Global Festivals

Saudi Arabia will be witnessing cinematic history this week with the opening of its first international film festival, the Red Sea Film Festival. But the path to this momentous occasion has been paved with challenges and obstacles on many levels, national and international.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) received the Angel Benefactor Award from the Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) in the festival’s closing night gala held November 11, 2021 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. HFPA President Helen Hoehne and member Lena Basse, who served as the president of the jury for the short film category at the AWFF, accepted the award on behalf of the Association.

Four HFPA members – Lena Basse, Yukiko Nakajima, Janet Nepales and Ruben Nepales – answered that question and discussed related matters, including recent reforms to the Association, in a panel discussion presented by the Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) in conjunction with its November festival program. Rick Ambros, a media and entertainment consultant and producer, moderated the forum, part of AWFF’s series of panel discussions,  held in person at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles.

The third time is the charm: so the old adage goes, and that’s certainly been the case for the long-awaited, twice-delayed 68th annual Sydney Film Festival, which opened November 3 at the iconic Sydney State Theatre with a packed house watching Western Sydney-set drama, Here Out West.   The prestigious festival – which was canceled altogether in 2020 due to Covid – usually takes place in June each year, but this year was initially pushed back to August in line with delays from other major festivals, including Cannes.

Not even hurricane Ida could stop this festival, which started on Nov 5. New Orleanians do not like when we call them resilient, so let’s just say they are masters at success against all odds.

It’s that time of the year, when Hollywood pays renewed attention to Asian cinema thanks to the Asian World Film Festival, now celebrating its 7th edition and steadily growing thanks to the tireless efforts of West African-born, Lebanon and France-educated Georges N. Chamchoum, the Festival's Executive and Program Director.

When a fire broke out at the site of the El Gouna film festival a day before it was due to start its 5th edition, many Egyptians celebrated on social media, describing the fire as divine intervention. The organizers refused to resign to God’s will and embarked on a renovation project that entailed employing 3,000 workers around the clock.

Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher, Christopher Nolan, and Zack Snyder are just four of the notable movie directors that have brought the comic book character of Batman to life on the big screen. In 2022, Matt Reeves takes over the hot seat as director of the Warner Bros’ release, The Batman.

Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Brosnan, James Gunn, and Jason Momoa delighted fans across the globe with virtual interviews, on-set discussions and highly anticipated trailer launches at the 2021 DC FanDome event. The 4-hour presentation from Warner Bros.

The film Blondie: Vivir en la Habana recently premiered at the Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF), where Debbie Harry was an honorary guest. The 18-minute documentary directed by Rob Roth was part of the RIFF music films program and was filmed during a 2019 tour by the band in Cuba.