a person of a far-removed generation and gender: his teenage daughter Anna. Some amusing early interactions with pop culture, especially music, come from this cross-generational conversation: ‘turn that garbage off’ et al. But Bonello looks at the Zoomer state of mind, as he does for much else of importance, and has cutting, perceptive and troubling things to say.”
Check out the lineup below,...
- 9/26/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The Latin American premiere of Christopher Andrews’ TIFF selection Bring Them Down starring Barry Keoghan and a screening of Mathieu Kassovitz’s 1995 modern classic La Haine feature in the 20th Monterrey International Film Festival line-up.
Running September 25-October 2, the festival in northern Mexico led by general manager Diana Cobos brings Cannes, Sundance and Berlin selections in its World Highlights strand, including the Latin American premieres of Piero Messina’s Another End starring Gael Garcia Bernal, and Sugercane by Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat.
The festival includes the Monterrey Classics section with screenings of Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, Carlos Saura’s Cría Cuervos,...
Running September 25-October 2, the festival in northern Mexico led by general manager Diana Cobos brings Cannes, Sundance and Berlin selections in its World Highlights strand, including the Latin American premieres of Piero Messina’s Another End starring Gael Garcia Bernal, and Sugercane by Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat.
The festival includes the Monterrey Classics section with screenings of Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, Carlos Saura’s Cría Cuervos,...
- 9/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Sarajevo Film Festival has selected 18 titles for its Kinoscope strand and seven for its In Focus section, including a range of 2024 festival hits from Berlin and Cannes.
The Kinoscope selection consists of 12 Kinoscope films, and six titles in genre strand Kinoscope Surreal.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Titles include Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, which won the Grand Prix in Cannes Competition this year; and Santosh, the debut feature of 2023 Screen Star of Tomorrow Sandhya Suri, which debuted in Un Certain Regard.
Guan Hu’s Black Dog, winner of the Un Certain Regard prize,...
The Kinoscope selection consists of 12 Kinoscope films, and six titles in genre strand Kinoscope Surreal.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Titles include Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, which won the Grand Prix in Cannes Competition this year; and Santosh, the debut feature of 2023 Screen Star of Tomorrow Sandhya Suri, which debuted in Un Certain Regard.
Guan Hu’s Black Dog, winner of the Un Certain Regard prize,...
- 8/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
After being feted on the Lido (winner of the Director’s Award in the Giornate degli Autori section – we were there) and being showcased at TIFF, Ariane Louis-Seize returned to her home turf for the presentation of her award-winning feature debut (it continued its winning streak claiming the Festival du nouveau cinéma’s Grand Prix prize) and a complete retrospective of her short film work. Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (perhaps the best titled film to come out in ’23) doesn’t reinvent the wheel of the vampire genre but it’s playful coming-of-age template joined by a decadent funny bone makes for an amusing calling card with… bite.…...
- 6/23/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Sentimental Succubus: Louis-Seize Finds Love is All Consuming in Vampire Rom-Com
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry” read the tagline for the quintessential 1970 romantic drama Love Story, in which a young man and woman from different walks of life fall hopelessly in love. The application of this sentiment to Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, the directorial debut of Ariane Louis-Seize, deepens the disturbing metaphor of love’s ravaging nature. In essence, the film is a black comedy about a reluctant vampire whose compassion for her required victims threatens her life until she finds a suicidal young man who yearns to be her rite of passage.…...
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry” read the tagline for the quintessential 1970 romantic drama Love Story, in which a young man and woman from different walks of life fall hopelessly in love. The application of this sentiment to Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, the directorial debut of Ariane Louis-Seize, deepens the disturbing metaphor of love’s ravaging nature. In essence, the film is a black comedy about a reluctant vampire whose compassion for her required victims threatens her life until she finds a suicidal young man who yearns to be her rite of passage.…...
- 6/22/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Just when you thought you already had enough horror movies to catch up on, six more brand new ones have arrived this week, featuring Russell Crowe, a vampire, and the living dead.
Here’s all the new horror released June 17 – June 23, 2024!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In), Neon brought the horror-drama Handling the Undead home this past Tuesday. It’s now available on VOD.
In the film, “On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life...
Here’s all the new horror released June 17 – June 23, 2024!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (Let the Right One In), Neon brought the horror-drama Handling the Undead home this past Tuesday. It’s now available on VOD.
In the film, “On a hot summer day in Oslo, the dead mysteriously awaken, and three families are thrown into chaos when their deceased loved ones come back to them. Who are they, and what do they want? A family is faced with the mother’s reawakening before they have even mourned her death after a car accident; an elderly woman gets the love of her life...
- 6/21/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Sasha is a bit of a disappointment to her parents. Not only is her body a little slow to catch up to lend the family the survival help they need, she also has no desire to participate in their most necessary, and gruesome, activity: draining humans of their blood. But that is necessary when you're a family of vampires. And Sasha just doesn't know how to be one. The vampire is such a common trope, it's not easy to come up with a new way of using it. And while there has been the occasional kind vampires, in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize, in her feature debut, manages to find that combination of melancholy, longing, and compassion that slots the trope...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/19/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Our Summer Horror Preview 2024 is here! The 2024 slate of summer horror releases looks packed, which is excellent news, considering the year has gotten off to a sluggish start for the genre at the box office. Not only is the release schedule so stacked that it’s guaranteed to keep us distracted while we wait for Halloween, but this summer also brings some of the year’s most anticipated titles from MaXXXine to Alien: Romulus and Longlegs.
This guide covers the highlights of what’s already been announced, but as always, expect a handful of streaming, Digital, and VOD releases to pop up over the next few months as well.
Here are 24 horror movies you don’t want to miss in Summer 2024…
Under Paris – June 5 (Netflix)
French filmmaker Xavier Gens (Mayhem!, Frontier(s)) ensures this summer is stuffed to the gills with shark horror. This time, a shark swims into...
This guide covers the highlights of what’s already been announced, but as always, expect a handful of streaming, Digital, and VOD releases to pop up over the next few months as well.
Here are 24 horror movies you don’t want to miss in Summer 2024…
Under Paris – June 5 (Netflix)
French filmmaker Xavier Gens (Mayhem!, Frontier(s)) ensures this summer is stuffed to the gills with shark horror. This time, a shark swims into...
- 6/7/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Jennifer Lopez will be touring this summer after all. And while that’s certainly a crime against Pride Month if not humanity itself, it at least frees up some extra time–and money–to watch some movies. And while 2024 looks to be a rather tepid year for blockbusters, there are still plenty of Don’t-Miss Indies out there ready to crawl into your eyes and ears.
Someday We’LL Tell Each Other Everything
When You Can Watch: June 7
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Director: Emily Atef
Cast: Marlene Burow, Felix Kramer, Cedric Eich
Why We’re Excited: After directing multiple episodes of the hit BBC America series Killing Eve, filmmaker Emily Atef returns to the big screen with a May-December romance, set in the muggy summer of 1990 in the East German countryside of Thuringia just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Based on Daniela Krien’s 2011 novel,...
Someday We’LL Tell Each Other Everything
When You Can Watch: June 7
Where You Can Watch: Theaters
Director: Emily Atef
Cast: Marlene Burow, Felix Kramer, Cedric Eich
Why We’re Excited: After directing multiple episodes of the hit BBC America series Killing Eve, filmmaker Emily Atef returns to the big screen with a May-December romance, set in the muggy summer of 1990 in the East German countryside of Thuringia just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Based on Daniela Krien’s 2011 novel,...
- 6/6/2024
- by Su Fang Tham
- Film Independent News & More
The summer movie season continues with a handful of festival highlights coming to theaters, including Cannes premieres both from this and last year, alongside family dramas, vampire flicks, and one of the boldest experimental offerings of the year. We should also mention Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, which was on last month’s list for its all-too-limited theatrical release, will hit its final resting place on Netflix beginning June 7.
14. The Devil’s Bath (Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala; June 28 on Shudder)
Goodnight Mommy directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala are back with another harrowing tale, but this time hewing closer to real life than providing a genre twist. Savina Petkova said in her review, “Early Modern times were messy: Europe was finding its footing in rationalism, seeking independence from the centuries-long spiritual yoke of Catholicism and Protestantism. Shedding the skin of the past seems, at least from our standpoint today, the...
14. The Devil’s Bath (Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala; June 28 on Shudder)
Goodnight Mommy directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala are back with another harrowing tale, but this time hewing closer to real life than providing a genre twist. Savina Petkova said in her review, “Early Modern times were messy: Europe was finding its footing in rationalism, seeking independence from the centuries-long spiritual yoke of Catholicism and Protestantism. Shedding the skin of the past seems, at least from our standpoint today, the...
- 6/3/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
2023 was an excellent year for Quebec cinema, and it's great to see more of these films getting release outside my province. And it's especially great to see more genre fare, lending new twists to old tropes. Coming in with a lengthy yet apt title, Ariane Louis-Seize' Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person is not your average vampire film, nor comedy, nor romance. It finds the humour in some of the more mundance logistics of how vampires have to life, while looking at two teens who are still figuring out if life is worth living at all, especially if one is immortal. Sasha is a young vampire with a serious problem: she’s too sensitive to kill! When her exasperated parents cut...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/9/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Boasting one of the longest yet most intriguing titles of the year, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person marks the debut feature from Ariane Louis-Seize. An acclaimed selection at Venice Film Festival, where it picked up the Giornate Degli Autori Director’s Award, as well as TIFF and beyond, Drafthouse Films will now release the tender horror feature in theaters starting June 21. Ahead of the release, the first trailer has arrived.
Here’s the synopsis: “Sasha is a young vampire with a serious problem: she’s too sensitive to kill! When her exasperated parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha’s life is in jeopardy. Luckily, she meets Paul (Félix Antoine-Bénard), a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers. But their friendly agreement soon becomes a nocturnal quest to fulfill Paul’s last wishes before day breaks.”
Jared Mobarak said in his review,...
Here’s the synopsis: “Sasha is a young vampire with a serious problem: she’s too sensitive to kill! When her exasperated parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha’s life is in jeopardy. Luckily, she meets Paul (Félix Antoine-Bénard), a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers. But their friendly agreement soon becomes a nocturnal quest to fulfill Paul’s last wishes before day breaks.”
Jared Mobarak said in his review,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Brimming with must-see screenings, immersive experiences, special guests, and a tarantula experience that had to be seen (and felt) to be believed, this year's Overlook Film Festival was the biggest one yet, and if you've been following Daily Dead's Instagram and Twitter accounts, then you know we had yet another unforgettable time at the "summer camp for horror fans."
Be sure to keep an eye on Daily Dead for more coverage of Overlook 2024, and in the meantime, the festival revealed their juried and audience winners for features and short films, including Oddity, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and The Looming!
Press Release: April 11, 2024 | New Orleans, LA – The Overlook Film Festival announced today the winners of the audience and juried prizes, as well as festival highlights, from the most heavily-attended edition yet of the annual celebration of all things horror.
The feature film Audience Award, voted on by festival attendees,...
Be sure to keep an eye on Daily Dead for more coverage of Overlook 2024, and in the meantime, the festival revealed their juried and audience winners for features and short films, including Oddity, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and The Looming!
Press Release: April 11, 2024 | New Orleans, LA – The Overlook Film Festival announced today the winners of the audience and juried prizes, as well as festival highlights, from the most heavily-attended edition yet of the annual celebration of all things horror.
The feature film Audience Award, voted on by festival attendees,...
- 4/11/2024
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
With the 2024 Overlook Film Festival now officially in the rearview mirror, the annual New Orleans celebration of all things horror has announced the winners of its audience and jury awards.
The festival’s top prize, the Audience Award for Feature Film, went to “Oddity,” Damian Mc Carthy’s home invasion horror flick that was a breakout from the SXSW 2024 midnight lineup.
“’Oddity’ delivers a brilliant, bespoke, and tightly entertaining string of ideas that work stronger as a collection — with even these missteps feeling like they branch from a unified center,” IndieWire’s Alison Foreman wrote in her Overlook review of the film. “Similar to Mc Carthy’s earlier ‘Caveat,’ this 98-minute treat demands to be reassessed a second time. Thank the wooden boy it’s coming to streaming: a triumphant addition to the director’s growing filmography and a standout in Shudder’s carousel of kick-ass ghost stories.”
Keep reading...
The festival’s top prize, the Audience Award for Feature Film, went to “Oddity,” Damian Mc Carthy’s home invasion horror flick that was a breakout from the SXSW 2024 midnight lineup.
“’Oddity’ delivers a brilliant, bespoke, and tightly entertaining string of ideas that work stronger as a collection — with even these missteps feeling like they branch from a unified center,” IndieWire’s Alison Foreman wrote in her Overlook review of the film. “Similar to Mc Carthy’s earlier ‘Caveat,’ this 98-minute treat demands to be reassessed a second time. Thank the wooden boy it’s coming to streaming: a triumphant addition to the director’s growing filmography and a standout in Shudder’s carousel of kick-ass ghost stories.”
Keep reading...
- 4/11/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The Canadian indigenous TV drama Little Bird has grabbed a field-leading 19 nominations heading into the Canadian Screen Awards.
The series, which airs on Crave in Canada and PBS stateside, follows Behzig Little Bird, who was stripped of her indigenous identity when adopted into a Jewish family at age 5. As an adult, she goes looking for her indigenous roots and discovers she was forcibly taken from her birth family on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan by the Canadian government as part of a controversial Sixties Scoop policy.
Little Bird will compete for best drama series. and Darla Contois and Ellyn Jade nabbed nominations for best lead performer in a drama. Little Bird also earned Imajyn Cardinal a nomination for best guest drama performance, and Braeden Clarke grabbed a mention for best supporting drama performance.
The final seasons of CBC comedies Sort Of and Workin’ Moms earned 18 and 12 nominations, respectively. Other...
The series, which airs on Crave in Canada and PBS stateside, follows Behzig Little Bird, who was stripped of her indigenous identity when adopted into a Jewish family at age 5. As an adult, she goes looking for her indigenous roots and discovers she was forcibly taken from her birth family on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan by the Canadian government as part of a controversial Sixties Scoop policy.
Little Bird will compete for best drama series. and Darla Contois and Ellyn Jade nabbed nominations for best lead performer in a drama. Little Bird also earned Imajyn Cardinal a nomination for best guest drama performance, and Braeden Clarke grabbed a mention for best supporting drama performance.
The final seasons of CBC comedies Sort Of and Workin’ Moms earned 18 and 12 nominations, respectively. Other...
- 3/6/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Film Festival
Zelda Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser’s Fantasia and FrightFest-winning horror film “Where the Devil Roams” will open the fourth edition of India’s Wench Film Festival (Feb. 9-March 3). The festival was founded in 2020 by filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani (“Sindhustan”) to “bridge the gender gap in India by driving opportunities and conversations through the gaze of a woman inclusive of Biwoc, LGBTQ+ women and non-binary in art, fashion, and film powered by tech,” per the organizers. It specializes in the horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres.
The team, which also includes artistic director Uma da Cunha, programmers Heidi Honeycutt who is the co-founder of the women-focused Etheria Film festival, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, “The Lunchbox” producer Vivek Rangachari, have curated a lineup of 29 films, including 14 India premieres and 10 Asia premieres.
Highlights include Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,...
Zelda Adams, John Adams and Toby Poser’s Fantasia and FrightFest-winning horror film “Where the Devil Roams” will open the fourth edition of India’s Wench Film Festival (Feb. 9-March 3). The festival was founded in 2020 by filmmaker Sapna Moti Bhavnani (“Sindhustan”) to “bridge the gender gap in India by driving opportunities and conversations through the gaze of a woman inclusive of Biwoc, LGBTQ+ women and non-binary in art, fashion, and film powered by tech,” per the organizers. It specializes in the horror, sci-fi and fantasy genres.
The team, which also includes artistic director Uma da Cunha, programmers Heidi Honeycutt who is the co-founder of the women-focused Etheria Film festival, Shelagh Rowan-Legg, director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, “The Lunchbox” producer Vivek Rangachari, have curated a lineup of 29 films, including 14 India premieres and 10 Asia premieres.
Highlights include Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person,” Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Simon Hurdon has joined Curate as a manager, based in both Los Angeles and New York.
The Canadian manager brings with him an international client list that includes filmmakers Ariane Louis-Seize (Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person) Caroline Monnet (Bootlegger), Elza Kephart (Slaxx), Amelia Moses (Bleed with Me, Bloodthirsty) and Yves Christian Fournier (Clean Sweep, Everything is Fine).
Hurdon, who was previously an agent at Montreal based Omada Agency, began his career in corporate law and then later entertainment and IP law, before transitioning into representation.
“This is an exciting milestone for Curate. Our guiding light is to be creator driven as well as having an international focus. The idea of local for local is important to us. Simon’s taste and international reach amplifies both of these goals,” said the Curate partners in a statement.
Added Hurdon: “I am so thrilled to be joining the ranks of such an impressive team.
The Canadian manager brings with him an international client list that includes filmmakers Ariane Louis-Seize (Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person) Caroline Monnet (Bootlegger), Elza Kephart (Slaxx), Amelia Moses (Bleed with Me, Bloodthirsty) and Yves Christian Fournier (Clean Sweep, Everything is Fine).
Hurdon, who was previously an agent at Montreal based Omada Agency, began his career in corporate law and then later entertainment and IP law, before transitioning into representation.
“This is an exciting milestone for Curate. Our guiding light is to be creator driven as well as having an international focus. The idea of local for local is important to us. Simon’s taste and international reach amplifies both of these goals,” said the Curate partners in a statement.
Added Hurdon: “I am so thrilled to be joining the ranks of such an impressive team.
- 2/7/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Montreal-based international sales company H264 has unveiled its lineup for this month’s European Film Market in Berlin, which includes François Delisle’s “Waiting for the Storms” and Léa Pool’s “Hotel Silence.” Variety has exclusive access to the first image from “Waiting for the Storms.”
“Waiting for the Storms” is described as “a fable about the climate crisis that transcends artistic boundaries to spark a dialogue between our past, present and future.” Delisle’s credits include “Chorus” and “Le Météore.”
“Across various timelines and locations, four characters weave a web of stories that explore human resilience in the face of environmental upheaval,” according to a statement.
The film follows four characters: Marie, who is gripped by obsessive, heart-wrenching questions as a young mother whose child faces a dead-end future, and channels her anxiety into passionate activism; Terence, a climate-change refugee, who tells strangers his story in the hopes of...
“Waiting for the Storms” is described as “a fable about the climate crisis that transcends artistic boundaries to spark a dialogue between our past, present and future.” Delisle’s credits include “Chorus” and “Le Météore.”
“Across various timelines and locations, four characters weave a web of stories that explore human resilience in the face of environmental upheaval,” according to a statement.
The film follows four characters: Marie, who is gripped by obsessive, heart-wrenching questions as a young mother whose child faces a dead-end future, and channels her anxiety into passionate activism; Terence, a climate-change refugee, who tells strangers his story in the hopes of...
- 2/5/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
Something you often hear cinephiles proclaim is that “Every year is a good year in film.” Well, that’s obviously true––if one pays attention and knows where to look––but then there are also years that are simply better. To me, 2023 has turned out to be one of those.
It’s a year where the top festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice all overperformed with stellar lineups. Geographically speaking, American/UK cinema can be proud of its output while productions from the rest of the world, especially France, Japan, Latin America, didn’t disappoint either. It’s also a year where not only indie/arthouse films delivered, but (some) blockbusters dared to get smart too. Even the presumed Oscar contenders this season include legitimate masterpieces in the mix.
Something you often hear cinephiles proclaim is that “Every year is a good year in film.” Well, that’s obviously true––if one pays attention and knows where to look––but then there are also years that are simply better. To me, 2023 has turned out to be one of those.
It’s a year where the top festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and Venice all overperformed with stellar lineups. Geographically speaking, American/UK cinema can be proud of its output while productions from the rest of the world, especially France, Japan, Latin America, didn’t disappoint either. It’s also a year where not only indie/arthouse films delivered, but (some) blockbusters dared to get smart too. Even the presumed Oscar contenders this season include legitimate masterpieces in the mix.
- 12/29/2023
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
The traditionally celebrity-heavy Toronto Film Festival has unveiled its list of Canada’s best indie films for 2023, which includes a host of first-time directors that have come to the fore as the Hollywood actors strike put local movies and talent front and center at TIFF last September.
Canadian filmmakers were able to grab the spotlight after SAG-AFTRA members barred from promoting studio or streamer projects allowed them to fill the vacuum on TIFF red carpets and at industry events.
New directors were also favorites of Toronto programmers as a shifting TIFF film market with few American celebrities in town also allowed the marquee festival to double down on finding new creative voices.
So here’s the top Canadian feature films of 2023, as decided by film pickers in Toronto.
1. BlackBerry
Matt Johnson’s drama about the meteoric rise of the world’s first smartphone, before its competitive collapse, bowed in Berlin.
Canadian filmmakers were able to grab the spotlight after SAG-AFTRA members barred from promoting studio or streamer projects allowed them to fill the vacuum on TIFF red carpets and at industry events.
New directors were also favorites of Toronto programmers as a shifting TIFF film market with few American celebrities in town also allowed the marquee festival to double down on finding new creative voices.
So here’s the top Canadian feature films of 2023, as decided by film pickers in Toronto.
1. BlackBerry
Matt Johnson’s drama about the meteoric rise of the world’s first smartphone, before its competitive collapse, bowed in Berlin.
- 12/20/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Following the successful Venice debut of her first feature, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, French-Canadian filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize has taken on new reps at WME and Curate Management.
Louis-Seize’s French-language dramedy, which she co-wrote and directed, tells the story of the teenage Sasha (played by Sara Montpetit), who unlike other vampires, needs to feel a personal connection to her chosen prey. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a disenchanted young man convinced that life has nothing left to offer him.
As Sasha befriends Paul, an unusual proposition emerge, with Paul willingly stepping into the role of her next meal. But the bizarre arrangement hits a snag due to Sasha’s unique struggle with empathy.
After winning the Best Director award in the Giornate degli Autori program of the Venice Film Festival, Humanist Vampire went on to make its North...
Louis-Seize’s French-language dramedy, which she co-wrote and directed, tells the story of the teenage Sasha (played by Sara Montpetit), who unlike other vampires, needs to feel a personal connection to her chosen prey. The narrative takes an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard), a disenchanted young man convinced that life has nothing left to offer him.
As Sasha befriends Paul, an unusual proposition emerge, with Paul willingly stepping into the role of her next meal. But the bizarre arrangement hits a snag due to Sasha’s unique struggle with empathy.
After winning the Best Director award in the Giornate degli Autori program of the Venice Film Festival, Humanist Vampire went on to make its North...
- 12/12/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A vampire with qualms about killing to survive is no longer a figure exclusive to the “Twilight” franchise, when a Canadian French-language debut places a teenage girl in a tricky situation, torn between what the world demands of her and what she herself wants. The film’s title is eloquent enough — “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” — and it already won Ariane Louis-Seize the best director prize at this year’s Venice Days, and was praised for a “strong directorial vision.” The film screened as part of the main competition at the Thessaloniki Film Festival last week.
“Humanist Vampire” is a contemporary gothic tale, a coming-of-age story, and a comedy-drama all at the same time. It stars Sara Montpetit of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight entry “Falcon Lake” as the fanged protagonist, Sasha, and Félix-Antoine Bénard as the consenting suicidal person, Paul. Louis-Seize co-wrote the script together with Christine Doyon and the...
“Humanist Vampire” is a contemporary gothic tale, a coming-of-age story, and a comedy-drama all at the same time. It stars Sara Montpetit of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight entry “Falcon Lake” as the fanged protagonist, Sasha, and Félix-Antoine Bénard as the consenting suicidal person, Paul. Louis-Seize co-wrote the script together with Christine Doyon and the...
- 11/14/2023
- by Savina Petkova
- Variety Film + TV
The best feature prize went to ’Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’.
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
- 11/13/2023
- by Stuart Kemp
- ScreenDaily
The best feature prize went to ’Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’.
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
Canadian director and screenwriter Ariane Louis-Seize won the Reflet d’Or for best feature prize for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person as this year’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) drew to a close this weekend (Saturday November 11).
Louis-Seize took home the prize for her film about a female vampire too sensitive to kill who meets a lonely man which carries a cash prize of Chf 10,000, 75% of which goes to the director and 25% to the rights holder who registered the film in the Festival selection. The cash...
- 11/13/2023
- by Stuart Kemp
- ScreenDaily
Sasha (Sara Montpetit) in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person. Ariane Louis-Seize: 'Sara really had something mysterious about her and I could picture her as a vampire from the beginning' Photo: Shawn Pavlin Being a vampire is rarely an easy job in the movies but the one in French-Canadian coming-of-age film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person has it harder than most. Teenager Sasha (Sara Montpetit) - at least in vampire years - just can’t bring herself to go in for the kill. In fact she feels so sorry for humans that her fangs haven’t even grown in, so she relies on her family bringing home the blood she needs to survive, sucking it noisily from bags the way regular teens would slurp a Coke. Things look as though they might be set to change after Sasha unexpectedly encounters suicidal teenager Paul (Félix-Antoine Bénard) - could they help one another out?...
- 11/3/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
When the Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival kicks off its 64th edition on Nov. 2, the organizers will unveil a host of changes while renewing their commitment to serving audiences at one of Europe’s longest-running film events — all at a time of almost unprecedented uncertainty over the future of cinema and even the very purpose of festivals themselves.
With a sister documentary festival held each March and a year-round program of workshops, screenings, special events and other education and outreach initiatives, Thessaloniki has established itself as a hub to “exchange ideas, train, reflect and celebrate cinema with the public,” says festival general director Elise Jalladeau.
It’s also uniquely positioned to adapt to a rapidly changing industry.
“We operate in an ecosystem that has changed radically over the past five years and the pace is accelerating,” says Jalladeau, calling the challenges ahead “immense, but also very motivating.” Still, Thessaloniki remains committed...
With a sister documentary festival held each March and a year-round program of workshops, screenings, special events and other education and outreach initiatives, Thessaloniki has established itself as a hub to “exchange ideas, train, reflect and celebrate cinema with the public,” says festival general director Elise Jalladeau.
It’s also uniquely positioned to adapt to a rapidly changing industry.
“We operate in an ecosystem that has changed radically over the past five years and the pace is accelerating,” says Jalladeau, calling the challenges ahead “immense, but also very motivating.” Still, Thessaloniki remains committed...
- 11/2/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Drafthouse Films takes US; deals also close in France, Australia, Latin America.
Quebec-based sales outfit h264 has reported out of AFM a US deal and multiple territory sales on Venice Giornate Degli Autori Director’s Award winner Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.
‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’: Venice Review
Drafthouse Films has acquired US rights to Ariane Louis-Seize’s directorial debut about a vampire unable to kill for blood who may have found the answer to her problems in a lonely young man. Sara Montpetit and Felix Antoine-Benard star.
h264 has closed sales in more than 30 territories,...
Quebec-based sales outfit h264 has reported out of AFM a US deal and multiple territory sales on Venice Giornate Degli Autori Director’s Award winner Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.
‘Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person’: Venice Review
Drafthouse Films has acquired US rights to Ariane Louis-Seize’s directorial debut about a vampire unable to kill for blood who may have found the answer to her problems in a lonely young man. Sara Montpetit and Felix Antoine-Benard star.
h264 has closed sales in more than 30 territories,...
- 11/1/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Three festival-goers will choose the winner of the international series competition.
Switzerland’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) has unveiled the programme for its 29th edition, with festival hits including Polite Society and The Sweet East, and a new format for its international series competition.
The festival includes 110 works, of which 53 are films, 27 are series, 28 are immersive experiences and two are installations.
Scroll down for the feature and series competition titles
Giff includes four competition sections: international feature, international series, international immersive and the convergent competition – the latter section featuring projects from all three formats.
All 12 titles in the international...
Switzerland’s Geneva International Film Festival (Giff) has unveiled the programme for its 29th edition, with festival hits including Polite Society and The Sweet East, and a new format for its international series competition.
The festival includes 110 works, of which 53 are films, 27 are series, 28 are immersive experiences and two are installations.
Scroll down for the feature and series competition titles
Giff includes four competition sections: international feature, international series, international immersive and the convergent competition – the latter section featuring projects from all three formats.
All 12 titles in the international...
- 10/12/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Sara Montpetit, Félix-Antoine Bénard, Steve Laplante, Sophie Cadieux, Noémie O’Farrell, Marie Brassard, Patrick Hivon, Marc Beaupré | Written by Ariane Louis-Seize, Christine Doyon | Directed by Ariane Louis-Seize
The feature debut of director / co-writer Ariane Louis-Seize, this splendidly titled French-Canadian vampire flick is a blackly comic coming-of-ager that’s basically a cult movie waiting to happen. With a genre-savvy script, a terrific cast and buckets of charm, it’s a fang-tastic treat that deserves to find a devoted audience.
Set in Montreal, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person stars Sara Montpetit as Sasha, a 62-year-old vampire who still has the body of a teenager. As a young girl (played by Lilas-Rose Cantin) in the 1980s, Sasha was left appalled at her birthday party when she suddenly realised that she was supposed to kill the clown her parents (Steve Laplante and Sophie Cadieux) had ordered for her, and she refused.
Years later,...
The feature debut of director / co-writer Ariane Louis-Seize, this splendidly titled French-Canadian vampire flick is a blackly comic coming-of-ager that’s basically a cult movie waiting to happen. With a genre-savvy script, a terrific cast and buckets of charm, it’s a fang-tastic treat that deserves to find a devoted audience.
Set in Montreal, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person stars Sara Montpetit as Sasha, a 62-year-old vampire who still has the body of a teenager. As a young girl (played by Lilas-Rose Cantin) in the 1980s, Sasha was left appalled at her birthday party when she suddenly realised that she was supposed to kill the clown her parents (Steve Laplante and Sophie Cadieux) had ordered for her, and she refused.
Years later,...
- 9/21/2023
- by Matthew Turner
- Nerdly
The unkillable vampire legend gets one of its frequent cinematic resurrections with Québécois director Ariane Louis-Seize’s sweetly gothy Venice Days winner, a film wittily — if too comprehensively — described by its title: “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person.” The idea of a vampire who doesn’t want to kill is hardly without precedent. But Louis-Seize’s eager debut, intentionally or otherwise, plays to a relatively vamp-starved demographic, providing continuity to kids who have long outgrown the “Sesame Street” version, but are still a bit young for the emo lustiness of the “Twilight” franchise. It’s more fairy tale than scary tale.
It is, however, a fine showcase for the witchy charisma of star Sara Montpetit who, after playing the doom-fixated object of a first crush in Charlotte Le Bon’s terrific “Falcon Lake,” seems hellbent on cornering the market in gloomy Francophone teenagers navigating an entree into adulthood in which sex and death are intertwined.
It is, however, a fine showcase for the witchy charisma of star Sara Montpetit who, after playing the doom-fixated object of a first crush in Charlotte Le Bon’s terrific “Falcon Lake,” seems hellbent on cornering the market in gloomy Francophone teenagers navigating an entree into adulthood in which sex and death are intertwined.
- 9/16/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Sasha is a bit of a disappointment to her parents. Not only is her body a little slow to catch up to lend the family the survival help they need, she also has no desire to participate in their most necessary, and gruesome, activity: draining humans of their blood. But that is necessary when you're a family of vampires. And Sasha just doesn't know how to be one. The vampire is such a common trope not only cinema, it's not easy to come up with a new way of using it. And while there has been the occasional kind vampires, in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize, in her feature debut, manages to find that combination of melancholy, longing, and compassion that...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 9/12/2023
- Screen Anarchy
It’s such a wonderfully simple yet utterly unique premise. Ever since Sasha (Sara Montpetit) was a young vampire, she’s been unable to bare her fangs. Maybe it’s the product of Ptsd (after a hilarious “clown incident”). Or maybe it’s a result of her body chemistry triggering her compassion center at the sight of human duress rather than hunger like the rest of her species. Thus sustenance comes only from the blood bags others provide her.
Dad (Steve Laplante) is sympathetic. Mom (Sophie Cadieux) is frustrated. He wants to give their daughter time to grow into her own skin. She wants to stop having to be the only one who hunts out of the three of them. So after a few decades pass and Sasha’s more heartless aunt (Marie Brassard) bends their ears towards tough love, the time to kick her out of the nest arrives.
Dad (Steve Laplante) is sympathetic. Mom (Sophie Cadieux) is frustrated. He wants to give their daughter time to grow into her own skin. She wants to stop having to be the only one who hunts out of the three of them. So after a few decades pass and Sasha’s more heartless aunt (Marie Brassard) bends their ears towards tough love, the time to kick her out of the nest arrives.
- 9/12/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Toronto: “Humanist Vampire,” “Solo” Heat Up Market for Toronto’s Quebec Feature Slate
By Jennie Punter
Toronto has long been a go-to place for Quebec filmmakers to launch new work, connect directly to the U.S. marketplace and, by extension, propel their careers to the next level — Denis Villeneuve, Phillippe Falardeau and Jean-Marc Vallée, for example, premiered most of their early films here.
Many of this year’s bumper crop of mostly world-premiering Quebec titles explore less familiar corners of society — First Peoples and newcomer stories, the drag scene — and there are also fresh takes on romantic dramedy (Monia Chokri’s “The Nature of Love”), true-story-inspired WWII drama (Louise Archambault’s “Irena’s Vow”) and horror comedy.
Five of the festival’s eight Quebec features are directed by women. Sophie Dupuis, whose third film, the drag-scene character study “Solo,” told Variety that support from government funding agencies Telefilm and Sodec (Quebec...
By Jennie Punter
Toronto has long been a go-to place for Quebec filmmakers to launch new work, connect directly to the U.S. marketplace and, by extension, propel their careers to the next level — Denis Villeneuve, Phillippe Falardeau and Jean-Marc Vallée, for example, premiered most of their early films here.
Many of this year’s bumper crop of mostly world-premiering Quebec titles explore less familiar corners of society — First Peoples and newcomer stories, the drag scene — and there are also fresh takes on romantic dramedy (Monia Chokri’s “The Nature of Love”), true-story-inspired WWII drama (Louise Archambault’s “Irena’s Vow”) and horror comedy.
Five of the festival’s eight Quebec features are directed by women. Sophie Dupuis, whose third film, the drag-scene character study “Solo,” told Variety that support from government funding agencies Telefilm and Sodec (Quebec...
- 9/10/2023
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
There have been so many vampire films made throughout cinema history, that there's not much that can be done to rethink or reinvent the vampire subgenre anymore. Of course, vampires are immortally beloved, so they always keep trying (also see: this year's The Last Voyage of the Demeter). Every once in a while a clever little film will come along and try something fresh and new, and that's always refreshing to experience. I was lucky to catch up with this little indie gem at the 2023 Venice Film Festival called Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, from filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize. It's a very small film shot in Canadian French, made in Quebec, telling a charming little story of a vampire girl who just doesn't like killing. Ohhh it's so sweet and adorable and pulled off just right. What a great, bloody vampire gem, easy to watch and fall for, enjoyable in its simplicity with this concept.
- 9/10/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The simple but enjoyable set up for Ariane Louis-Seize’s comedy coming-of-age film asks what happens to vampires when they think that killing for blood sucks? That’s the predicament teeanger - at least in vampire years - Sasha (Sara Montpetit) finds herself in. A brief prologue involving a birthday clown shows us this has been an issue for Sasha since she was a kid, just as well then that the rest of the family are good at the hunt.
The thought of hurting humans holds such horror for Sasha that her fangs haven’t even grown in and Louis-Seize plays this for gentle coming-of-age laughs as we see and hear her noisily sucking on bags of blood as though they were slurpies. Louis Seize and her co-writer Christine Doyon play around with teenage/parent comedy in general with a decent hit rate, not least when, in a cry of frustration that will strike.
The thought of hurting humans holds such horror for Sasha that her fangs haven’t even grown in and Louis-Seize plays this for gentle coming-of-age laughs as we see and hear her noisily sucking on bags of blood as though they were slurpies. Louis Seize and her co-writer Christine Doyon play around with teenage/parent comedy in general with a decent hit rate, not least when, in a cry of frustration that will strike.
- 9/9/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Ariane Louis-Seize’s “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person” has picked up the director’s award at Venice Days.
“It bravely addresses crucial themes such as depression, mental health, euthanasia and neurodiversity. Nevertheless, it is able to do so with a light-hearted feel, which makes the film radical and courageous,” noted the jury, composed of European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program and led by Portugal’s João Pedro Rodrigues, behind “The Ornithologist” and “Will-o’-the-Wisp.”
“While the film has unique tone and style, it joyfully reaches a wider audience thanks to its tenderness and emotional engagement,” they added, praising Louis-Seize’s “strong directorial vision.”
In the film, a young vampire has a problem: she is too sensitive to kill. When her parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha meets Paul, a teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers.
It’s produced by...
“It bravely addresses crucial themes such as depression, mental health, euthanasia and neurodiversity. Nevertheless, it is able to do so with a light-hearted feel, which makes the film radical and courageous,” noted the jury, composed of European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program and led by Portugal’s João Pedro Rodrigues, behind “The Ornithologist” and “Will-o’-the-Wisp.”
“While the film has unique tone and style, it joyfully reaches a wider audience thanks to its tenderness and emotional engagement,” they added, praising Louis-Seize’s “strong directorial vision.”
In the film, a young vampire has a problem: she is too sensitive to kill. When her parents cut off her blood supply, Sasha meets Paul, a teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers.
It’s produced by...
- 9/8/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Canadian feature is directed by Ariane Louis-Seize.
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person by Ariane Louis-Seize has won the 2023 Giornate degli Autori Director’s Award at the Venice Film Festival.
The film centres on a young vampire who is too sensitive to kill. After her exasperated parents cut off her blood supply, she meets a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers.
The film was selected by a jury of young European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema programme, jointly organised by Giornate degli Autori, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award,...
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person by Ariane Louis-Seize has won the 2023 Giornate degli Autori Director’s Award at the Venice Film Festival.
The film centres on a young vampire who is too sensitive to kill. After her exasperated parents cut off her blood supply, she meets a lonely teenager with suicidal tendencies who is willing to give his life to save hers.
The film was selected by a jury of young European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema programme, jointly organised by Giornate degli Autori, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Canadian director Ariane Louis-Seize’s comedy-drama Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person has scooped the Director’s Award at the Venice Film Festival parallel section Giornate degli Autori.
The coming-of-age tale revolves around a teenage vampire Sasha, who is too sensitive to kill. When her concerned parents decide to cut off her blood supply, her life is in peril.
Fortunately, she crosses paths with Paul, a desolate teenager with suicidal tendencies who willingly offers his life to save hers. However, what begins as a mutual agreement soon evolves into a nocturnal journey to fulfil Paul’s final desires before the break of day.
It was among 10 titles playing in the GdA competition this year.
The jury was composed of young European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative between the GdA, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas.
It was presided over by Portuguese director...
The coming-of-age tale revolves around a teenage vampire Sasha, who is too sensitive to kill. When her concerned parents decide to cut off her blood supply, her life is in peril.
Fortunately, she crosses paths with Paul, a desolate teenager with suicidal tendencies who willingly offers his life to save hers. However, what begins as a mutual agreement soon evolves into a nocturnal journey to fulfil Paul’s final desires before the break of day.
It was among 10 titles playing in the GdA competition this year.
The jury was composed of young European cinephiles from the 27 Times Cinema program, a joint initiative between the GdA, the European Parliament’s Lux Audience Award and Europa Cinemas.
It was presided over by Portuguese director...
- 9/8/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Vampirism has many metaphorical possibilities. In the quirky Quebecois vamp-com “Vampire Humaniste Chereche Suicidaire Consentant” (“Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person”), the bloodsucking undead — more specifically, their eating habits — stand in for troubled teens, developmental delays, sexual coming-of-age, and even vegetarianism. The film opens with a darkly comedic scene of a family presenting a little girl with her birthday present: A party clown, which the girl’s parents have locked inside of a wooden trunk in the living room. Go ahead, they tell her. Eat him. You’re old enough now.
But Sasha (Sarah Montpetit) doesn’t want to kill the clown — which is a problem because, as a vampire, someday she’s going to have to learn how to murder humans for sustenance. Mom (Sophie Caideux) and Dad (Steve Laplante) take Sasha to a vampire pediatrician, who tells them that Sasha has a neurological defect that makes her feel...
But Sasha (Sarah Montpetit) doesn’t want to kill the clown — which is a problem because, as a vampire, someday she’s going to have to learn how to murder humans for sustenance. Mom (Sophie Caideux) and Dad (Steve Laplante) take Sasha to a vampire pediatrician, who tells them that Sasha has a neurological defect that makes her feel...
- 9/3/2023
- by Katie Rife
- Indiewire
The Toronto Film Festival on Thursday revealed its Centerpiece program lineup that includes the Cannes Film Festival-winning Wim Wenders movie Perfect Days. The festival also revealed another couple of star-driven world premieres including Paramount’s Finestkind starring Jenna Ortega, Ben Foster and Tommy Lee Jones and 20th Century Studios/Hulu’s comedy Quiz Lady starring Awkwafina, Sandra Oh and Will Ferrell.
Finestkind comes from Oscar winner Brian Helgeland and follows two brothers who are pulled into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston. The pic is playing as one of TIFF’s galas.
Quiz Lady follows a brilliant but tightly wound, game-show-obsessed woman Anne (Awkwafina) and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister Jenny (Oh) who must work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts. When Anne’s beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild cross-country trek to get the cash the only way...
Finestkind comes from Oscar winner Brian Helgeland and follows two brothers who are pulled into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston. The pic is playing as one of TIFF’s galas.
Quiz Lady follows a brilliant but tightly wound, game-show-obsessed woman Anne (Awkwafina) and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister Jenny (Oh) who must work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts. When Anne’s beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild cross-country trek to get the cash the only way...
- 8/10/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Last year the Contemporary World Cinema had plenty of Cannes Film Festival gems in Aftersun, Falcon Lake, R.M.N. and The Worst Ones. This year’s programme no longer called Cwc but could be called Cannes replay but the programmers want us to call it the Centrepiece programme. We have the masterful (Cannes Best Actress-winning) About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan plus Croisette light touches in the feel-good films of Fallen Leaves, Perfect Days and Monia Chokri ‘s Simple Comme Sylvain. From Venice we find Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s City of Wind, Ariane Louis-Seize’s Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person and Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist.…...
- 8/10/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Auteurs Agnieszka Holland, Wim Wenders, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Aki Kaurismaki are among the filmmakers featured in the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) Centrepiece program.
The strand, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, which honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, features 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
TIFF has also revealed the additional lineup of galas, special presentations and documentaries, which feature star wattage from around the world including Tommy Lee Jones and Anil Kapoor.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.
The strand, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema, which honors and celebrates global cinematic achievements, features 47 titles from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
TIFF has also revealed the additional lineup of galas, special presentations and documentaries, which feature star wattage from around the world including Tommy Lee Jones and Anil Kapoor.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF chief programming officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.
- 8/10/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of Toronto International Film Festival kicking off in less than a month, the festival announced more additions, including Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, Close Your Eyes by Víctor Erice, Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki, Green Border by Agnieszka Holland, Perfect Days by Wim Wenders, About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and more.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece programme, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF programme, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
See the lineup below.
Centrepiece Programme 2023
100 Yards Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China
International Premiere
About...
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece programme, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer. “The rebranding of the TIFF programme, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the Festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
See the lineup below.
Centrepiece Programme 2023
100 Yards Xu Haofeng, Xu Junfeng | China
International Premiere
About...
- 8/10/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The programme comprises 47 films from 45 countries.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its Centrepiece programme, with 47 titles screening from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
Included in the programme (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) are Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes, getting its North American premiere; Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, receiving its Canadian premiere; and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a North American premiere.
Scroll down for the full list of Centrepiece titles
TIFF also announced additional titles for its Galas, Special Presentations and Documentaries programmes, among them the world premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Finestkind.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has unveiled the line-up for its Centrepiece programme, with 47 titles screening from filmmakers representing 45 countries.
Included in the programme (previously known as Contemporary World Cinema) are Victor Erice’s Close Your Eyes, getting its North American premiere; Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, receiving its Canadian premiere; and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a North American premiere.
Scroll down for the full list of Centrepiece titles
TIFF also announced additional titles for its Galas, Special Presentations and Documentaries programmes, among them the world premiere of Brian Helgeland’s Finestkind.
- 8/10/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival has added 59 more films to the lineup of its 2023 festival, including 47 international films in the Centrepiece program, which in previous years was known as Contemporary World Cinema. New films were also added to the Galas, Special Presentations and Documentary sections.
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
World premieres among the new selections include “Finestkind,” a crime thriller from Brian Helgeland (screenwriter of “L.A. Confidential”) starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Foster; The Movie Teller,” a film set in Chile starring Berenice Bejo from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig; and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady,” with Sandra Oh and Awkwafina.
The Centrepiece selections include a number of films from May’s Cannes Film Festival, among them Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s “About Dry Grasses,” Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” Amjad Al Rasheed’s “Inshallah a Boy,” Joanna Arnow’s “The Feeling That the...
- 8/10/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The Toronto International Film Festival continues to expand its 2023 lineup with 47 films from 45 countries in the Centerpiece program, previously known as Contemporary World Cinema. The highlights include Cannes Film Festival winners “Fallen Leaves” from Aki Kaurismäki and “Perfect Days” from Wim Wenders as well as Agnieszka Holland’s Venice-bound “Green Border.” See the full lineup below.
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer, in an official statement. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, for acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
Centerpiece Program 2023
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne) Nuri Bilge Ceylan...
“We are very excited to present the new Centrepiece program, a cinematic journey that transcends boundaries and embraces the art of human experience,” said Anita Lee, TIFF Chief Programming Officer, in an official statement. “The rebranding of the TIFF program, formerly Contemporary World Cinema, is a reflection of the festival’s vision to provide an elevated platform for international cinema, for acclaimed titles from festivals around the globe, highly anticipated premieres from Canadian and international talents, and the latest work of influential filmmaking luminaries.”
Centerpiece Program 2023
About Dry Grasses (Kuru Otlar Üstüne) Nuri Bilge Ceylan...
- 8/10/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
La BêteCOMPETITIONComandante (Edoardo De Angelis)The Promised Land (Nikolaj Arcel)Dogman (Luc Besson) La Bête (Bertrand Bonello) Hors-Saison (Stéphane Brizé) Enea (Pietro Castellitto) Maestro (Bradley Cooper)Priscilla (Sofia Coppola)Finalmente L’Alba (Saverio Costanzo)Lubo (Giorgio Diritti) Origin (Ava DuVernay) The Killer (David Fincher)Memory (Michel Franco)Io capitano (Matteo Garrone)Evil Does Not Exist (Ryûsuke Hamaguchi)The Green Border (Agnieszka Holland)The Theory of Everything (Timm Kröger)Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos)El conde (Pablo Larrain)Ferrari (Michael Mann)Adagio (Stefano Sollima)Woman OfHolly (Fien Troch)Out Of COMPETITIONFictionSociety of the Snow (J.A. Bayona)Coup de Chance (Woody Allen)The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Wes Anderson)The Penitent (Luca Barbareschi)L’Ordine Del Tempo (Liliana Cavani)Vivants (Alix Delaporte)Welcome to Paradise (Leonardo di Constanzo)Daaaaaali! (Quentin Dupieux)The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (William Friedkin)Making of (Cedric Kahn)Aggro Dr1ft (Harmony Korine)Hitman (Richard Linklater)The Palace (Roman Polanski...
- 7/29/2023
- MUBI
Isabelle Huppert Drama, Peter Sarsgaard Spanish Flu Satire, Celine Sciamma Short Set for Venice Days
The Giornate Degli Autori — the independently run event that takes place alongside the Venice Film Festival and is often referred to simply as Venice Days — has unveiled the lineup for its 2023 edition (also it’s 20th).
Among the 10 titles world premiering in competition is Elise Girard’s drama Sidonie in Japan, starring Isabelle Huppert as a French writer mourning her husband’s death while on a book tour. Out of competition, Coup! — a satire set during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic and starring Peter Sarsgaard and Billy Magnussen — will bow, while special events include the world premiere of This Is How a Child Becomes a Poet, a short from Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma (who was previously president of the Venice Days jury). There will also be a special daylong event in honor of late Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée, including a screening of his 2005 drama C.R.A.Z.Y.
Venice...
Among the 10 titles world premiering in competition is Elise Girard’s drama Sidonie in Japan, starring Isabelle Huppert as a French writer mourning her husband’s death while on a book tour. Out of competition, Coup! — a satire set during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic and starring Peter Sarsgaard and Billy Magnussen — will bow, while special events include the world premiere of This Is How a Child Becomes a Poet, a short from Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma (who was previously president of the Venice Days jury). There will also be a special daylong event in honor of late Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée, including a screening of his 2005 drama C.R.A.Z.Y.
Venice...
- 7/27/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Giornate degli Autori folks will be celebrating the twentieth edition of the section and a pair of auteurs in Céline Sciamma and Teona Strugar Mitevska will be gifting them with specially made (insubordination-friendly) new cinema. The spirit and memory of Quebecois filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée will be honored with a special screening of C.R.A.Z.Y and we’ve got some buzz-worthy titles in the shape of Élise Girard (Isabelle Huppert is front and center in Sidonie au Japon), Delphine Girard‘s Quitter la nuit (with Selma Alaoui and Veerle Baetens), Chong Keat Aun‘s Snow in Midsummer, and sticking with the French Canadian theme we got Ariane Louis-Seize‘s feature debut coming-of-ager comedy Vampire humaniste cherche suicidaire consentant among the dozen plus features (ten comp films) and trimmings — including world cinema’s new shinning filmmaker stars in Lila Avilés and Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović packing their Miu Miu Women’S Tales shorts.
- 7/27/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Venice parallel section Giornate degli Autori (GdA) has unveiled the selection for its 20th edition running from August 30 to September 9, featuring a surprise short by Céline Sciamma, a new feature by Teona Strugar Mitevska as well as a tribute to late Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée.
The line-up spans 10 films in competition, seven special events, eight titles in Venetian Nights as well as a special day-long event devoted Vallée and the cinema of Québec, featuring a screening of his 2005 coming of age drama C.R.A.Z.Y.
Highlights of the competition include Canadian filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize’s quirky vampire tale Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person; Atlas Mountains-set ensemble theatre group road movie Backstage by directorial debut Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane; Through The Night, in which Belgian director Delphine Girard expands her Oscar-nominated short A Sister, and Sidonie In Paris, starring Isabelle Huppert as a writer mourning the...
The line-up spans 10 films in competition, seven special events, eight titles in Venetian Nights as well as a special day-long event devoted Vallée and the cinema of Québec, featuring a screening of his 2005 coming of age drama C.R.A.Z.Y.
Highlights of the competition include Canadian filmmaker Ariane Louis-Seize’s quirky vampire tale Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person; Atlas Mountains-set ensemble theatre group road movie Backstage by directorial debut Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane; Through The Night, in which Belgian director Delphine Girard expands her Oscar-nominated short A Sister, and Sidonie In Paris, starring Isabelle Huppert as a writer mourning the...
- 7/27/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.