Latest news with #JafarPanahi
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Busan Film Festival to Honor Jafar Panahi as Asian Filmmaker of the Year
The Busan International Film Festival has selected Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi as its 2025 Asian Filmmaker of the Year, honoring the director's uncompromising contributions to Asian and world cinema. Panahi will receive the award during the opening ceremony of BIFF's 30th edition, which runs Sept. 17–26 in the South Korean port city. The accolade, one of the festival's highest honors, is presented annually to an individual or organization that has made a significant impact on the development of Asian cinema. Past recipients include an elite roster of artists and autuers, such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Chow Yun-fat, Tony Leung, Ann Hui, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, among others. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Dune' VFX House DNEG's Immersive Experiences Unit Names NBCU's Jeff Lehman Exec Producer (Exclusive) A Weakening U.S. Dollar Worries Film and TV Producers in Canada Ava Phillippe, Sam Morelos Cast in Tommy Dorfman's 'Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me' (Exclusive) A central figure in Iran's New Wave cinema, Panahi came to prominence with his debut The White Balloon (1995), winner of Cannes' Camera d'Or. He has since built a career defined by formal rigor and fearless political critique, continuing to create films despite a state-imposed ban and multiple arrests. Earlier this year, Panahi completed the rare European festival trifecta, taking home the Palme d'Or at Cannes for It Was Just an Accident (2025). The Hollywood Reporter's critic on the ground at the festival hailed the film as 'a shrewdly crafted vengeance film' that 'slowly but surely builds into a stark condemnation of abusive power and its long-lasting effects.'Panahi previously won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Taxi (2015) and the Golden Lion at Venice for The Circle (2000), making him the first Asian director to claim the top prize at all three major European festivals. Accepting the Palme d'Or at the Cannes ceremony, Panahi said: ''At a time when making films in my country becomes more difficult every day, this recognition reminds me that cinema can still connect us beyond borders, languages, and limitations. I not only accept this award in my own name, but also on behalf of all those who, in silence, in exile, or under pressure, continue to create.' Neon acquired North American theatrical rights to It Was Just an Accident at Cannes and plans to release the film on Oct. 15. The 30th Busan International Film Festival will be headquartered once again at the Busan Cinema Center, with screenings and special events taking place throughout the city. BIFF's Asian Project Market (APM), a vital incubator for emerging filmmakers across the region, runs concurrently with the festival. The event will unveil its competition selection in late August. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Guillermo del Toro's ‘Frankenstein,' Benny Safdie's ‘The Smashing Machine,' Kathryn Bigelow's ‘A House of Dynamite' Among Stellar Venice Lineup
Oscar season starts here. With its 2025 line-up, announced Tuesday, the Venice Film Festival has (again) taken the award season pole position, with a program packed with a frankly absurd number of must-see movies. More from The Hollywood Reporter BBC Studios Unscripted Boss on Tom Hanks, Stanley Tucci Series and the Recipe for U.S. Success Busan Film Festival to Honor Jafar Panahi as Asian Filmmaker of the Year 'Dune' VFX House DNEG's Immersive Experiences Unit Names NBCU's Jeff Lehman Exec Producer (Exclusive) Among the hot awards titles heading to the Lido are Benny Safdie's The Smashing Machine, from A24, featuring Dwayne Johnson as two‑time UFC heavyweight champion Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as his wife Dawn; Luca Guadagnino's #MeToo–inspired thriller After the Hunt, for Amazon MGM Studios, starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri, will premiere out of competition; and Guillermo del Toro's dark reimagining of Frankenstein, featuring Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth, a Netflix production. This will mark the Venice festival debut for both Roberts and Johnson. Netflix, which sat out Vence last year, is back in force for 2025. Alongside Frankenstein, the streamer has Noah Baumbach's comedy‑drama Jay Kelly, co-written with Emily Mortimer, and headlined by George Clooney, premiering in competition, and Kathryn Bigelow's ticking bomb geopolitical thriller A House of Dynamite, starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Greta Lee, Gabriel Basso, and Jared Harris. The Venice line-up is an embarrassment of riches, for award-watchers and regular film fans alike, with the competition selection including the latest from A-list auteurs Park Chan-wook (No Other Choice), François Ozon (L'Etranger), and Laszlo Nemes (Orphan). A year after Brady Corbet's The Brutalist launched in Venice, en route to three Oscar wins, the film's co-writer (and producer) Mona Fastvold arrives in competition with The Testament of Ann Lee, a historical drama musical film starring Lewis Pullman, Amanda Seyfried, and Tim Blake Nelson, that she co-wrote with Corbet. The Voice of Hind Rajab, the new film from Four Daughters director Kaouther Ben Hania, is certain to be one of the most talked-about films in Venice this year. The film tells the true story of Hind Rajab, a 6-year-old girl who, on January 29, 2024, was trapped in a car on fire in Gaza. She called Red Crescent emergency workers, who kept her on the line while they tried to get an ambulance to her. The Party Film Sales is handling worldwide sales on the film and co-representing North American rights with CAA Media Finance. Another politically-charged title in competition is Olivier Assayas' The Wizard of the Kremlin, starring Jude Law as Vladimir Putin and Paul Dano as the fictional Kremlin insider Vadim Baranov. Yorgos Lanthimos, a Venice Golden Lion winner for Poor Things, returns in competition with Bugonia, an adaptation of Jang Joon-Hwan's 2003 South Korean sci-fi film Save the Green Planet!, featuring his frequent collaborator Emma Stone. Focus Features will release the film stateside, with Universal Pictures handling internationally outside of Korea, where CJ ENM will release. And iconic indie director Jim Jarmusch, a Cannes regular, will bring his latest to the Lido this year, premiering Mubi's Father Mother Sister Brother, a triptych with an all-star ensemble cast including Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Indya Moore, Vicky Krieps, Tom Waits, Luka Sabbat, and Charlotte Rampling. The 82nd Venice competition line-up also includes the latest from A-list auteurs Park Chan-wook (No Other Choice), François Ozon (L'Etranger), and Laszlo Nemes (Orphan) Italian Oscar-winning Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) will open this year's festival with La Grazia (Grace), a love story starring his long-time collaborator Toni Servillo. La Grazia, co-starring Diamonds actor Anna Ferzetti, will premiere in competition on Aug. 27. Mubi picked up the film ahead of its Venice bow. Dog 51, a new action-packed French sci-fi thriller from Bac Nord director Cedric Jimenez will close the festival, out of competition. Gus Van Sant's return to feature films, Dead Man's Wire, starring Bill Skarsgard, will also screen out of competition. Other out-of-competition highlights include Anders Thomas Jensen's Danish dark comedy The Last Viking starring Mads Mikkelsen, Julian Schnabel's long-awaited The Hand of Dante, and Scarlet, the first anime feature in four years from Japanese master Mamoru Hosoda. Venice has selected four TV series for its small-screen sidebar: Etty, a limited series from Israeli showrunner Hagai Levi (In Treatment, The Affair), loosely based on the diary of Dutch Jewish writer Etty Hillesum, starring Julia Windischbauer and Sebastian Koch, which Studio TF1 is selling worldwide; Portobello, the first Italian original production for HBO Max in which Italian director Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor), follows the true story of the downfall of one of Italy's most beloved TV hosts; Studiocanal's A Prophet – The Series, a TV reboot of Jacques Audiard's classic French prison drama from 2009, directed by Enrico Maria Artale; and Il Mostro (The Monster), a true-life serial-killer drama from Gomorrah series director, Stefano Sollima, made for Netflix. This year's Golden Lion career achievement honorees are legendary German director Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man) and Vertigo star Kim Novak. Venice's Classic sidebar, which includes a selection on documentaries about cinema, this year includes Mike Figgis' Megadoc, a behind-the-scenes look at Francis Ford Coppola's decades-in-the-making Megalopolis. Two-time Oscar-winner Alexander Payne heads up this year's competition jury as president, and together with international film talents including Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, French director Stéphane Brizé, Italian director Maura Delpero, Chinese actress Zhao Tao, and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, will pick the 2025 Golden Lion winner. The 2025 Venice film festival runs Aug. 27 to Sept. 9. Opening Film La Grazia, dir. Paolo Sorrentino (Italy) (In competition) Closing Film Dog 51, dir. Cedric Jimenez (France) Competition The Wizard of the Kremlin, dir. Olivier Assayas (France)Jay Kelly, dir. Noah Baumbach (USA, UK, Italy)The Voice of Hind Rajab, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia, France)A House of Dynamite, dir. Kathryn Bigelow (USA)Sun Rises on Us All, dir. Cai Shangjun (China)Frankenstein, dir. Guillermo Del Toro (USA)Elisa, dir. Leonardo Di Costanzo (Italy, Switzerland)À pied d'œuvre, dir. Valérie Donzelli (France)Silent Friend, dir. Ildikó Enyedi (Germany, France, Hungary)The Testament of Ann Lee, dir. Mona Fastvold (UK)Father Mother Sister Brother, dir. Jim Jarmusch (USA, Ireland, France)Bugonia, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos (United Kingdom)Duse, dir. Pietro Marcello (Italy)Un film fatto per Bene, dir. Franco Maresco (Italy)Orphan, dir. László Nemes (Hungary, United Kingdom, Germany, France)The Stranger, dir. François Ozon (France)No Other Choice, dir. Park Chan-wook (South Korea)Sotto le nuvole, dir. Gianfranco Rosi (Italy)The Smashing Machine, dir. Benny Safdie (Canada, USA, Japan)Girl, dir. Shu Qi (Taipei)La Grazia, dir. Paolo Sorrentino (Italy) Out of Competition (Fiction) Boşluğa xütbə (Sermon to the Void), dir. Hilal Baydarov (Azerbaijan, Mexico, Turkey)L'isola di Andrea, dir. Antonio Capuano (Italy)Il Maestro, dir. Andrea Di Stefano (Italy)After the Hunt, dir. Luca Guadagnino (USA)Hateshinaki Scarlet, dir. Mamoru Hosoda (Japan)The Last Viking, dir. Anders Thomas Jensen (Denmark, Sweden)Chien 51, dir. Cédric Jimenez (France)In the Hand of Dante, dir. Julian Schnabel (USA, Italy)La valle dei sorrisi, dir. Paolo Strippoli (Italy, Slovenia)Dead Man's Wire, dir. Gus Van Sant (USA)Orfeo, dir. Virgilio Villoresi (Italy) Out of Competition (Non-Fiction) Kabul, Between Prayers, dir. Aboozar Amini (The Netherlands, Belgium)Ferdinando Scianna – Il fotografo dell'ombra, dir. Roberto Andò (Italy)Marc by Sofia, dir. Sofia Coppola (USA)I diari di Angela – Noi due cineasti. Capitolo terzo, dir. Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi (Italy)Ghost Elephants, dir. Werner Herzog (USA)My Father and Qaddafi, dir. Jihan K (USA, Libya)The Tale of Sylian, dir. Tamara Kotevska (North Macedonia)Nuestra Tierra, dir. Lucrecia Martel (Argentina, USA, Mexico, France, The Netherlands, Denmark)Remake, dir. Ross McElwee (USA)Kim Novak's Vertigo, dir. Alexandre Philippe (USA)Cover-up, dir. Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus (USA)Broken English, dir. Jane Pollard, Iain Forsyth (United Kingdom)Notes of a True Criminal, dir. Alexander Rodnyansky, Andriy Alferov (Ukraine, USA)Director's Diary, dir. Alexandr Sokurov (Russia, Italy)Back Home, dir. Tsai Ming-liang (Taipei) Out of Competition (Series) Un prophète – La série, dir. Enrico Maria Artale (France)Portobello, dir. Marco Bellocchio (Italy, France)Etty, dir. Hagai Levi (France, Germany, The Netherlands)Il mostro, dir. Stefano Sollima (Italy) Out of Competition – Film & Music Nino. 18 giorni, dir. Toni D'Angelo (Italy)Piero Pelù. Rumore dentro, dir. Francesco Fei (Italy)Newport and The Great Folk Dream, dir. Robert Gordon (USA)Francesco De Gregori Nevergreen, dir. Stefano Pistolini (Italy) Venice Spotlight Hijra, dir. Shahad Ameen (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, United Kingdom)Un cabo suelto (A Loose End), dir. Daniel Hendler (Uruguay, Argentina, Spain)Made in EU, dir. Stephan Komandarev (Bulgaria, Germany, Czech Republic)Motor City, dir. Potsy Ponciroli (USA)It Would Be Night in Caracas, dir. Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás (Mexico, Venezuela)Silent Rebellion, dir. Marie-Elsa Sgualdo (Switzerland, France, Belgium)Calle Malaga, dir. Maryam Touzani (Morocco, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium)Ammazzare stanca, dir. Daniele Vicari (Italy) Horizons Competition Divine Comedy, dir. Ali Asgari (Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey)Hiedra, dir. Ana Cristina Barragan (Ecuador, Mexico, France, Spain)Il rapimento di Arabella, dir. Carolina Cavalli (Italy)Strange River, dir. Jaume Claret Muxart (Spain, Germany)Lost Land, dir. Akio Fujimoto (Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany)Grand Ciel, dir. Akihiro Hata (France, Luxembourg)Rose of Nevada, dir. Mark Jenkin (United Kingdom)Late Fame, dir. Kent Jones (USA)Milk Teeth, dir. Mihai Mincan (Romania, France, Denmark, Greece, Bulgaria)Pin de Fartie, dir. Alejo Moguillansky (Argentina)Father, dir. Tereza Nvotová (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland)En el camino, dir. David Pablos (Mexico, France)Songs of Forgotten Trees, dir. Anuparna Roy (India)Un anno di scuola, dir. Laura Samani (Italy, France)The Souffleur, dir. Gastón Solnicki (Austria, Argentina)Barrio triste, dir. Stillz (Colombia, USA)Mother, dir. Teona Strugar Mitevska (Belgium, North Macedonia, Sweden, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina)Human Resource, dir. Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Thailand)Funeral Casino Blues, dir. Roderick Warich (Germany) Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword
Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Jafar Panahi named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan International Film Festival
Renowned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, known for world cinema classics like "The White Balloon", "Offside", "The Circle" and "3 Faces", has been named the 'Asian Filmmaker of the Year' by the Busan International Film Festival. The award is presented to an Asian film figure or organization that has made the most significant contribution to the development of the Asian film industry and culture. (Also read: Cannes Film Festival: Jafar Panahi wins Palme d'Or for It Was Just an Accident, Sentimental Value gets Grand Prix) Iranian director, screenwriter and producer Jafar Panahi recently won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. (Photo by Steven Markham / AFP)(AFP) Panahi is a revered figure in the international cinema community but in Iran he has consistently faced restrictions for his art. He was imprisoned three years ago and went on a hunger strike. Despite obstacles, Panahi has continued to make films be it 'This Is Not a Film', which he made in his living room while under house arrest or 'Taxi', which was set in a car. Official statement "As a towering figure in Iranian cinema, the director has explored the existence and freedom of individuals living amid censorship and political repression. Capturing the political and social contradictions of Iranian society from a countercultural perspective, he has continued to create films in secret, courageously submitting them to international film festivals despite repeated arrests, custody, detention, travel bans, and a stated-imposed filmmaking ban," BIFF said in their release. "At a time when making films in my country becomes more difficult every day, this recognition reminds me that cinema can still connect us beyond borders, languages, and limitations. I not only accept this award in my own name, but also on behalf of all those who, in silence, in exile, or under pressure, continue to create," Panahi said in his statement to the festival. The filmmaker's "It was Just an Accident" won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year. Panahi won Venice festival's Golden Lion for 'The Circle' in 2002 and the Golden Bear at the Berlin film festival for 'Taxi' in 2015. The filmmaker's accomplishments also include Locarno's Golden Leopard for 'The Mirror' in 1997 and Cannes' screenplay prize for '3 Faces' in 2018. Panahi will be receiving the award at the festival's opening ceremony, scheduled on September 17. The festival will run till September 26. (via PTI inputs)
Broadcast Pro
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Busan International Film Festival to honour Iranian director Jafar Panahi
Panahi will receive the award during the opening ceremony of BIFF's 30th edition, which runs September 17–26, 2025. The 30th Busan International Film Festival has honoured Iranian director Jafar Panahi with 'Asian Filmmaker of the Year', an award given to a filmmaker or organisation that has made a profound impact on the advancement of Asian cinema and culture. A central figure in Iran's New Wave cinema, Panahi is widely respected for his fearless portrayal of life under political and social repression. Despite facing repeated arrests, travel bans and an official prohibition on filmmaking, he has continued to produce films covertly, courageously submitting them to international festivals. His works explore themes of freedom and resistance, offering a countercultural lens on Iranian society and earning global recognition for their emotional depth and artistic bravery. Panahi's career achievements are marked by top honours from the world's most prestigious film festivals. In 2025, he won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for It Was Just an Accident, adding to his earlier wins of the Golden Lion at Venice for The Circle (2002), the Golden Bear at Berlin for Taxi (2015) and the Prix du Scénario at Cannes for 3 FACES (2018). His debut feature White Balloon (1995) had already won the Prix de la Caméra d'Or at Cannes, and The Mirror (1997) earned him the Golden Leopard at Locarno. Accepting the award, Panahi said: 'At a time when making films in my country becomes more difficult every day, this recognition reminds me that cinema can still connect us beyond borders, languages, and limitations. I not only accept this award in my own name, but also on behalf of all those who, in silence, in exile, or under pressure, continue to create.' The award will be formally presented during the festival's Opening Ceremony on September 17 at the Busan Cinema Centre. The festival itself will run from September 17 to 26 across multiple venues in Busan, South Korea. Born in 1960, Panahi has become an enduring symbol of artistic resistance. His body of work not only reflects the complexities of life in contemporary Iran but also underscores cinema's power to transcend barriers and give voice to the silenced.
Mint
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
Jafar Panahi named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at Busan International Film Festival
Washington DC [US], July 22 (ANI): Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has been tapped for the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, according to Variety. This was followed by his recognition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Panahi accepted the Palme d'Or for "It Was Just an Accident," a film directly inspired by his time in prison at the prestigious event. Panahi's film is filled with equal parts absurdist humour and rage, following five characters who believe they have identified the prosecutor who tortured them during their own detention, but because they were all blindfolded in jail, no one is confident their captor is the same man, reported Variety. What makes his achievement remarkable is that he achieved it despite severe restrictions. The 65-year-old filmmaker has been banned from making movies by Iranian authorities and has faced multiple arrests, detentions and travel prohibitions. Yet he continues to craft films in secret and submit them to international festivals, reported Variety. "This recognition reminds me that cinema can still connect us beyond borders, languages, and limitations," Panahi said upon receiving the honour, adding, "I accept this award not only in my own name, but also on behalf of all those who, in silence, in exile, or under pressure, continue to create." His films consistently probe themes of individual freedom and resistance, often focusing on marginalised voices within Iranian society. Panahi, who is considered one of Iranian cinema's greatest auteurs, previously won prizes "The Circle," "Offside," "This is Not a Film," "Taxi" and "No Bears," winner of the Venice Film Festival's 2022 Special Jury Prize. "Taxi" won the Berlin Golden Bear in 2015, while his "Offside" won the Silver Bear in 2006, as per Variety. Arrested by Iranian authorities in July 2022 after signing an appeal against police violence, Panahi spent several months behind bars. He was released from prison in February 2023. The filmmaker's other major accolades include Locarno's Golden Leopard for "The Mirror" in 1997 and Cannes' screenplay prize for "3 Faces" in 2018, reported Variety. Busan's Asian Filmmaker of the Year honour goes to individuals or organisations that have significantly advanced Asian cinema and culture. Panahi will receive the award at the festival's opening ceremony on September 17. The 30th edition of Busan runs from September 17 to 26, with the Asian Contents and Film Market taking place from September 20 to 23, according to Variety. (ANI)
