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The Jury of the Immersive Competition of the 78th Festival de Cannes presented today the Best Immersive Work Award to From Dust, created by Michel van der Aa, recognizing a creation that pushed the boundaries of storytelling, art space, and audience engagement.   The Jury, chaired by French director Luc Jacquet included American musician, director and writer Laurie Anderson, French author and performer Tania de Montaigne, British director, screenwriter, ...

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The very first edition of the global festival of film and artificial intelligence, the WORLD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FILM FESTIVAL, connected to the WORLD ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CANNES FESTIVAL (same organizers but different objectives, here at the WAIFF the focus is enterly on films where AI is used as a tool) took place in Nice last Friday and Saturday 11-12.04. Very well organised by producer Sarah Lelouch and David Defendi, CEO Genario, artistic director Julien Raout and festival director J...

I met Björn just recently on March 23 at the closing party of Filmfest Bremen. The event took place at the Institut Français, film professionals where gathering and celebrating their films, discussions going on about projects and most surely about next festival to attend. And then I saw, no first I heard the piano, and looked for the guy who interrupted our so intellectual conversations. This is when I first acknowledge Björn. He was masterfully improvising on the pia...

The annual awards of Filmfest Bremen were presented at the Kleines Haus of Theater Bremen on March 23.  With 793 submitted short, medium-length, and feature films from 30 countries in 24 languages, the festival received an impressive international response. Among them were 31 debut films, highlighting the festival’s strong commitment to emerging talent. In total, prize money of 52,000 euros was awarded. The festive awards matinée was hosted by the festival directors Matthias Gr...

Diversity at the Oscars and in general in the film industry has become a key to success. The celebration of diversity takes place in Berlin a week after the Berlinale on the last day of the ITB. The Diversity Gala, organised by Tomontour is celebrating Diversity & Inclusion during the ITB including the award ceremony of the ITB LGBTQ+ Tourism Award & LGBTQ+ Pioneer Awardo. For the third time, ITB trade and media visitors, exhibitors, tourism professionals & friends from around the wo...

The opening of 10th edition of Filmfest Bremen on the 19.03 in my hometown Bremen was a big success. The red carpet was rolled out for a dammed good reason: Stephen Frears and Hugh Grant were in town.  The grand British director was receiving the "Golden Pug-Goldener Mops". Now pugs are known for being sociable and gentle companion dogs. The American Kennel Club describes the breed's personality as "even-tempered and charming". Charme was definetly the motto of th...

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She will be shooting next with German film director Ayse Polat (after receiving the Bavarian Film Award for her film "Im toten Winkel" Polat was awarded in Berlin by the German Film Critics Association for the best screeplay),  just completed shooting for "Lady Nazca" in Peru, is the leading actress in "Hysteria" by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay (world premiere at Berlinale in Panorama) and has reached season 3 with the succesful series "The emperess&q...

While Radu Jude's new film Kontinental '25 was part of the main competition and later won the Silver Bear for best screenplay and Radu Muntean was on the jury for the best European Shooting Star, the Romanian presence at the 75th edition was not limited to this.  Further Romanian film makers attended the EFM 13-19.02  under the slogan "Time to Go East: Come see the Romanians"  17 Romanian companies attended once again the Berlinale under the umbrella of Creativ...

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Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for screenwriter-director Radu Jude and an unexpected succes for the social satire Kontinental ’25 which has sold many European territories after world premiering at Berlinale just a week ago.  Representatives of the Romanian production company Saga Film told FNE that Luxbox sold Kontinental '25 to 21 countries including (to Météore Films); Italy (I Wonder Pictures); Portugal (Films4you); Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denma...

Baden-Württemberg's State Secretary for Culture Arne Braun and MFG CEO Carl Bergengruen awarded Johannes Naber, member of the German "Bundesverband Regie" with the Thomas Strittmatter Prize 2025 at the festive award ceremony which took place on the 19.02 at the Baden-Württemberg State Representation which is located within a 15 min walking distance from the Berlinale Film Palast. Film director Michael Chauvistré, on the board of "Bundesverband Regie" cong...

While Davos and the World Economic Forum was in the middle of attention January 20-24, attracting the showbiz besides politicians, business people, lobbyists and FinTech enthusiasts like the Swiss founders of the "House of Trust" or activists like Stephanie zu Guttenberg and Fawzia Koofi, who were attending the high profile conference of the "World Woman Foundation" chaired by it's American president Rupa Dash, the focus was for the following 2 days on Munich.  The ...

  Canneseries season 7 - great actors, series and a pink carpet - all in Cannes and still with MipTV!   Indeed this series festival takes place in Cannes, where else, nomen est omen. And it gets into competition with an the other majour festival dedicated to series. I'm talking about Series Mania from Lille. Both festivals are taking place in spring, one just finished and the other one, Canneseries to take place 05-10.04. But while Series Mania is dedicated uniquely to televi...

Countdown to Lovers Film Festival in Turin-Europe's oldest and 3rd oldest film festival on LGBTQI+ in the world (Turin, Cinema Massimo – 16-21 April 2024) The first previews with guests Paolo Camilli, Annagaia Marchioro and Guglielmo Scilla National premiere at the festival "LIL NAS X: LONG LIVE MONTERO" by Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel. The countdown to the Lovers Film Festival begins on Tuesday 16 April (press conference 10 April, at 12 at the Cinema Massim...

Beim Schlump 84a 20144 Hamburg *Tsitsi Dangarembga, Author, Director, and Cultural Activist, Institute for Creative Arts for Progress in Africa (ICAPA), Harare The author, director an activist Tsitsi Dangarembga lives and works in Zimbabwe, USA, and . She attended Cambridge University and Sidney Sussex College before studying psychology at the University of Zimbabwe and screenwriting and directing at the German Television Academy Berlin. She held several university chairs and res...

You can watch my interview with Paul Clayton, the co-founder of the Africa Rally here! We are both wearing the official Africa Rally glasses! And I kept mine! www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFB7yVP-BdU And you can watch one of his African adventure on several streeming platforms, just google it, furthermore Paul has signed a contract for a series, but this is still undisclosed! The Africa Rally brings together people of all backgrounds, nationalities, and levels of overlanding experience, in the m...

from the left: Diversity Gala organizer Thomas Bömkes together with Norbert Fiebig, the President of the German Travel Association and Diversity Gala organizer Tom Dedek The most anticipated party at the ITB is traditionally taking place on the last evening of the ITB, this year on the 07.03. The Diversity Gala, organised by Tom Dedek and Thomas Bömkes attracted an international public, among them I spotted several German actors and celebrities. But the real VIP in sense of the mo...