Latest news with #cinematicstorytelling
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Premiere: ANFFF 2025 Unveils 'Resonance of Nature' Through Multisensory Eco-Cinema
CANNES, France, May 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 21st at Marche du Film, Festival de Cannes, the Animal Nature Future Film Festival (ANFFF), presented by UK non-profit INB CIC, debuted its 2025 theme initiative: Resonance of Nature: Bond of Life. The program features six short films from the UK, US, and China, exploring intricate relationships between humans, animals, and ecosystems. Through narrative, ecological performance, and hybrid documentary, these works reflect the festival's commitment to cinematic storytelling as a catalyst for environmental awareness and cross-cultural dialogue. The theme film of ANFFF 2025 has been specially commissioned by director Yangyang Shao, and features rising star actress Yulingqiao Zhang. Rooted in the five human senses and their intricate connection to nature and urban life, the film explores the emotional and sensory relationship between the body and its environment. Through Xiang Zhang's visually arresting work—seamlessly transitioning between black-and-white and color—the film combines montage editing and an evocative score by international composers Weichen Lin, William Qi, and Han Bao to create an immersive, multisensory journey back to nature. The film's producer and ANFFF founder Kean Cao describes it as "a breathing visual poem". As the concept film for the new edition of the festival, she hopes it will resonate with audiences across cultures—inviting them to pause, step away from the noise of daily life, and rediscover the quiet, flowing energy of the natural world. The program features five additional films spanning science, memory, and climate futures. Immaculate, created by BBC science researcher Ningjing Wang, follows a passionate scientist's quest to save the rare spotless tree frog—earning a BAFTA Student Award nomination and Best Young Filmmaker at ANFFF 2024. A Letter from a Rose documents 200 years of botanical history, born from director Long Jing's five-year collaboration with nature in Shanghai. Zhikun Zhang's Spring Once More portrays a father's inner awakening during his wife's second childbirth. NURA, a WeShort Original, tells the story of a woman navigating survival in a climate-collapsed world. Antigone (Modern) by Uriah Jiang & Sino-US directors, reimagines the Greek tragedy with Stella Adler youth, challenging human hubris against nature. Following the screening, audience members shared reflections. Viewer Paolo praised the films' cross-cultural insights. Georgia aligned with ANFFF's mission, and was moved by the real-world ecological impact these films represent — raising awareness and protecting endangered species. She hopes to bring these stories to audiences in her own country. WeShort CEO Alex Loprieno signed a long-term screening and distribution partnership with ANFFF during the event, solidifying their shared mission to advance ecological cinema globally. Through this collaboration, they will support the market growth and international circulation of environmentally focused films, empowering filmmakers to engage with pressing ecological narratives. Building on this vision, ANFFF invites curators worldwide to its platform, leveraging localized screenings and community engagement to amplify ecological and animal protection—story by story, region by region. Official Website: Email: info@ View original content: SOURCE Animal Nature Future Film Festival Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dogma 25 Explodes at Cannes, Spearheaded by New Quintet Led by May el-Toukhy: ‘A Rescue Mission and a Cultural Uprising'
Five Danish filmmakers are picking up the baton from the founders of Dogma 95 and launching Dogma 25 along with a new manifesto and ten 'vows of chastity' to 'protect the artistic integrity of feature film and create space for uncompromising cinematic storytelling.' May el-Thouky ('Queen of Hearts,' 'The Crown'), Milad Alami ('The Charmer,' 'When the Dust Settles'), Isabella Eklöf ('Holiday,' 'Kalak'), Annika Berg ('Hurricane') and rising talent Jesper Just will lead the new revolution. More from Variety Soundstage Expansion Adds to New Jersey's Strong Incentives to Juice Film and TV Production: 'People Are Taking Notice of Us' Jai Courtney on Making an Acting Comeback in Cannes Serial Killer-Shark Thriller and if He Would Return to DC Universe: 'I Have Hope' 'The Chronology of Water': Will Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut and Jim Belushi and Thora Birch's Supporting Performances Generate Awards Heat? Previously, Lars von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen and Kristian Levring kicked off the movement that resulted in 212 Danish and international feature films, including 'The Celebration,' 'The Idiots,' 'Italian for Beginners' and more. 'We celebrate Dogma 95, the filmmakers who came before us, and those who will come after. We stand together to defend artistic freedom as a shield against pointlessness and powerlessness. Dogma 25 is a rescue mission and a cultural uprising,' stated new leaders. 'In a world where formulaic films based on algorithms and artificial visual expression are gaining traction, it is our mission to stand up for the flawed, distinct, and human imprint. We champion the uncompromising and unpredictable, and we fight against the forces working to reduce cinematic art to an ultra-processed consumer product.' With the manifesto and the vow of chastity, the five directors commit to working within a structure that requires 'immersion, restraint and artistic necessity.' Three core themes are 'Back to the physical reality,' 'Aesthetic restraint,' as at least half of the film must be without dialogue, and 'economic and geographic accountability,' meaning the film must be shot where the narrative takes place. Funding may only be accepted if it doesn't impact the content. The groundbreaking announcement was made today at Zentropa's villa, attended by the collective and Dogma 25's key partners: Nordisk Film, DR and Nordisk Film Distribution. In a statement, von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg said: 'In '95, we made films in the certainty of peace and created a revolt against conformity. In '25, new dogmas were created, now in a world of war and uncertainty. We wish you the best of luck on your march toward reconquering Danish film.' Dogma 25 is an initiative of May el-Toukhy, who brought together the five directors. In late 2024, she reached out to Zentropa to establish the initiative as 'a space for development, reflection and innovation.' Louise Vesth and Sisse Graum Jørgensen, two of Zentropa's managing directors, are in charge of the financing and launch of Dogma 25. The Danish Film Institute is providing support for the development of the concept and manifesto as well as production, while TrustNordisk will oversee international sales and ensure a wide global distribution for the films. Here's the manifesto in its entirety:Dogma 25 is a collective of filmmakers founded in Copenhagen in the spring of 2025. Our stated purpose is to preserve the originality of cinema and the opportunity to create film on its own terms. The role of the director has increasingly been reduced to that of project manager, the film to a commodity, and the audience to consumers. Experimental practice is stifled by fear of risk-taking, which suffocates artistic exploration and silences unique voices. When films are merely executed and not allowed to evolve organically, it puts the art form in danger of becoming functional, obedient and thereby irrelevant. In a world where formulaic films based on algorithms and artificial visual expression are gaining traction, it's our mission to stand up for the flawed, distinct, and human imprint. We champion the uncompromising and unpredictable and we fight the forces working to reduce cinematic art to an ultra-processed consumer good. By scaling down production, we ensure that everyone on the team has an intimate relationship with the film and its message. This will enhance mutual trust and a sense of collective responsibility for the film and for each other. It also allows us to safeguard the flexibility that is vital in making a creative process dynamic and intuitive, rather than purely executive. We celebrate Dogma 95, all the filmmakers who came before us, and those who will come after. We stand together to defend artistic freedom as a shield against pointlessness and powerlessness. DOGMA 25 is a rescue mission and a cultural uprising. To protect and preserve what we hold dear, we hereby submit to the unflinching and unbreakable set of rules called: THE VOW OF CHASTITY.I vow to submit to the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed by Dogma 25:We compel ourselves to write the script by hand in order to nurture the kind of intuition that flows most freely from the dream, channeled through the hand onto the insist on a cinematic approach to filmmaking because we believe in visual storytelling and have faith in the commit to produce the films relying on real people within our physical reality – rather than in a digital one infused with assume responsibility for keeping budgets down so the team retains final say in all artistic commit to working in close collaboration to build trust and strengthen our shared as an art form becomes artificial and generic when we portray a location in a false as we strive to maintain the authenticity of the location, we also want to portray the human body without a filter. We celebrate it – warts and commit to making films using objects that already exist and renounce the ahistorical and self-destructive culture of abstain from any lengthy processes that stand in the way of creative flow. 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
