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Arabian Business
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Arabian Business
Dubai launches inaugural film and gaming forum at Arab Media Summit 2025
The Dubai Films and Games Commission will organise the inaugural Film and Gaming Forum at the Arab Media Summit 2025, taking place from 26 to 28 May. The initiative operates under the patronage and directives of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council. The Forum represents Dubai's push to establish itself as a global player in content creation and marks an expansion of the media industry into future-oriented sectors, according to a statement by the Dubai Media Office. Dubai launches new film and gaming forum The Dubai Films and Games Commission (DFGC), operating under the Dubai Media Council, has secured participation from global and regional organisations including Amazon, Netflix, Olsberg SPI, BC Productions, Square Enix, and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC). 'The launch of the Film and Gaming Forum represents a significant expansion of the Arab Media Summit's agenda, reflecting our commitment to embracing the full spectrum of today's media industry. Film and gaming are among the fastest-growing sectors in today's global media industry, generating significant economic value while also providing new opportunities for creative talent across the Arab world. As these industries continue to grow, it is critical that we provide a platform to discuss their future, share global best practices, and spotlight the innovation emerging from our region – from AI and digital technologies in storytelling to women-led content creation and new business models in entertainment,' Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council, President of the Dubai Press Club, and Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Arab Media Summit said. She further highlighted Dubai's infrastructure, investment ecosystem, and creative energy as positioning the city to lead discussions and drive growth in these sectors as part of a broader vision to become a global media and content creation hub. Nehal Badri, Secretary General of the Dubai Media Council, described the Forum as reflecting 'a strategic, future-oriented shift in how we seek to advance the region's media sector.' 'Film and gaming are emerging as key pillars within the media economy, with impact on technology integration, job creation, talent development, and global competitiveness,' Badri said. The Forum will create space for discussions about building local talent pipelines, strengthening regional production capabilities, and exploring gamification, immersive content, and tech-driven formats. 'The Film and Gaming Forum has been designed as a dynamic platform to bring together leading global players — including Amazon, Netflix, Olsberg SPI, BC Productions, Square Enix, and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) — to exchange insights, drive collaboration, and explore the rapidly evolving worlds of cinema, gaming, and digital storytelling, both regionally and globally,' Hesham Al Olama, Director of Strategy and Performance Management, Dubai Media Council said. Day one programme The opening day features a gaming session titled 'The Future of Gaming: From Passion to Profession', with Mohammed Al Albsimi, Founder and CEO of TrueGaming; Abdullah bin Baz, CEO of Baz Station; and Mona Al Falasi, Director of eSports Strategy at the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment. Media personality and content creator Jassim Alsheheimi will moderate the session. A session exploring trends and technologies shaping media's future will feature insights from innovators, influencers, and decision-makers in partnership with the Dubai Media Council. The day includes a 'Women in Film and Cinema' panel held in collaboration with the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), Netflix, and the Dubai Films and Games Commission, alongside curated Women in Film screenings. Day two sessions The second day, coinciding with the Arab Media Forum, continues with 'Drama's Success in the Digital Age', hosted in partnership with Shahid. The panel brings together director Mohamed Sami, Tarek Al Ibrahim, General Manager of Content at MBC1 and Shahid, and Ahmed Qandil, Director of Growth, Brand Marketing, and Communications at Shahid. Sarah Dundarawy from Al Arabiya will moderate the discussion. A collaboration with Olsberg SPI features 'Future of TV and Cinema Production', examining how the Arab world can revitalise its cinema and drama golden era. The session explores challenges, opportunities, and the sectors' role in the region's soft power strategy. 'Emirati Film Industry … Where is it Heading?' brings together Emirati filmmakers Abdulla Al Kaabi, Nawaf Al Janahi, and Hana Kazim, with moderation by Latifa Khoory from the Dubai Media Council. The day features 'The Business of Gamification' with Hideaki Uehara, General Manager of Investment and Business Development at Square Enix, followed by 'City of Stories', a session with Emirati director Ali Mostafa in conversation with Ahmad Abdullah, Director of Dubai TV. Final day programming The third day, coinciding with the Arab Social Media Influencers Summit, opens with a conversation featuring Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan, moderated by media personality Anas Bukhash. Actress Laila Abdallah will participate in 'Beyond the Truth in Social Media', moderated by LBC presenter Rodolph Hilal. A panel of Arab stars follows, featuring actor Ahmed El Sakka, writer and actor George Khabbaz, and actress Huda Hussein, moderated by television host Neshan Der Haroutyounian. 'Your Film at a Festival … What's Next' features Dominique Unsworth, CEO Resource Productions, discussing festival participation value and its role in raising cinematic quality. Amazon collaborates on this session. The Forum concludes with 'Video Game Industry: Between the Public and Private Sector', featuring Rob Otten, CEO of Hexagram Rethink Entertainment; Faisal Kazim, Project Manager at Dubai Future Foundation; and Sophie Boutros from the Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication at the American University in Dubai. Rashid Al Awar, a specialist at the Virtual Technology Centre, will moderate.
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Forbidden Games': A War Orphan's Sweet, Ultimately Shattering Story
René Clément's 'Forbidden Games' (1952) uses a 5-year-old's wartime ordeal as the basis for a remarkably unsentimental allegory of childhood innocence and adult ignorance. Straightforwardly simple but psychologically complex, the movie is sweet, sardonic, and ultimately shattering. Widely (if not universally) hailed on its release and periodically rediscovered as the most troubling French film made in the aftermath of World War II, it returns for a week at Film Forum in a new 4K restoration. Evoking multiple traumas, 'Forbidden Games' unfolds on the eve of France's surrender to Germany; the opening sequence depicts the panicky exodus of an estimated two million Parisians in June 1940. Crawling through open countryside, the caravan of cars and wagons is ruthlessly bombed by the Nazis. Paulette (Brigitte Fossey) bolts from the family auto to pursue a pet puppy. Her parents follow, the Germans strafe the road. The adults are killed, but not Paulette. Physically unharmed, she wanders off, cradling her dead dog, into fields as verdant as Eden.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Utopia Launches ‘Pavements' On '90s Indie Band As Hybrid Music Doc/Satire Hits The Road
Utopia, which knows its way around a music documentary (Meet Me In The Bathroom, Crestone) opened Alex Ross Perry's at the Film Forum in NYC to $13.2k with sold-out Q&As and plans to roll the Venice-premiering satirical hybrid doc/mockumentary across key markets in May ahead of a national release June 6. It's sitting at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (31 reviews). Each stop of the road show from LA (sold out preview at Vidiots on the 8th) and Brooklyn next weekend (also holding at the Film Forum) to San Francisco, Nashville, Knoxville, Portland and Chicago — feature sold and selling-out sessions with directors and band members whose film is as much a satire of a music doc as the real thing. Actual archival footage and interviews alternate with a movie-within-a-movie that has actors playing band members (Joe Keery as Stephen Malkmus; Fred Hechinger as Bob Nastanovich; Natt Wolff as Scott Kannenberg) and Jason Schwartzman as Chris Lombardi, founder of the group's label Matador Records. There's a reimagining of an actual theatrical production called Slanted! Enchanted! and a museum memorabilia show. More from Deadline 'Rust', Western With A Tragic Past, Honors Work Of Slain Cinematographer, Proceeds Will Go To Her Family - Specialty Preview 'Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII' Remastered Concert Film Rocks Indie Weekend Faith-Based 'The King Of Kings', 'The Chosen' With Hatsune Miku Anime, 'Pride & Prejudice' Re-Release Indie Standouts Easter Weekend - Specialty Box Office The venerable slacker indie rock band came together in 1989 in Stockton, California. Utopia's head of marketing and distribution Kyle Greenberg says the Film Forum audience is multigenerational from Gen Z to boomers checking out the film with long lines and strong walk-up traffic. 'As we find on many releases, bands that might be a bit older, because of discoverability these days, there is a chance … for these bigger acts' to find new audiences. The indie film scene is a tough one and the overall marketplace crowded with new studio fare barreling into theaters at its fastest pace in months. Pavements' marketing, Greenberg says, will be 'hyper-localized' to the road show and mostly driven by social with paid picking up as word-of-mouth builds. The film will play a single screen in each market this month, leaning into its arthouse partners and activations around each theater, some of which will play bonus music videos before and after screenings. Others are creating Pavement museums and artifacts, 'having fun with the meta aspects of the film.' Before the real trailer hit (watch it here), Utopia released a fake teaser for the fake movie-within-the-movie. Other indie openings: Greenwich Entertainment's , a new adaptation of Françoise Sagan's coming-of-age novel, had a terrific debut with $102.6k on 228 screens. , a difficult movie to release, grossed $25k at 115 theaters, presented by Falling Forward Films. from Big World Pictures opened to $8.1k at the Film Forum. Oscilloscope's debuted at $5.2k. Joel Potrykus's fifth feature is a NYT Critics Pick and 98% with critics on RT. expands to additional screenings in NY and Los Angeles next weekend. Wide/moderate release indies include no. 7, Angel Studios' animated , which is sticking around in week 4 with $1.8 million on 2,035 screens. Closing on a $57.7 million cume. A24 is no. 8 with Warfare in week 4 on 1,315 screens for a $1.27 milion weekend and a $24 million cume. Sailesh Kolanu's Telugu breakout from Prathyangira debuted at no. 9 with $870k weekend on 590 screens, for a $2.1 million cume, as per Comscore. And from Roadside Attractions starring Nicolas Cage rounded out the top ten at $675k on 884 screens. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Brad Pitt's Apple 'F1' Movie: Everything We Know So Far Everything We Know About 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 So Far
Los Angeles Times
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
In ‘Étoile,' details and dialogue drive a ballet-world comedy
Near the start of the fifth episode of 'Étoile,' a highly enjoyable series premiering Thursday on Prime Video, Jack McMillan (Luke Kirby), executive director of the Metropolitan Ballet Theater, stands outside New York's Film Forum, waiting for Geneviève Lavigne (Charlotte Gainsbourg), general director of Le Ballet National in Paris. The marquee reads 'Frederick Wiseman's Ballet & La Danse,' two real-world documentaries on the dance world by our greatest documentarian; the first, from 1995, looks at the American Ballet Theater and the second, from 2009, the Paris Opera Ballet, actual institutions whose shadows are cast on the wall of this comedy — with a dramatic turn or two — from Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino. The Wiseman reference betokens a certain seriousness on the part of the creators, an awareness that people might be watching who know a thing or two about the subject. (And documentary film.) Sherman-Palladino, who studied dance from a young age, is already well known to fans as the woman behind 'Gilmore Girls,' 'Bunheads' — which also had a dance theme — and 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' which share with 'Étoile' an innate theatricality; an interest in performance (apart from 'Gilmore'); and the verbal rhythms of prewar screwball comedy. There are scenes whose dialogue, with a little adjustment, could have served Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, or Carole Lombard and John Barrymore; it's the world as once scripted by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur or Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, if not quite to that level, and the combination of theatrical speech and location shooting — in and around New York's Lincoln Center and the Palais Garnier and Salle Favart in Paris — makes for something interesting. Artificial in a way that paradoxically allows for something real and relatable, it's also, for all its air of sophistication, corny, sentimental, sweet and sexual without being exactly sexy — all these people really care about is their work. Setting the series in motion is a proposal from Geneviève that, in order to combat their mutual afflictions — aging audiences, slow ticket sales post-pandemic and creeping cultural irrelevancy — her company and Jack's would agree to swap some top talent, generating publicity and excitement on both sides of the Atlantic. The bill for whatever this costs will be picked up by Crispin Shamblee (Simon Callow), a wealthy balletomane whom Jack regards as 'the devil' and whose exaggerated posh delivery belies the fact that he's an arms manufacturer (and delivered the eulogy at Rush Limbaugh's funeral); friend and/or foe, he will come in and out of the action as an unaccountable comical wild card. Swapped to Paris is Mishi Duplessis (Taïs Vinolo), the daughter of the French cultural minister; having been cut from the French troupe's ballet school, she's become a featured soloist in New York and is now being repatriated, much to her displeasure — and that of the jumped-over ballerinas who regard her as a 'nepo baby,' even if they can't properly pronounce it. Also traded is Tobias Bell (Gideon Glick, a 'Maisel' vet), a choreographer we are asked to accept as a groundbreaking genius, and whose thorough eccentricity Glick plays quietly and quizzically, as if the world around him, to the limited degree he understands it, is out of joint. Also appearing are a sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are not the only characters to quickly disappear once a minor point has been made. Heading west to Manhattan is Cheyenne Toussaint (Lou de Laâge), the Paris company's star ballerina — its 'étoile' — who earlier had made a splash as a guest artist in New York. (She, like Geneviève, has some old sub-romantic business with Jack.) We first meet her in a stormy sea as an ecowarrior, attacking a ship fishing illegally, then getting arrested herself. Cheyenne's intensity, often indistinguishable from rage, can border on the comic, but de Laâge delivers an all-in, all-out performance; she sits and stands and walks like a dancer (though she also has a double for the dances) and makes you believe she's who the show says she is. Whether actual star ballerinas are this serious and demanding and socially brutal, I don't know, but this is a television show. 'Étoile' is not long on plot, in the sense that it is heading toward some obvious, definable goal — it has rivulets of plot, rather, involving different characters in different situations and settings, working out problems that have nothing necessarily to do with the series' Big Idea, as the show moves toward its first-season irresolution. (New plotlines spark up near the end, making a second season a given.) In an eight-episode series, such sidetracks can hardly be avoided, but it's a show in any case more enjoyable in its details and performances than in the fate of the companies, or the future of dance. These plots and subplots and miniplots involving dancers and assistants, technicians and politicians, are not all equally rewarding — best of all is the relationship between Mishi and Cheyenne's intimidating mother, Bruna (Marie Berto), who hammers on things, and with whom Mishi finds herself lodged — but together they create an attractive tapestry. Kirby, whom I first noticed in the great Canadian series 'Slings & Arrows,' a Shakespeare-themed backstage comedy not unlike 'Étoile,' and who played a convincing Lenny Bruce in 'Maisel,' rockets between nervous energy and being a nervous wreck as Jack; his flying up and down stairs is a motif here. Gainsbourg, in simply accessorized ninja black, is the picture of a woman who knows and means business. David Haig claims a fair share of the show's comedy lines as Jack's closest friend, Nicholas Leutwylek, a former choreographer and dancer who now gets around on an electric scooter, though he remembers the good old days of cocaine and Quaaludes and when, as a guest artist at Stuttgart, hard-partying Germans 'gave me so many petrochemicals I was technically a car for most of that season.' (Sleep aids seem to be the drug of choice for young and old here.) Kelly Bishop, from 'Gilmore' and 'Bunheads,' plays Jack's mother. David Byrne makes a funny appearance as David Byrne; choreographer Mark Morris and no doubt other real-world dance world figures I couldn't identify lend authenticity. The dancers are good, naturally, even if the dances can sometimes feel less exciting than we're meant to find them. More interesting is the placing of bodies in space when nobody's dancing, lending a choreographic energy to ordinary conversations. Those Wiseman films are streaming on Kanopy, by the way, accessible to anyone with a library card (they're free, and you should have one). They'll take you right into that rarefied world, without the extra comedy but with plenty of inherent drama. I can't recommend them enough.
New York Times
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How ‘No Other Land' Became an Unlikely Box Office Success
'No Other Land' has racked up festival awards, critical acclaim and the Oscar for best documentary feature. Yet the film, a narrative exposé about Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes directed by two Palestinians and two Israelis, has not been acquired by a traditional North American distributor. This is partly a reflection of the collapse of studio interest in newsy documentaries as well as hesitance around a movie that condemns Israeli policies. But as the filmmakers rolled out the movie without the marketing muscle and prestige of a typical release, it has flourished. By the admittedly parched standards of post-pandemic theatrical releases of topical documentaries, it is a hit. 'No Other Land' has been a top 25 film each of the past three weeks since its Oscar win, according to the film database Box Office Mojo, with ticket sales set to eclipse $2 million domestically by the end of next weekend. It was playing on 130 screens across the country last weekend, a small number when compared to the thousands of a studio blockbuster, but robust given its circumstances. (The film's theatrical rights have been acquired in more than 20 other countries.) 'Documentaries are having a harder time theatrically these days,' said Connie White, who has programmed 'No Other Land' at a dozen theaters from Brookline, Mass., and Pleasantville, N.Y., to Tucson, Ariz., and Omaha. 'This is remarkable.' At Film Forum in Manhattan, 'No Other Land' sold out seven shows its opening weekend in February and a week's worth of evening screenings after its Oscar win. It 'is shaping up to be among the highest-attended films in our 55-year history,' said Sonya Chung, the cinema's president and director. At the national Alamo Drafthouse chain, which screens studio tentpoles like 'Captain America: Brave New World' and 'Snow White,' 'No Other Land' has been the 14th-biggest film since its Jan. 31 release, a spokesman said. And at the Flicks in Boise, Idaho, some prospective moviegoers on Thursday had to be turned away from a sold-out one-off screening in a 192-seat room, said the independent theater's president. The unlikely success comes as the film remains in headlines past its Oscar victory and its directors' acceptance speech, which was defiantly polemical amid a largely apolitical ceremony. Two weeks ago, the mayor of Miami Beach threatened to break a theater's lease with the city over screening the film (he later backed down). On Monday Israeli authorities detained one of the filmmakers, Hamdan Ballal, along with two other Palestinians on suspicion of throwing stones, which they deny; Ballal was released Tuesday. The movie's trajectory can be seen as an encouraging model for other hot-button documentaries and an indication that success is possible even in the face of logistical hurdles, a relative lack of marketing and political controversy. A successful evening at the Academy Awards helps, too. 'This has had the biggest Oscar bounce I've seen,' said Gregory Laemmle, who runs a family theater chain largely in Southern California. Releasing 'No Other Land' on their own was not the filmmakers' original plan. 'The intention was to sell it to a distributor,' said Jason Ishikawa, the co-head of sales at the film marketing and sales company Cinetic. A traditional distributor — giants like Netflix and Disney or midsize players like A24 and Neon — might feature extensive marketing budgets and national campaigns. By contrast, all 'No Other Land' advertisements were paid for out of a grant it won, and local theaters found themselves doing their own outreach. 'Filmmakers are not necessarily marketers, they're not distributors,' Ishikawa said. 'They have a vision for who the audience is, but transforming that into a release requires people who have very specific skill sets.' Initially, 'No Other Land' sought to build momentum at prestigious festivals in Telluride, Colo., Toronto and New York in the hope of securing North American distribution. Cinetic booked a one-week commercial run in November at Film at Lincoln Center in Manhattan to qualify the movie for several awards. (A best documentary victory at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024 made it Oscar-eligible.) When it became clear that no distributor was going to take the film on, the directors realized they would be better off releasing the movie themselves. Lauren Schwartz, a senior vice president of publicity and promotions at Cinetic, said it was 'the most appealing option for the filmmakers at the juncture when that decision had to be made.' They hired Michael Tuckman, a veteran independent film distributor. 'You adjust to what the world is telling you,' Tuckman said in an interview. In the end, 'No Other Land' did have theatrical distribution, just on its own. And it ended up more widely available to be seen than most movies like it. 'From my position,' said White, the programmer, 'it came to my attention, and I'm working with people I work with all the time.' For comparison, the fellow Oscar nominee 'Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat,' which was acquired by the respected small distributor Kino Lorber, peaked at showing on 20 screens and totaled roughly $350,000 in domestic box office. It is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. 'No Other Land' is not currently available to stream, and Ishikawa said the filmmakers have not made any decisions yet about streaming rights.
