Latest news with #RohanParashuramKanawade
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sundance-Winning ‘Cactus Pears' Director Rohan Kanawade Signs With Cinetic Media (EXCLUSIVE)
Following his historic Sundance Grand Jury Prize win for 'Cactus Pears' ('Sabar Bonda'), director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade has inked a management deal with Cinetic Media, it was revealed on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival. Kanawade's debut feature made history as the first Marathi-language film and first Indian fiction title to claim Sundance's top World Cinema Dramatic Competition honor this past January. More from Variety Les Studios de Paris, Where 'Jackie' and 'The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon' Filmed, Positions Itself as One Stop Shop for International Productions Polish Talents Continue to Rise as Industry Eyes Overhaul to Incentive Scheme: 'We Need a System Equal to the Needs of Poland' 'The President's Cake' Review: Hasan Hadi's Warm and Heart-Tugging Tale Sends Dutiful Kids on an Odyssey in Saddam Hussein's Iraq 'It's an incredible honor to be represented by Cinetic Media, a company known for championing cinema that pushes creative boundaries and defies conventional norms,' Kanawade told Variety. 'For a story as personal and intimate as 'Sabar Bonda' to find global resonance – and now, a team that believes in its journey as much as we do – is both humbling and empowering. This partnership isn't just about where the film goes next – it's about what kinds of stories get to be seen, heard, and remembered. I hope this marks the beginning of a longer arc for regional, authentic and emotionally grounded Indian stories to travel across languages and borders.' In 'Cactus Pears,' a 30-something city dweller named Anand is forced to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in rural western India, where he forms an unexpected bond with a local farmer struggling to remain unmarried. The emotionally resonant drama has connected with audiences across borders since its Sundance triumph. The film will receive a theatrical release via Strand Releasing this fall, following a festival run that included New Directors/New Films, San Francisco Film Festival (where it won the Special Jury Prize – Visions), and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (winner of the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature). Marcus Hu of Strand Releasing said: 'Strand is thrilled to hear this news and what a great partnership for the filmmaking team to get this representation.' Neeraj Churi, a producer on the film and founder of Lotus Visual Productions, added: 'While Cinetic Media has always aimed to champion films and filmmakers that are bold and original, this development reaffirms that the global film industry is expanding its gaze, ready to embrace not only big cinema but brave cinema. We also acknowledge the unique role played by NFDC lab, Co-pro market and India Cine Hub grant in shaping and propelling the film and Rohan into the international arena. With MPM premium, Strand Releasing and Cinetic, we are excited to collaborate with a team that truly understands nuance and recognizes the potential of Indian independent cinema in all its emotional complexity.' Kanawade's personal journey adds another layer to the film's success story. Raised in a one-room house in a Mumbai slum by a chauffeur father and illiterate homemaker mother, he is a self-made filmmaker with a background in interior design. His short films have screened globally, and 'Cactus Pears' was developed in the Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022-2023, and was also included in the Film London Production Finance Market 2021, NFDC Marathi Script Camp 2021, Film Bazaar 2022, Venice Gap Financing Market 2023 and Goes to Cannes 2024. The cast includes Bhushaan Manoj, Jayshri Jagtap, and Suraaj Suman. Behind the camera, Vikas Urs handled cinematography, with Anadi Athaley editing and Anirban Borthakur and Naren Chandavarkar as sound designers. Cinetic will represent Kanawade across all media. 'Cactus Pears' is produced by Neeraj Churi (Lotus Visual Productions, U.K.), Mohamed Khaki (Canada), Kaushik Ray (Taran Tantra Telefilms, U.K.), Naren Chandavarkar (Moonweave Films, India), Sidharth Meer (Bridge PostWorks, India) and Hareesh Reddypalli (Dark Stories, India), along with co-producer Jim Sarbh (Wonderful Entertainment, India) and associate producer Rajesh Parwatkar (U.K.).Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Asharq Al-Awsat
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
‘Atropia' and ‘Twinless' Win Top Prizes at Sundance Film Festival
The war satire 'Atropia,' about actors in a military role-playing facility, won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival's US dramatic competition, while the Dylan O'Brien movie 'Twinless' got the coveted audience award. Juries and programmers for the 41st edition of the independent film festival announced the major prizewinners Friday in Park City, Utah. Other grand jury winners included the documentaries 'Seeds,' about farmers in rural Georgia and 'Cutting Through the Rocks,' about the first elected councilwoman in an Iranian village. The Indian drama 'Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears),' about a city dweller mourning his father in the western Indian countryside, won the top prize in the world cinema competition. 'It's for my dad,' said writer and director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. His late father, he said, was the one who encouraged him to pursue filmmaking. Audiences also get to vote on their own awards, where James Sweeney's 'Twinless,' about the friendship between two men who meet in a twin bereavement support group, triumphed in the US dramatic category. O'Brien also won a special jury award for his acting. The US documentary audience award went to 'André is an Idiot,' a life-affirming film about dying of colon cancer. Other audience picks were 'Prime Minister,' about former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and 'DJ Ahmet,' a coming-of-age film about a 15-year-old boy in North Macedonia. Mstyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning Associated Press journalist, won the world cinema documentary directing award for his latest dispatch from Ukraine, '2000 Meters to Andriivka,' a joint production between the AP and PBS Frontline. 'Here's to all documentary directors who are risking their lives in Ukraine trying to tell the stories of people who protect the land that I call home,' Chernov said onstage. Others singled out for directing include Geeta Gandbhir for 'The Perfect Neighbor,' a documentary about a murder in Florida told through the use of police body camera footage, and Rashad Frett for 'Ricky,' a drama about life post-incarceration. The Sundance Film Festival runs through Sunday.
The Independent
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘Atropia' and ‘Twinless' win top prizes at Sundance Film Festival
The war satire 'Atropia,' about actors in a military role-playing facility, won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival's U.S. dramatic competition, while the Dylan O'Brien movie 'Twinless' got the coveted audience award. Juries and programmers for the 41st edition of the independent film festival announced the major prizewinners Friday in Park City, Utah. Other grand jury winners included the documentaries 'Seeds,' about farmers in rural Georgia and 'Cutting Through the Rocks,' about the first elected councilwoman in an Iranian village. The Indian drama 'Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears),' about a city dweller mourning his father in the western Indian countryside, won the top prize in the world cinema competition. 'It's for my dad,' said writer and director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. His late father, he said, was the one who encouraged him to pursue filmmaking. Audiences also get to vote on their own awards, where James Sweeney's 'Twinless,' about the bromance between two men who meet in a twin bereavement support group, triumphed in the U.S. dramatic category. O'Brien also won a special jury award for his acting. The U.S. documentary audience award went to 'André is an Idiot,' a life-affirming film about dying of colon cancer. Other audience picks were 'Prime Minister,' about former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and 'DJ Ahmet,' a coming-of-age film about a 15-year-old boy in North Macedonia. Mstyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning Associated Press journalist, won the world cinema documentary directing award for his latest dispatch from Ukraine, '2000 Meters to Andriivka,' a joint production between the AP and PBS Frontline. 'Here's to all documentary directors who are risking their lives in Ukraine trying to tell the stories of people who protect the land that I call home,' Chernov said onstage. Others singled out for directing include Geeta Gandbhir for 'The Perfect Neighbor,' a documentary about a murder in Florida told through the use of police body camera footage, and Rashad Frett for 'Ricky,' a drama about life post-incarceration. The world cinema documentary jury also gave special prizes to 'Coexistence, My Ass!' about a comedian who creates a one-woman show about the struggle for equality in Israel and Palestine, and 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin,' in which a Russian teacher goes undercover to expose what's happening in his school during the invasion of Ukraine. 'Our programming team is so thrilled to have introduced these moving and impactful works to our audiences this Festival, and we look forward to following the journeys of each of these talented artists and their projects,' said festival programming director Kim Yutani. The Sundance Film Festival runs through Sunday. ___
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Atropia' and ‘Twinless' win top prizes at Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The war satire 'Atropia,' about actors in a military role-playing facility, won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival's U.S. dramatic competition, while the Dylan O'Brien movie 'Twinless' got the coveted audience award. Juries and programmers for the 41st edition of the independent film festival announced the major prizewinners Friday in Park City, Utah. Other grand jury winners included the documentaries 'Seeds,' about farmers in rural Georgia and 'Cutting Through the Rocks,' about the first elected councilwoman in an Iranian village. The Indian drama 'Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears),' about a city dweller mourning his father in the western Indian countryside, won the top prize in the world cinema competition. 'It's for my dad,' said writer and director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. His late father, he said, was the one who encouraged him to pursue filmmaking. Audiences also get to vote on their own awards, where James Sweeney's 'Twinless,' about the bromance between two men who meet in a twin bereavement support group, triumphed in the U.S. dramatic category. O'Brien also won a special jury award for his acting. The U.S. documentary audience award went to 'André is an Idiot,' a life-affirming film about dying of colon cancer. Other audience picks were 'Prime Minister,' about former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and 'DJ Ahmet,' a coming-of-age film about a 15-year-old boy in North Macedonia. Mstyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning Associated Press journalist, won the world cinema documentary directing award for his latest dispatch from Ukraine, '2000 Meters to Andriivka,' a joint production between the AP and PBS Frontline. 'Here's to all documentary directors who are risking their lives in Ukraine trying to tell the stories of people who protect the land that I call home,' Chernov said onstage. Others singled out for directing include Geeta Gandbhir for 'The Perfect Neighbor,' a documentary about a murder in Florida told through the use of police body camera footage, and Rashad Frett for 'Ricky,' a drama about life post-incarceration. The world cinema documentary jury also gave special prizes to 'Coexistence, My Ass!' about a comedian who creates a one-woman show about the struggle for equality in Israel and Palestine, and 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin,' in which a Russian teacher goes undercover to expose what's happening in his school during the invasion of Ukraine. 'Our programming team is so thrilled to have introduced these moving and impactful works to our audiences this Festival, and we look forward to following the journeys of each of these talented artists and their projects,' said festival programming director Kim Yutani. The Sundance Film Festival runs through Sunday. ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, visit: Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
Associated Press
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
‘Atropia' and ‘Twinless' win top prizes at Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) — The war satire 'Atropia,' about actors in a military role-playing facility, won the grand jury prize in the Sundance Film Festival's U.S. dramatic competition, while the Dylan O'Brien movie 'Twinless' got the coveted audience award. Juries and programmers for the 41st edition of the independent film festival announced the major prizewinners Friday in Park City, Utah. Other grand jury winners included the documentaries 'Seeds,' about farmers in rural Georgia and 'Cutting Through the Rocks,' about the first elected councilwoman in an Iranian village. The Indian drama 'Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears),' about a city dweller mourning his father in the western Indian countryside, won the top prize in the world cinema competition. 'It's for my dad,' said writer and director Rohan Parashuram Kanawade. His late father, he said, was the one who encouraged him to pursue filmmaking. Audiences also get to vote on their own awards, where James Sweeney's 'Twinless,' about the bromance between two men who meet in a twin bereavement support group, triumphed in the U.S. dramatic category. O'Brien also won a special jury award for his acting. The U.S. documentary audience award went to 'André is an Idiot,' a life-affirming film about dying of colon cancer. Other audience picks were 'Prime Minister,' about former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and 'DJ Ahmet,' a coming-of-age film about a 15-year-old boy in North Macedonia. Mstyslav Chernov, the Oscar-winning Associated Press journalist, won the world cinema documentary directing award for his latest dispatch from Ukraine, '2000 Meters to Andriivka,' a joint production between the AP and PBS Frontline. 'Here's to all documentary directors who are risking their lives in Ukraine trying to tell the stories of people who protect the land that I call home,' Chernov said onstage. Others singled out for directing include Geeta Gandbhir for 'The Perfect Neighbor,' a documentary about a murder in Florida told through the use of police body camera footage, and Rashad Frett for 'Ricky,' a drama about life post-incarceration. The world cinema documentary jury also gave special prizes to 'Coexistence, My Ass!' about a comedian who creates a one-woman show about the struggle for equality in Israel and Palestine, and 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin,' in which a Russian teacher goes undercover to expose what's happening in his school during the invasion of Ukraine. 'Our programming team is so thrilled to have introduced these moving and impactful works to our audiences this Festival, and we look forward to following the journeys of each of these talented artists and their projects,' said festival programming director Kim Yutani. The Sundance Film Festival runs through Sunday. ___
