‘PINS AND NEEDLES’ (2025) Science and psychopaths make great bedfellows

Posted on June 25, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

PINS AND NEEDLES

Filmmaker James Villeneuve brings audiences a creative thriller ripped straight from global science and technology headlines. In PINS AND NEEDLES, a diabetic biology grad student’s ride back to campus turns deadly when a flat tire finds her trapped with two diabolical biohackers. With her insulin running dangerously low, Max must figure out a way to escape and take down a couple of psychopaths in the process.

Max’s diabetic hallucinations are an incredibly creative way to use Daniel Gravelle and work out potential escape routes. Short and sweet fantasy sequences also keep your heart racing. I would have loved more of both. I do have a gripe about there being no food in the house. Emily and Frank very clearly live in the house, and there is not a single snack lying around.

While Kate Corbett and Ryan MacDonald are sufficiently eccentric and evil as our whackjob “scientists,” PINS AND NEEDLES is 100% the Chelsea Clark show. She easily carries every scene with grace and ferocity while never going overboard. She is one to watch.

I loved the use of car keys, and women will cheer that shit on. Did I yell at the screen during the finale? Damn right. PINS AND NEEDLES makes direct fun of billionaire Bryan Johnson. You know, the guy injecting himself with his son’s blood to stay young forever. And, just for your information, he’s moved on from that practice and opted for a “total plasma exchange” instead. Biohackers love to claim science when we all know damn well any fountain of youth is only for sale to the highest bidders. PINS AND NEEDLES leans into real-life monsters in a wildly clever way.

Pins and Needles Trailer:

Canadian cat-and-mouse thriller PINS AND NEEDLES opens in the U.S. on June 24th from Filmhub

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‘YANUNI’ (Tribeca 2025) A woman’s climate work is never done.

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

YANUNI

From producer Leonardo DiCaprio and director Richard Ladkani, YANUNI closes out Tribeca 2025 with a call to action and the story of a feminist hero who should be a household name. Juma Xipaia has survived six assassination attempts as the first female Indigenous chief of her people in the Middle Xingu. She and her husband are fierce environmental warriors in a raging battle for ownership of the Amazon.

Ladkani’s camerawork and sound design are immersive. You can feel each unnerving protest moment in your bones. Footage in Juma’s home is viscerally spiritual and powerfully juxtaposed with the devastating destruction of the surrounding forests. Illegal mining pits are poisoning the water, and the criminals invading the lands are raping and murdering the villagers.

Juma and her people are emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained. Juma’s safety keeps her separated from her children, and her relentless speaking schedule wears her down. It is no surprise that it is a woman, a mother, who stands to protect others. The most successful governing bodies have female leadership. “With great power comes great responsibility,” and Yuma accepts all that entails.

The film follows the 2022 Brazilian elections. The volatility in the streets is palpable. Speaking to eligible voters is life-threatening. While the outcome of the election is positive for the progression of the country, new roles for both Yuma and her husband, Hugo Loss, put them in even more danger than before.

Ladkani takes us inside the infiltration of an illegal mining operation and its subsequent controlled burn destruction. Their missions are high-risk and heavily armed on both sides.

Juma’s action mirrors every indigenous population’s fight against deeper colonization and capitalism. The film premieres at Tribeca during a particularly auspicious time in America, on the same day nearly 11 million people took to the streets for the No Kings protests. But Juma has had to fight for many more generations to protect her people, territory, and culture. The fight continues.

YANUNI is the type of educational feature that deserves to loop on IMAX screens in every museum. It is an inspiring war cry for climate justice. Juma Xipaia is a role model for every young person. She is the personification of Mother Earth. Her bravery and passion serve as an example. She is all of us.

YANUNI –

Director: Richard Ladkani
Producer: Juma Xipaia, Leonardo DiCaprio, Anita Ladkani, Richard Ladkani, Jennifer Davisson, Phillip Watson
Screenwriter: Richard Ladkani
Cinematographer: Richard Ladkani
Composer: H. Scott Salinas
Editor: Georg Michael Fischer
Executive Producer: Dax Dasilva, Joanna Natasegara, Laura Nix, Eric Terena, Martin Choroba, Philipp Schall
Second Camera: Fábio Nascimento
Original Title Song: Katú Mirim
Vocals: Djuena Tikuna
Cast: Juma Xipaia, Hugo Loss YANUNI

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‘RE-CREATION’ (Tribeca 2025) A head spinning deep dive into an unsolved case.

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

RE-CREATION

Co-directors Jim Sheridan and David Merriman give Tribeca 2025 audiences a truly extraordinary viewing experience with RE-CREATION. Based on the failed attempt to convict a self-professed murderer in the Irish courts, Sheridan gathers forensics experts, police interviews, evidence, and a fictional jury to see what might have happened if history had played out differently. A spectacular cast assumes the roles of the barristers, the accused, and the lead witness. Sheridan digs into the questions of the case and the delicate nature of one person’s truth.

In 1996, French filmmaker Sophie Toscan Du Plantier arrived at her holiday home in Toormore, West Cork. A witness described a man in a long, dark coat following Sophie for two days. On the third morning, Sophie was found brutally murdered in the lane outside her home. Irish authorities investigated British journalist Ian Bailey. He never faced trial in Ireland despite being tried and convicted in absentia by the French government. It is considered one of Ireland’s most shocking unsolved crimes, and now I know why.

The jury is exceptional as they move through measured recall to furious shouting matches. Their diligence in tracking down evidence and looking at all sides gives me hope that jurors take their duties seriously. Jack Thornton’s editing is a feat. The choice to keep Krieps in the frame for longer than seems normal has a chilling effect. RE-CREATION is akin to live theatre. It is an improvisation session strapped to a ticking time bomb. The audience is the 13th jury member. Sheridan provides newsreel footage, newspaper clippings, video testimony, and audio recordings at the precise times we might feel lost. It is a real-time exploration of possibilities.

Colm Meaney plays Ian Bailey. He is weary and entirely silent. Meany speaks not a single word, but his presence is vital. Vicky Krieps plays the outlier juror #8. She elicits pure, unfiltered emotions by poking the bear and sewing doubt. Krieps is sometimes intentionally antagonistic to prove a point. This role adds to her long resume of chameleon roles. She is relentlessly compelling.

Jim Sheridan also plays Juror #1, serving as a guide and sounding board. Sheridan’s attention to detail is award-worthy. Going as far as to take the jury on a tour of the key locations in the investigation. It’s hard to discern where Sheridan lies on the guilty spectrum personally. His extensive knowledge never feels coercive. He and Merriman skillfully make a case for confusion and conflict, mirroring the state of the evidence.

This hybrid fact and fiction roleplay is intoxicating. True crime fans will eat it up. RE-CREATION is a physical manifestation of every podcast, thriller novel, and Dateline episode come to life. People would pay to participate in something this immersive. Gather all your armchair detectives and get ready to hold your breath. RE-CREATION is one of Tribeca 2025’s best films.

Director: Jim Sheridan, David Merriman

Producer: Fabrizio Maltese, Tina O’Reilly

Screenwriter: Jim Sheridan, David Merriman

Cinematographer: Carlo Thiel

Composer: Anna Rice

Editor: Jack Thornton

Executive Producer: Jim Sheridan

Associate Producer: Gráinne Carroll, Mark Ward

Line Producer: Solveig Harper

Production Designer: Christina Schaffer

Costume Design: Magdalena Labuz

Funding Partners: Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland, Film Fund Luxembourg, Eurimages, Latido FIlms and Doha Film Institute

Sound Engineer: Carlo Thoss

Cast: Vickey Krieps, Jim Sheridan, Aidan Gillen, Colm MeaneyRe-Creation

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‘HONEYJOON’ (Tribeca 2025) Mother, daughter, mayhem.

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

HONEYJOON

On the anniversary of the family patriarch, mother-daughter team Lela and June find themselves on a vacation together. Lilian T. Mehrel‘s HONEYJOON arrives at Tribeca 2025 with humor, heart, and healing.

Persian-Kurdish Lela longs to connect in the wake of her grief. American June wants some no strings attached vacation ass. Lela remains deeply connected to her heritage and global events. June is self-absorbed. After booking a private tour, each woman forms a different bond with their guide, João. Lela and June relive their long goodbye through the experiences of his dementia-ridden grandmother. Their relationship organically evolves through sadness, miscommunication, honesty-drenched barbs, and heartfelt laughter.

José Condessa creates a vibrant and charming character. He is sensitive and caring, everything a woman desires in a man. Condessa is dazzling. Ayden Mayeri gives June a true egocentric millennial with an unresolved emotional trauma vibe, which is precisely what Lilian T. Mehrel intended. Mayeri effortlessly glides into June’s arc. Amira Casar takes on Lela with a lived-in authenticity and passion. She holds each frame with her powerful presence. These two women share gorgeous chemistry.

Cinematographer Inés Gowland delivers thoughtful framing and takes full advantage of natural light. The work heightens the overall feeling of the film.

HONEYJOON is perfect for adult children and their parents. It is a gorgeous example of generational nuance and the unspoken turmoil within every mother-daughter relationship. Tribeca audiences will undoubtedly connect on every level.

Written & Directed by Lilian T. Mehrel
Producers: Andreia Nunes, Lilian T. Mehrel, Wonder Maria Filmes, Bärli Films
Production Companies: Wonder Maria Filmes, Bärli Films
Screenwriter: Lilian T. Mehrel

Director of Photography: Inés Gowland

Starring Ayden Mayeri & Amira Casar, José Condessa

Tribeca AT&T Untold Stories Award 2024 Winner

HONEYJOON is a sexy, emotional comedy about… a mother-daughter trip.

Persian-Kurdish Lela (Amira Casar) and her sensual American daughter June (Ayden Mayeri) travel to a romantic Azorean island, for the one-year anniversary of Dad’s death. They planned this trip to be together, but Lela & June have opposite views about why they’re there, how to grieve, and June’s tiny bikini. Surrounded by honeymooners, doom-scrolling for Woman Life Freedom, and taken on a tour by their hot philosophical guide, João (José Condessa); Lela and June find each other… coming back to life.

Supported by the SFFILM Rainin Grant.

Script developed at the TorinoFilmLab and Cine Qua Non Lab.

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‘INSIDE’ (Tribeca 2025) A human portrait of cyclical violence.

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

INSIDE

Filmmaker Charles Williams brings Tribeca 2025 audiences a nuanced story of empathy. On the cusp of parole after a long sentence, Warren gets assigned an incoming 17-year-old transfer named Mel. Mark, a self-proclaimed religious reformer and child murderer, becomes the target of Mel and Warren’s violent scheme. After the three men begin to communicate, everything changes.

It becomes clear early on that fear and unresolved trauma impede Mel’s release. He lashes out to prolong his release. Getting polar opposite advice from Mark and Warren, Mel enters a quiet tailspin of decision-making as the clock runs down.

INSIDE boasts some of the best individual performances of the festival. Cosmo Jarvis is one of those actors who possesses an unspoken power. Each role he chooses leaves an indelible impression on your soul. Playing Mel’s initial cellmate, Mark, Jarvis delivers a perfect physical and vocal affectation that mesmerizes the audience from beginning to end.

Guy Pearce is a legend. Warren’s goal is emotional redemption for past transgressions, but reality outside forces him to save the only soul he can on the inside. Pearce is a quiet storm. His masterful ability to speak volumes with nothing but a breath proves vital to Warren’s arc. He is an unconventional guardian angel. Vincent Miller captivates as our young leading man. He comes with an unusually mature sense of self, and his comfort in front of the screen and alongside other screen titans is beyond impressive.

Charles Williams‘s diligent research is evident in the casting choices, facilities, and programs inside the prison system. He delves into the surprising depth of morality and motivation. The script turns in ways you won’t expect. Williams explores the base instincts of survival and blows every expectation out of the water. The film is a meditation on cyclical trauma. It is messy, heartbreaking, and utterly engrossing. The complexity of INSIDE will shock you.

Spotlight Narrative

Feature | Australia | 103 MINUTES | English | English subtitles

PRISON DRAMA STARS ACADEMY AWARD-NOMINEE GUY PEARCE (The Brutalist), COSMO JARVIS (Shogun, Warfare) & NEWCOMER VINCENT MILLER

Quiver Distribution will release INSIDE in US theaters on June 20th, following the film’s North American premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival on June 7th, in the spotlight narrative section

Written and Directed by Charles Williams in his directorial debut, Inside is an Australian prison drama that tells the story of Mel Blight (Miller), who after being transferred from juvenile to adult prison, is taken under the wing of both Mark Shepard (Jarvis), Australia’s most despised criminal, and Warren Murfett (Pearce), a soon-to-be-paroled inmate. As a paternal triangle grows between them, we see that even the worst of men have a little bit of good inside that will be their undoing.

Driven by the need to explore what might have been, writer and director Charles Williams spent four years visiting and interviewing officers and inmates in Australian prisons. Many take part in this debut feature film and Williams was rigorous in every detail, down to taking the exact percentage of Indigenous people incarcerated in Victoria — 10.8% — and then having exactly 11% of the cast be Indigenous. There is neither judgment, nor forgiveness, for the characters — instead there is a curious compassion and clear-eyed view of the system these men are in and the world that shaped them.

Remaining Tribeca Screenings:

06/08/2025, 6:00 PM at AMC-04 – 2nd Screening

06/12/2025, 3:00 PM at VEC-04 – 3rd Screening

06/13/2025, 6:15 PM at VEC-06 – 4th Screening

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‘THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE LEOPARD’ (Tribeca 2025) Thought-provoking and exquisite, in every way.

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE LEOPARD

David Verbeek takes Tribeca 2025 audiences on a journey of connectivity, science, and identity in THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE LEOPARD.

Beautiful close-ups combined with Jay Cheng‘s haunting score, a Hitchcockian narrative bait-and-switch draw you in. A yet unknown narrator guides us through chapters. The film opens with a young man struggling to find his way in life. Then, we meet her, a young girl raised by wolves in the middle of the forest. Our mystery narrator turns out to be a scientist she has a brief connection with during her initial captivation, Tanaka.

Jumping two years, we discover One under the care of two progressive scientists, Wynona and Ellias, AKA – Mother and Father, AKA – The Fox and The Leopard. Their teachings are heavily philosophical, climate-focused, and predominantly behavioral reprogramming. They live on what appears to be an old oil rig they call The Sea Palace, entirely isolated from the outside world. They tell One a tale of societal downfall and the poisoning of the Earth, giving her a darkly skewed version of herself and the world.

One discovers an imprisoned Indian sailor below and begins to learn more about what her “parents” describe as the Old World. One slowly begins to realize that she has been taken from everything she’s known to a place far more dangerous.

THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE LEOPARD shifts one final time in Chapter 3. Renamed Alice, One navigates the real world. It is evident that her faux parents have lied to her. Her interpersonal skills are what most would consider lacking, but that could not be further from the truth. In a final twist, Tanaka reappears in Alice’s life, much to her chagrin.

Naomi Kawase serves predominantly as the narrator, playing Tanaka. What little screentime she has is dazzling. Her gentle storytelling guides the viewer along this strange journey. Marie Jung and Nicholas Pinnock play our Fox and Leopard, respectively. Both are fierce, toxic, and incredible.

Jessica Reynolds is extraordinary. Wolf Girl endures unimaginable change from a wild being to humanity and back again. Her feral instincts are utterly mesmerizing. As she accompanies Elias and Wynona, she moves into toddler-like behavior, wide-eyed wonder, inquisitive exploration, and unbridled rage. Renamed One, she still craves affection like a canine, ultimately leading to the collapse of her Sea Palace existence. Alice’s final act is a masterclass in acting.

Structurally, the film is part fairytale and part science fiction. The story thrives in the morally grey. As a parent of neurodivergent children, THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE LEOPARD felt like watching an ABA therapist work with my son at two years old. Tanaka’s narration further explores this parallel notion. Verbeek delves into exploitation and then delivers a conclusion that is nothing short of perfect. Tribeca 2025 audiences will never stop talking about this film.

Director: David Verbeek THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE LEOPARD

Producer: Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit, Judy Tossell

Screenwriter: David Verbeek

Cinematographer: Frank van der Eeden

Composer: Jay Cheng

Editor: Matthieu Laclau

Production Designer: Elsje de Bruijn

Executive Producer: Remy Mulder, Niki Leskinen, Roosa Toivonen, Ari Tolppanen, Greg Martin

Co-Producer: Alexandra Hoesdorff, Desirée Nosbusch, Jessie Fisk, Patrick Mao Huang, Siniša Juričić, Dries Phlypo

Sound Editor: Greg Vittore

Cast: Jessica Reynolds, Nicholas Pinnock, Marie Jung, Naomi Kawase, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE LEOPARD

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‘TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN’ (Tribeca 2025) Masterpiece or Mastermind. Either way, it’s brilliant.

Posted on June 7, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

In his Tribeca 2025 doc, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN, Ole Juncker takes us behind the scenes of a story that rocked the art world. Jens Haaning is internationally known for his tongue-in-cheek approach to art. The Kunsten Museum commissions Haaning to recreate an original piece for an exhibit centered on labor. They gave Jens half a million kroner, meant to be displayed. When the frames showed up at the museum, the canvases were empty. Kunsten decides to sue. The flurry of international press sparks a broader debate about paying artists and who determines the value of art.

Editor Lars Juul utilizes animation sequences, home videos, and photos as transition packages under Haaning’s narration. Jens describes a rather sad childhood, and when we discover he is coping with bipolar, the manic behavior he exhibits up until this point in the film suddenly makes sense. Jens is a whirling dervish, both physically and in erratic decision-making. The camera almost struggles to keep up with him, pacing the room as he tries to find 800,000 kroner in a few hours. With his new assistant, Ditte, a woman with the patience of a saint, we observe Jens yelling at the bank, unloading ideas onto his agents, and offloading one of his pieces for half price. The audience begins to question their reality.

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN is wildly immersive. Rune Palving‘s sound design heightens the chaos by piping in high-frequency tones over Jens’ manic episodes, while Juul’s quick-take editing that mimics his brain is brilliant.

Is Take The Money And Run a work of genius or a scam? Jens is adamant that his art comes from a damn-the-man mentality, and his argument is entirely valid. Once Juncker reveals more about Jens’ previous exhibits, all of them unsold, a clearer picture comes into view. Or does it? Alongside this head-spinning race for cash, Kunsten’s trial against Jens rapidly approaches. The verdict sends him spiraling. It is then, and only then, in the final few minutes of the film, that we discover what inspired the piece. But is it the truth?

Ole Juncker puts us inside the dizzying mind of an artist. If you’re an art fan, you will love it. If you weren’t one before, I defy you to say no to a gallery visit. TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN allows the viewer to decide what art is and who the potential villain is. It will have everyone talking, and isn’t that the point? What a perfect match of film and festival.

Directed by Ole Juncker
Director: Ole Juncker
Producer: Mette Heide
Screenwriter: Ole Juncker
Cinematographer: Ole Juncker
Editor: Lars Juul
Co-Producer:Bjarte Tveit Mørner

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
By Ole Juncker

Documentaries can be an escape into a completely different world and another person’s mind. TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN is just such a film. If you live an ordinary life like me, it’s liberating and intoxicating to enter the twisted mind and tumultuous life of artist Jens Haaning as he does what we all dream of but dare not: namely, run with all the money. Jens’ action set off a firework inside my head. For me personally, it was an escape from everyday life to follow Jens’ adventure. Are you crazy or a genius if you dare to change the rules so drastically? I was immediately fascinated by Haaning and the story, which was both humorous and thought-provoking, and I love how an art-piece ended up being widely discussed in all parts of society and around the world.

ABOUT JENS HAANING

Jens Haaning (born 1965) is a Danish conceptual artist who graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. He has had solo exhibitions at Wiener Secession, San Francisco Art Institute, and Gallery Nicolai Wallner, among others, and has participated in group exhibitions around the world, such as Documenta XI in Germany, the Istanbul Biennial, MoMA in New York, and the Sydney Biennale. TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN

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‘CUERPO CELESTE’ (Tribeca 2025)

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

CUERPO CELESTE

Filmmaker Nayra Ilic Garcia brings Tribeca 2025 audiences CUERPO CELESTE, a film about the inevitability of change, for better or worse.

The film opens on New Year’s Eve on an isolated coastal beach with 15-year-old Celeste, her parents, family, and friends. A warm, lazy day of swimming, lounging, learning to drive, exploring the Atacama Desert landscape for fossils, songs by firelight, and stolen moments with a crush. It is a core childhood memory. The following morning, 1990 begins with a sudden tragedy, and Celeste’s path alters forever.

The story moves through time to almost a year later. An eclipse is coming. Celeste’s now estranged mother plans to sell the house, has given away her father’s life’s work, and thinks she can step back into parenting without the consequences of near abandonment. Celeste challenges the rules, discovering that her mother is not the only vastly different thing since she was last there.

Helen Mrugalski gives Celeste a lived-in maturity. To understand that she was only 14 during filming makes her performance all the more impressive. She is a star.

Cinematographer Sergio Armstrong‘s distinctive style is breathtaking. It is both a celebration of the desert topography and yet maintains stunning intimacy. Roberto Espinoza‘s sound design is revelatory. There is patience in Valerie Hernandez‘s editing. In a post-Pinochet nation, CUERPO CELESTE is a microcosm of the national Chilean political shift. It is a clever parallel. Nayra Ilic Garcia delivers an examination of time, grief, healing, secrets, and change. It is a moving coming-of-age story.

ABOUT THE FILM
Summer, 1990. As Chile’s dictatorship draws to a close, fifteen-year-old Celeste spends the holidays with her family on a remote beach by the Atacama Desert. When an event shatters her adolescence and sends her mother into a downward spiral, their world begins to shift.

Months later, drawn by the promise of a solar eclipse, Celeste returns to that same place, but nothing is the same. In a country on the brink of transformation, she must navigate her own path forward.

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Nayra Ilic García
STARRING Helen Mrugalski, Daniela Ramírez, Néstor Cantillana, Mariana Loyola. Nicolás Contreras, Clemente Rodríguez. Erto Pantoja
PRODUCED BY Fernando Bascuñán & Úrsula Budnik
CO-PRODUCED BY Luigi Chimienti, Alessandro Amato, Dominga Ortúzar, Florencia Rodríguez
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY Sergio Armstrong A.C.C.
EDITING BY Valentina Hernández
MUSIC BY David Tarantino

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‘AN EYE FOR THE EYE’ (Tribeca 2025) A brutal blame game seeped in patriarchal injustice.

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

Tanaz Eshaghian and Farzad Jafari‘s Tribeca 2025 documentary, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, tells the story of Tahereh, an Iranian woman who murdered her husband following 18 years of abuse. One shocking night leads to Hossein’s strangulation and secret burial inside their home. After 14 years in prison and two years out on bail, now Hossein’s family, specifically his brother Bashir, gets to decide Tahereh’s fate – accept a blood money payment or order her execution.

While hearing details from Tahereh, we witness the ongoing negotiation process. Ms. Jabarzegegan, an anti-execution activist, convinces Bashir to lower his settlement demand from 1.5 billion tomans ($36,000) to 800 thousand tomans. But two weeks after the verbal agreement, Bashir dies of a heart attack. His arrangement was never notarized. Now, it falls onto the shoulders of his son, a young man much more influenced by his new grief and the words of his elders. Tahereh and her children are running out of time.

Behind the two families battling for their desired outcome is the initial police investigation and the suggestion that Tahereh hired a hitman. But, not just any hitman, a man the police want to suggest was her lover. This question hangs in the air like a dark cloud, but Tahereh proclaims she would rather be known as a murderer than a whore. That is somehow worse in her community.

Eshaghian and Jafari use the investigative narrative as a thread throughout the film. The film opens with the discovery of the body and the subsequent search for who and how. Crime photos are relatively tame if you are an avid Discovery ID watcher.

The blame game between the families is difficult to watch. The cherrypicking of religious teachings is incredibly infuriating. Watching Tahereh’s youngest son openly show emotion over his childhood terror will wreck you. He has to hear potential donors, the police, the courts, and his religious leaders tell him again and again that 18 years of domestic abuse is not an excuse for murder.

The gender disparity looms large. The patriarchal structure defies humanity. This is not just an Islamic issue. All over the world, women are killed by abusers after authorities do nothing to protect them when they reach out for help. Statistics do not lie. Tahereh says something that sums up their entire journey. “I killed him once, he killed us a thousand times.”

Directed by Tanaz Eshagian and Farzad Jafari

Producers: Christoph Jörg, Katayoun Arsanjani, Joey Marra, Gelareh Kiazand

Co-Producers: Kasper Lykke Schultz, Andreas Dalsgaard

Executive Producers: William Horberg, Zhang Xin, David Cowan, David & Nina Fialkow, Tanaz Eshaghian

With the support of the Danish Film Institute
Editors: Soren B. Ebbe, Hayedeh Safiyari

“An Eye For An Eye” follows Tahereh, a mother of three in Tehran who, after being repeatedly denied a divorce, decided that her only way out of an abusive marriage was to murder her husband.

Under Sharia Law, when a murder is committed in Iran, the family of the victim gets to decide whether to execute the murderer – an eye for an eye – or to grant them total forgiveness in exchange for a “blood money” settlement. The story unfolds after Tahereh has been released from serving her prison sentence and negotiations begin with her in-laws to decide her fate.

“An Eye For An Eye” is a complicated murder mystery, that quickly pivots into a ticking clock thriller as Tahereh and her son race around Tehran to scrape together the money in time to save her life. It culminates in a high-stakes courtroom drama as judgment day arrives, and both sides of the family stand before a judge to complete their negotiation – when they leave the room, she will either be free for the first time in her life or be sentenced to death.

In Farsi with English Subtitles

84 minutes. AN EYE FOR AN EYE AN EYE FOR AN EYE

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‘RUNA SIMI’ (Tribeca 2025) A beautiful story about inclusion and the preservation of language.

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

RUNA SIMI

Augusto Zegarra‘s heartwarming first feature follows a father who yearns to bring the joy of The Lion King to millions of children in their language, Quechua. RUNA SIMI is a bona fide David and Goliath story.

Voice actor and radio host Fernando Valencia lives in Cusco, Peru, with his young son, Dylan. After his dubbing clips went viral, Fernando embarks on a journey to have Disney agree to let him dub the entirety of Simba’s story. It is an uphill battle.

Quechua has slowly been branded a lower-class language. Some children are still teased for speaking it. In reality, there are approximately 10 million Quechua speakers across six South American countries.

We meet Fernando’s mother. We discover the parallels between his childhood and Simba’s. Fernando tries to call Disney but reaches the legal department’s voicemail again and again. After a barrage of DMs to all corporate arms, it is one message to The Lion King’s director, Rob Minkoff, that finally gets traction. Minkoff gives Fernando the reality check we fear in our gut, but he does think the idea has legs and comes from the right place.

To any Disney fan or parent watching, this idea seems like a no-brainer. If you expose more people to films, your revenue and brand thrive. As a former employee of the company (on the performance side), I can tell you their contracts are ironclad and very lengthy. You will undoubtedly find yourself rooting for Fernando’s mission.

Defying all the odds and the lawyers’ advice, Fernando gathers a local Quechua cast, including little Dylan as young Simba, creating a dazzling version of the beloved tale in his studio. The result is a triumph.

I am fully aware of the irony of how I know Cusco. It is the setting for the Disney film The Emperor’s New Groove. Renzo Rivas‘s camerawork is patient and breathtaking. In wide shots of the Peruvian landscape, Fernando honors the spirits of nature and has deep discussions with his son. Fernando is the kind of parent we all strive to be. He imbues the importance of all things, big and small, creating a safe place for empathy and learning.

Fernando is trying to preserve not just the Quechua language but his people’s culture and identity. RUNA SIMI is a celebration of family and the importance of our past. One of the film’s most poignant moments comes at a dubbing conference where Fernando shows clips to an audience of Indigenous speakers. The pure delight on the faces of the viewers is beyond magic.

RUNA SIMI is another stunning example of why representation matters. If a child can see themselves on the screen, they can dream bigger. But it is also about access and equity. Indigenous voices are vital in our quest for authentic storytelling. Tribeca 2025 audiences, get ready for a warm hug of nostalgia while cheering for a genuine hero. “Every child in the world has a right to entertainment.” Full stop.

RUNA SIMI. Peru, 2025, 81 min. In Spanish, Quechua, and English with English
Subtitles.

Written and directed by Augusto Zegarra

Producers: Claudia Chávez Lévano
and Paloma Iturriaga

Executive Producers: Ellen Schneider, Benjamin Bratt, Peter
Bratt, Alpita Patel,Dominique Bravo, Bill and Ruth Ann Harnisch.

Production Company: Alaska 88

Director of Photography: Renzo Rivas

Editor: Carlos Rojas Felice

Composer: Pauchi Sasaki.

Main subjects:
Fernando Valencia, Dylan Valencia.

About the Director:

Augusto Zegarra is a Peruvian filmmaker based in Lima with a BFA in Film and Media Arts from the University of Utah. His first short film, Wiñaymanta, was one of the winners of the Ministry of Culture of Peru National Prize in 2014. With a deep passion for storytelling, he uses film as a tool to explore identity, language, and memory. In 2017, he started the research for his first feature-length film Runa Simi, later produced with support from the Ministry of Culture of Peru, the Sundance Institute, the Embassy of Switzerland in Peru, CineLatino of Rencontres Toulouse and Storyboard Collective. Runa Simi has participated at the IDFA Forum (Rough Cut), GLAFF WIP, DocsBarcelona, ChileConecta, ARCA Residency in Cabo de Hornos, and FIFDH Impact Lab.

For all things Tribeca, click here!

Tribeca 2025 is almost here. Get ready for the buzz to get loud with world premieres galore.

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

Tribeca 2025

Tribeca is back with a vengeance. This year, the festival features new and exciting storytellers who break barriers, make us laugh, and spark conversations. This year’s fest runs from June 4th to the 15th.

ABOUT THE TRIBECA FESTIVAL
The Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, brings artists and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, music, audio storytelling, games, and immersive. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is synonymous with creative expression and entertainment. Tribeca champions emerging and established voices, discovers
award-winning talent, curates innovative experiences, and introduces new ideas through exclusive premieres, exhibitions, conversations, and live performances.

The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World
Trade Center. The annual Tribeca Festival will celebrate its 24th year from June 4–15, 2025, in New York City.

In 2019, James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems bought a majority stake in Tribeca Enterprises, bringing together Rosenthal, De Niro, and Murdoch to grow the enterprise.

ABOUT THE 2025 TRIBECA FESTIVAL PARTNERS
The 2025 Tribeca Festival is presented by OKX and with the support of our partners: AT&T, Audible, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, Canva, CHANEL, City National Bank, Don Julio Tequila, Indeed, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, NBC4 and Telemundo 47, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, National CineMedia, New York Magazine, Spring Studios New York, The Wall Street Journal, Variety, Vulture, and Whalar.

Take a look at a few Tribeca 2025 films, long and short, and pilots we’re keeping our eyeballs peeled for. For the entire lineup, click here!

THE BEST YOU CAN – World Premiere – Spotlight Narrative Tribeca 2025

Directed & written by: Michael J. Weithorn
Starring: Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin Bacon, Judd Hirsch, Brittany O’Grady

Reuniting Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon on screen for the first time in twenty years, THE BEST YOU CAN is a sharp, touching, and laugh-out-loud exploration of change, losing our bearings, and finding connection in the most unexpected places. This character-driven comedy is a reminder that sometimes the people who understand us best are the ones who are nothing like us.

RT: 103 Minutes

ARE WE GOOD? – New York Premiere – Spotlight+ Tribeca 2025

Directed by: Steven Feinartz
Starring: Marc Maron

An intimate portrait of comedian and podcast pioneer Marc Maron, following the sudden loss of his partner and filmmaker Lynn Shelton. Maron struggles with grief, disillusionment, and a shifting comedy landscape.

RT: 95 Minutes Tribeca 2025

OUR HERO, BALTHAZAR -Viewpoints

Director: Oscar Boyson

Cast: Jaeden Martell, Asa Butterfield, Chris Bauer, Jennifer Ehle, Anna Baryshnikov, Noah Centineo, Becky Ann Baker, Avan Jogia, Pippa Knowles

Wealthy New York City teenager Balthazar “Balthy” Malone (Jaeden Martell) has a crush on a classmate who organizes gun control protests. To gain her attention, he creates dramatic social media videos pleading for stricter gun laws. When an online troll (Asa Butterfield) begins mocking his videos, Balthy becomes convinced that he is communicating with a potential mass shooter and impulsively decides to travel to Texas to confront him in person. What starts as a misguided hero’s journey evolves into a complex encounter between two young men from vastly different worlds, each struggling to find their place in a divided America.

91 MINUTES Tribeca 2025

BIRD IN HAND – World Premiere – US Narrative Competition Tribeca 2025

Directed by: Melody C. Roscher
Starring: Alisha Wainwright, Christine Lahti, James Le Gros, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Jeffrey Nordling, K. Todd Freeman

Bird in Hand follows Bird Rowe, a biracial bride-to-be who arrives unannounced at her charismatic hippie mother Carlotta’s rural home, to plan her wedding. As the two scout wedding venues, their attempts at bonding quickly unravel as buried truths surface, revealing an emotionally complex and fraught relationship. Bird enlists the help of the new neighbors who have recently bought a nearby plantation, sparking an unlikely connection. A darkly comedic and emotionally raw exploration of race, family, and identity, Bird in Hand is a sharp portrait of a young woman’s desperate search for connection—no matter how messy it gets.

RT: 87 Minutes Tribeca 2025

HORSEGIRLS – World Premiere – US Narrative Competition Tribeca 2025
Directed by: Lauren Meyering
Starring: Lillian Carrier, Gretchen Mol, Jerrod Haynes
Produced by: Alix Madigan, Michael Sherman, Mackenzie Breeden

After her mother’s illness returns, 22-year-old Margarita, a young woman with autism, discovers the world of hobbyhorsing and sets out to prove her independence to her mother—stick horse and all.

RT: 101 Minutes

“As a mother of neurodivergent children, this film’s authenticity screams off the screen. It is a must-see.”

JIMMY & THE DEMONS – World Premiere – Spotlight Documentary Tribeca 2025

Directed by: Cindy Meehl

A magical journey into the artistic life and inner mind of celebrated sculptor, James Grashow, who, at age 79, devotes four years to creating his magnum opus.

RT: 93 Minutes

DEAD LANGUAGE – Viewpoints

While waiting at the airport for her husband, Aya (Sarah Adler) is mistaken for someone else. Intrigued, she decides to pick up a complete stranger (Ulrich Thomsen) on a whim. Their encounter sparks an unexpected intimacy that unsettles Aya’s sense of certainty and awakens a yearning she neither fully understands nor knows how to fulfill. Her quiet search for meaning unfolds in a hotel room, a customer service chat and in subtle disruptions to her daily routine, as we are taken through a woman’s delicate and honest search for something meaningful.

Director: Mihal Brezis, Oded Binnun

Cast: Sarah Adler, Ulrich Thomsen, Yehezkel Lazarov, Lars Eidinger

110 MINUTES Tribeca 2025

RE-CREATION – World Premiere – Spotlight Narrative
Directed by: Jim Sheridan & David Merriman
Starring: Vicky Krieps, Jim Sheridan, Aidan Gillen, and Colm Meaney

In a fictitious trial, twelve members of a jury must decide whether British journalist Ian Bailey is guilty of the murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan Du Plantier in 1996. Based on real events, the film reconstructs, through the discussions between these twelve people, a case that ultimately invites the viewer to draw their own conclusions.

RT: 89 Minutes

SHE DANCES – World Premiere – Spotlight Narrative Tribeca 2025
Directed by: Rick Gomez
Starring: Steve Zahn, Audrey Zahn, Mackenzie Ziegler, Ethan Hawke, Sonequa Martin-Green, Rosemarie DeWitt

Forced to reconnect on the road to her final dance competition, a father and daughter must confront their fractured relationship. As they navigate a shared tragedy, the whirlwind of the Young Miss Southeast Regional Dance Finals becomes the backdrop for their journey toward healing. She Dances is a story about rediscovering family and finding yourself—about accepting what is, letting it shape you, and recognizing who you are through the memories of those you love most.

RT: 93 Minutes

LEMONADE BLESSING (Section: US Narrative Competition) Tribeca 2025

WORLD PREMIERE

Directed and written by: Chris Merola

Starring: Jake Ryan, Jeanine Serralles, Skye Alyssa Friedman, Miles J. Harvey, Michael Oloyede, Todd Gearhart, and Keith William Richards

Freshly tossed into a private Catholic high school by his devout mother, John (Jake Ryan) falls head over heels for a devious classmate ready to push his faith (and morals) to the brink with a series of increasingly uncomfortable actions, all in the name of love. ‘

100 MINS

“This former Catholic school product approves of all the messaging and coming-of-age authenticity!”

DEEP COVER – Spotlight Narrative

Directed by Tom Kingsley

Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, Paddy Considine, Sonoya Mizuno, with Ian McShane and Sean Bean

DEEP COVER is a fast-paced action comedy starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Kat, an improv comedy teacher beginning to question if she’s missed her shot at success. When an undercover cop (Sean Bean) offers her the role of a lifetime, she recruits two of her students (Orlando Bloom and Nick Mohammed) to infiltrate London’s gangland by impersonating dangerous criminals.

Coming to Prime Video June 12, 2025

109 MINUTES Tribeca 2025

THE WOLF, THE FOX AND THE LEOPARD (International Narrative Competition)

A film by David Verbeek

Starring: Jessica Reynolds, Nicholas Pinnock, Marie Jung and Naomi Kawase

A feral young woman raised by wolves is captured and thrust into modern society, only to be rescued by a radical couple who isolate her on an abandoned oil rig. As she uncovers the lies of her new “parents”, she is forced to stand on her own two feet and ultimately decide whether to integrate into society or return to the wild.

124 MINUTES

“This hybrid fairytale about trauma is not to be missed.”

WIZKID: LONG LIVE LAGOS – Spotlight+

Director: Karam Gill

Subjects: Femi-Anikulapo Kuti, Ayodeji Balogun, Jada Pollock, Julie Adenuga, Seni Saraki, Sunday Are, Matthew Temitope Solomon, Karen Binns, Adosu Segan, Tops Bademosi

From Lagos to London, this powerful documentary follows Wizkid’s rise as a global icon reshaping how Africa is seen — and heard — around the world. Blending intimate moments, explosive performances, and cultural commentary, the film captures how Wizkid is using his platform to change perceptions, reclaim African identity, and inspire a new generation. Directed by Karam Gill. Produced by Karam Gill, Daniel Malikyar. An HBO Documentary Films Release.

83 MINUTES Tribeca 2025

HONEYJOON (Viewpoints)

Written & Directed by Lilian T. Mehrel

Starring Ayden Mayeri & Amira Casar, José Condessa

HONEYJOON is a sexy, emotional comedy about… a mother-daughter trip.

Persian-Kurdish Lela (Amira Casar) and her American daughter June (Ayden Mayeri) take a trip to a romantic Azorean island, for the one-year anniversary of Dad’s death. They planned this trip to be together, but Lela & June have opposite views about why they’re there, how to grieve, and June’s tiny bikini. Surrounded by honeymooners, doom-scrolling for Woman Life Freedom, and taken on a tour by their hot philosophical guide, João (José Condessa); Lela and June find each other… coming back to life.

75 minutes Tribeca 2025

AN EYE FOR AN EYE (Documentary Competition)

Directors: Tanaz Eshaghian, Farzad Jafari

Convicted of murdering her husband, Tahereh served her sentence and now faces a ticking clock to negotiate with her in-laws who, under Sharia law in Iran, have the legal right to either execute her or forgive her- for a price.

84 MINUTES

THE END OF QUIET (Documentary Competition)

Directors: Kasper Bisgaard, Mikael Lypinski

A meditative documentary that offers a glimpse into one of the few inhabited places on Earth where Wi-Fi and phone signals are not allowed to reach.

83 MINUTES

TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN- Spotlight Documentary

Director/Producer: Ole Juncker

Brilliance or bold-faced theft? In 2021, the Kunsten Museum got more than it bargained for when Danish artist Jens Haaning borrowed $83,000 for a commissioned piece—then delivered an empty frame. Titled with brazen wit, Take the Money and Run ignited a global firestorm: was it a scathing critique of capitalism, or the slickest art-world heist in history?

82 MINUTES

COUNTING CROWS: HAVE YOU SEEN ME LATELY? – Spotlight Documentary

Director: Amy Scott

Subjects: Adam Duritz, Cyndi Lauper, Steve Kerr, Chris Martin, Jeff Ross, Mary-Louise Parker

Catapulted into overnight fame by their massively successful debut album, San Francisco indie rock band Counting Crows and their introspective frontman Adam Duritz were suddenly the biggest rockstars in the world, defiantly facing whatever came next. Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? captures this pivotal crossroads through revealing interviews and evocative 1990’s archival to craft a rare story of artistic integrity in the spotlight. Directed by Amy Scott. Produced by Brian Morrow, Jonathan Lynch. An HBO Documentary Films Release.

90 MINUTES Tribeca 2025

YANUNI (Closing Night Gala)

Directed by RICHARD LADKANI

Produced by ANITA LADKANI, RICHARD LADKANI, JUMA XIPAIA, LEONARDO DICAPRIO, JENNIFER DAVISSON, PHILLIP WATSON

Executive Producers include JOANNA NATASEGARA, LAURA NIX, ERIC TERENA, DAX DASILVA, MARTIN CHOROBA, PHILIPP SCHALL

YANUNI is a cinematic portrait of Juma Xipaia, an Indigenous chief from the Brazilian Amazon who rises from a remote village to the frontlines of climate justice. After surviving six assassination attempts, she is appointed Brazil’s first Secretary of Indigenous Rights—while her husband, a federal IBAMA agent, leads dangerous operations against illegal gold miners. As Juma navigates political power, growing threats, and impending motherhood, she is forced to confront the personal cost of resistance. At once intimate and epic, YANUNI is a powerful story of Indigenous sovereignty, love, and the urgent fight to protect the planet we call home.

112 MINUTES

SEASONED (World Premiere — Indie Episodic (NOW)

Directed by Ewen Wright

Written by Gideon Grody-Patinkin, Ewen Wright

Starring Mandy Patinkin, Kathryn Grody

Synopsis: Based on the real lives of Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody, “Seasoned” follows the delightfully tumultuous relationship and life of this successful, gregarious, deeply committed, slightly insane married couple. They’re each other’s greatest cheerleaders and harshest critics. The source of their unending magic is the same as their unending woe: that they’ve stayed together all these years. They struggle, they fail, they forgive, they learn, they remain bewildered, and most importantly, they hold everything together through love. As they navigate a society that feels as if it’s crumbling around them, will they remain standing?

Pilot Episode “Hangry” Synopsis: When Mandy and Kathryn miss their anniversary dinner reservation, they’re forced to try and find a new place to eat. Wandering New York City in an effort to salvage the occasion, 40 years of marital dynamics are laid bare as everything falls short – first with the food, then with each other.

96 MINUTES

84 MINUTESbeca 2

Follow along with Tribeca 2025 and all things Tribeca Film Festival here!

FANTASIA UNVEILS VIVID FIRST WAVE OF TITLES FOR ITS 29th EDITION

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

FANTASIA UNVEILS VIVID FIRST WAVE OF TITLES FOR ITS 29th EDITION

Steve Pink’s TERRESTRIAL, Kenichi Ugana’s I FELL IN LOVE WITH A Z-GRADE DIRECTOR IN BROOKLYN, Julie Pacino’s I LIVE HERE NOW, Hwang Wook’s THE WOMAN, Hubert Davis’ THE WELL, Yasuhiro Aoki’s CHAO, Kurtis David Harder’s INFLUENCERS, The Adams Family’s MOTHER OF FLIES, Alex Philips’ ANYTHING THAT MOVES, Shuhei Shibue’s YA BOY KONGMIN! THE MOVIE, Brock Bodell’s HELLCAT, and Yeum Moon-kyoung and Lee Jong-min’s LAST WOMAN ON EARTH are among the first titles announced by the Montreal fest

Thursday May 8, 2025 // Montreal, Quebec — The Fantasia International Film Festival will celebrate its upcoming 29th edition with an electrifying program of screenings, workshops, and launch events running from July 17 through August 3, 2025, returning to the Concordia Hall and J.A. de Sève cinemas, with additional screenings and events at Montreal’s Cinéma du Musée.

The festival’s full lineup will be announced in early July but in the meantime, Fantasia is excited to reveal a select first wave of premiere titles.

TERRESTRIAL REVEALS A DIFFERENT SHADE OF (STEVE) PINK

As director of the HOT TUB TIME MACHINE films, ACCEPTED, and ABOUT LAST NIGHT, and the co-writer of HIGH FIDELITY and GROSSE POINT BLANK, Steve Pink has made a distinctive name for himself with individualistic comedy works that ooze personality. Now, he’s exploring darker edges of his sensibilities with TERRESTRIAL, a provocative thriller with unconventional comedy and sci-fi elements, still rooted in character and behavior, but filtered through paranoia and fear. A reunion weekend spirals out of control for four college friends when the host (Jermaine Fowler, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU) a science fiction writer on the verge of newfound success, fights to maintain his sense of reality in the face of sudden, uncanny dangers. Fowler is brilliant here and is flanked by a cast that includes James Morosini (I LOVE MY DAD), Pauline Chalamet (SEX LIFE OF COLLEGE GIRLS), Edy Modica (JURY DUTY), with Rob Yang (SUCCESSION) and Brendan Hunt (TED LASSO). World Premiere.

I FELL IN LOVE WITH A Z-GRADE DIRECTOR IN BROOKLYN IS A HEARTFELT LOVE LETTER TO INDIE HORROR FILMMAKING AND UNDERGROUND CULTURE

Screen star Shina Mizuhara has lost her passion for filmmaking and is now a rude and cynical mean machine. She decides to travel to New York with her perfect boyfriend who dumps her on arrival, leaving Shina without her wallet and cellphone. Speaking only Japanese, she meets Jack, a passionate z-grade director. He and his crew will convince her to star in their next film. Prolific producer/writer/director/MacGyver Kenichi Ugana (THE GESUIDOUZ) shares his love for Independent horror filmmaking and underground culture in the smart, hilarious, and deeply touching romantic comedy I FELL IN LOVE WITH A Z-GRADE DIRECTOR IN BROOKLYN. Actress Ui Mihara (LESSON IN MURDER) delivers a glorious performance as Shina, conveying her journey to regain lost passion with moving honesty and precision. Estevan Muñoz perfectly embodies the spontaneity and charm of Jack. Fans of Jim Jarmusch, Kevin Smith, and obscure horror gems alike will adore this soulful and somehow quite bloody rom-com! World Premiere.

JULIE PACINO MAKES HER DIRECTORIAL DEBUT WITH THE LYNCHIAN I LIVE HERE NOW

With her feature debut I LIVE HERE NOW, Julie Pacino plunges us into a vibrant and nightmarish psychodrama that reverberate with echoes of David Lynch, Dario Argento, and the Coen brothers. Starring Lucy Fry (BRIGHT) as Rose, a woman haunted by trauma and trapped in a motel where reality unravels, the film blurs the lines between past and present, dream and waking life, captured in vivid 16mm. The film pulses with competing anxieties: the pursuit of perfection, the weight of generational trauma, and the invisible fist of capitalism tightening its grip around the necks of its characters. Featuring an all-star supporting cast including Madeline Brewer (CAM), Sheryl Lee (TWIN PEAKS), Cara Seymour (ADAPTATION.), and an exceptionally slimy Matt Rife, I LIVE HERE NOW marks the emergence of a bold new voice in genre cinema. World Premiere. First Wave

J-POP IS A BATTLEFIELD IN YA BOY KONGMIN! THE MOVIE

Zhuge Kongmin, the legendary military strategist of China’s War of the Three Kingdoms, has been inexplicably reincarnated in modern-day Tokyo. He’s now managing the career of a young amateur singer, Eiko. Convinced that her music could bring about universal peace, Kongmin engages in a series of schemes to get Eiko a place in a high-stakes pop-music competition. However, he who seeks peace must prepare for war… Created by writer Tato Yotsuba and manga artist Ryo Ogawa, the YA BOY KONGMIN! franchise has seen huge success as a manga, anime, and live-action TV series, so it was only a matter of time before this strange and hilarious tale found its way to cinemas, and luckily, it’s done so under the dynamic helm of director Shuhei Shibue. Featuring exhilarating performances by J-pop icons such as Avantgardey, Avu-chan from Queen Bees with renowned pianist Kamei Masaya, and Korean band &TEAM, and with a theme song by Lilas Ikuta from the group YOASOBI, YA BOY KONGMIN! THE MOVIE will thrill audiences as its hero pulls out all the stops to win. North American Premiere.

OUR FAVORITE BAD GIRL IS BACK! GET READY TO BE LED ASTRAY AND BETRAYED WITH INFLUENCERS!

Just when you thought it was safe to travel again, CW pops into your feed and activates your FOMO. After 2022’s smash hit INFLUENCER, Kurtis David Harder takes us to the South of France with dark persuasions and fatal outcomes. Starring the one and only Cassandra Naud as the mysterious chameleon CW, there’s no imposter syndrome here! Along with her fantastic co-stars, Veronica Long (BILLY THE KID) and Jonathan Whitesell (HAPPY FACE), they bring a new timeline and sicker-than-ever plans as CW opens her heart to a beautiful new girlfriend, played by Lisa Delamar (SURVIVE). This time, jealousy rears its ugly head as CW locks in on a popular British Influencer named Charlotte (Georgina Campbell, BARBARIAN, LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP), who throws a wrench in her anniversary plans with Diane. Gorgeous cinematography, nasty twists, and an outcome you won’t want to miss, INFLUENCERS will make you fact-check your socials forever! Septentrion Shadows section. World Premiere. First Wave

INDIE KOREAN THRILLER THE WOMAN TRADES IN TENSION AND SUSPENSE

An innocent exchange of strawberries and a secondhand appliance takes a very dark turn for Sun-kyung when it precedes her classmate’s suspicious suicide, and puts her on the trail of a mysterious, sinister stranger. Hwang Wook, the director of the hysterical, award-winning neo-Western black comedy MASH VILLE, an acclaimed World Premiere at last year’s Fantasia, returns to the festival with a new film in a completely different genre. THE WOMAN is a riveting, character-driven psychological thriller, filled with non-stop tension and suspense, thanks to its eerie musical score and stunning cinematography, and boasting an outstanding lead performance by Han Hye-ji. THE WOMAN is yet another excellent slice of independent Korean filmmaking, by a director who needs to be on your radar. World Premiere. First Wave

BUCKLE IN AND HOLD THE FORT

A HOA turns out to be more troublesome than usual in this wildly amusing, FX-heavy freak-out about newly minted suburbanites unexpectedly forced to take part in a struggle against monstrous forces. Narratives about motley groups of ill-equipped characters battling forces of evil are a staple of the modern horror/comedy world, but HOLD THE FORT, from writer/director William Bagley, is many yuks above the norm. With very funny dialogue, outrageous circumstances, and plenty of stylish splatstick as both the human and inhuman are dispatched in gruesome, sometimes giggle-worthy ways, with heaps of spurting, splashing gore and a nonstop parade of practically-created creatures and zombies. Starring Chris Mayers (OZARK), Haley Leary, sketch comic YouTube creator Julian Smith, and Tordy Clark (GLORIOUS), and featuring a charismatic turn from veteran stunt performer Hamid-Reza Benjamin Thompson (BLACK PANTHER, AVENGERS: ENDGAME). World Premiere. First Wave

POST-APOCALYPTIC ECO-THRILLER THE WELL FORETELLS OF ENVIRONMENTAL COLLAPSE

For his narrative feature debut, the Oscar-nominated documentarian Hubert Davis (HARDWOOD, BLACK ICE) looks to the future with a bleak prediction of environmental collapse. As the world’s resources dwindle and a deadly virus keeps people apart, a family protects their fresh water source from outsiders. When a young, injured man disrupts their solitude, and their daughter’s defiance threatens to reveal their precious well to another camp led by a charismatic but steely matriarch, danger brings the two factions together in a thrilling ride. THE WELL sets up a chilling scenario of what could happen in our very near future and is executive-produced by Clement Virgo (BROTHER) and Damon D’Oliveira (WILDHOOD); and stars Arnold Pinnock (THE PORTER), Shailyn Pierre-Dixon (THE BOOK OF NEGROS), Idrissa Sanogo (ROBIN HOOD), and Canadian screen and stage royalty Sheila McCarthy (WOMEN TALKING) as the matriarch Gabriel. Septentrion Shadows section. World Premiere. First Wave

STRANGE STUDENTS WITH STRANGER TALENTS KEEP WATCH IN HONEKO AKABANE’S BODYGUARDS

Despite her popularity, charm, kindness, and sense of justice, schoolgirl Honeko Akabane has hordes of assassins after her, although she doesn’t know it. Her biological father, whom she never met, hires a loud-mouthed young brawler to protect her without her knowledge, because Honeko’s purity and innocence must be maintained. Fortunately, he’s not alone. Winner of Best Director at the Fantasporto film festival, director Jun Ishikawa pulls out all the stops with this exhilarating and hilarious adaptation that perfectly captures the sweet madness of Masamitsu Nigatsu’s manga, brilliantly adapted by scriptwriter Hiroyuki Yatsu (Takashi Miike’s AS THE GODS WILL). The panoply of eccentric characters with formidable and sometimes disturbing talents are played marvelously by an excellent cast of young actors who maintain the light-hearted tone of this hilarious and electrifying action-comedy. North American Premiere.

FANTASY ROMCOM ANIME CHAO MAKES A BIG SPLASH

A junior designer at the leading shipbuilding company might have the key to peaceful relations between humans and merfolk. His role in achieving detente, however, suddenly becomes a lot stranger when the mermaid princess announces that she has selected Stephen as her fiancé! A 21st-century reworking of Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid tale set in a psychedelic, cyberpunk Shanghai, the frenzied and fantastical romantic comedy CHAO comes care of that most distinctive and inventive of anime factories, Studio 4ºC. The first full feature film from director Yasuhiro Aoki (BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT, TWEENY WITCHES) took seven years and over 100,000 drawings to bring to life, and the hard work has paid off. CHAO is a daring and dazzling burst of animated brilliance, one that will catapult Aoki and his punky, unconventional style to the top tier of the anime world. Animation Plus section. North American Premiere.

A WILD TRIBUTE TO 1970s PORNOGRAPHY AND EROTIC THRILLERS WITH ANYTHING THAT MOVES

Shot in stunning Super 16mm, ANYTHING THAT MOVES is the steamy follow-up feature from director Alex Phillips who made audiences laugh and wretch with 2022’s ALL JACKED UP AND FULL OF WORMS, a World Premiere at Fantasia). He’s back with a surreal take on the erotic thriller that strikes the balance between riotous tribute and filthy horror in a film that follows sex worker and bike courier Liam on his adventures making clients happy with orgasms and sandwiches. Liam’s joyful existence is soon interrupted by the arrival of a serial killer, which throws his life into the realm of paranoia and conspiracy, casting a dark shadow over the city of Chicago. In the midst of its juicy gore, bizarre poetry, and switchback storytelling the film features real adult stars Nina Hartley and Ginger Lynn Allen, as well as a brilliant music score by Cue Shop. Underground section. World Premiere.

A SUPERNATURAL RIDE DEEP INTO UNEXPECTED TERRITORY: HELLCAT

A woman (Dakota Gorman) wakes in the back of a moving camper trailer with a badly infected wound. A voice (Todd Terry) from the truck towing it tells her they must reach a mysterious doctor within the hour or she’ll suffer a horrific fate. Thus begins HELLCAT, the feature debut of writer/editor/director Brock Bodell, who previously cut the mind-bending ULTRASOUND (Fantasia 2021), among others. Bodell doesn’t take a wrong turn, delivering a twisty thrill ride of strong characters, shredding tension, and real surprises that takes viewers deep into unexpected places. Featuring SNL’s James Austin Johnson as the voice of a late-night DJ on a supernatural call-in show, and gripping performances from supporting cast Jordan Mullins and Liz Atwater. World Premiere. First Wave First Wave

NECROMANCY AND BELIEF VS CORPOREAL DECAY: MOTHER OF FLIES SPELLBINDS

When a young woman faces a deadly diagnosis, she seeks dark magic from a witch in the woods… but every cure has costs. Written and directed by John and Zelda Adams and Toby Poser (The Adams Family), who also star, shot, edited, and scored, MOTHER OF FLIES is the latest creation from the filmmaking family behind such singular landmarks as THE DEEPER YOU DIG, HELLBENDER, and WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS, each of which has World Premiered at Fantasia. Described by the filmmakers as their fairytale manipulation of the darkly shadowed, yet love-lined pathways between a human life and death, MOTHER OF FLIES is an extraordinary work of personal genre storytelling, gestated through the family’s own experiences battling and surviving cancer. It stands with the strongest of their work, a poetic, haunting, and moving film that glows with otherworldly imagination, exploring the concept of necromancy in connection with two women who have very intimate relationships with death. World Premiere. First Wave First Wave

WHOSE TALE IS TRUE IN KYRGYZ MYSTERY BURNING?

One stormy night, a fire engulfs a family home. In a nearby convenience store, neighbors gossip and speculate: was it black magic, a woman’s madness, or a man crushed by life? Director Radik Eshimov, an emerging Kyrgyz talent known for blending sharp social commentary with humor in hits like EL EMNE DEIT, steps boldly into new territory with the suspenseful BURNING. Anchored by standout performances from its three leads, Aysanat Edigeeva (TAXI), Ömürbek Izrailov (DEAL AT THE BORDER), and Kyrgyz Republic People’s Artist Kalicha Seydalieva, BURNING delivers a gripping mystery told in true RASHOMON fashion. Listen closely, sift through the lies, and decide for yourself: Who really started the fire? North American Premiere.

THE BEARDED GIRL BLENDS SIDESHOW CHARM WITH A COMING-OF-AGE STORY YOU WON’T FORGET

Jody Wilson captures the charm of a fairy tale with a Western sensibility in THE BEARDED GIRL. Cleo is ready to spread her wings and, tired of tradition and feeling like an oddball, she leaves her sheltered carnival life to find love and adventure. Starring Anwen O’Driscoll of BET and YOU CAN LIVE FOREVER as the next generation of sword-swallowing bearded women and MAD MEN’s Jessica Paré as her overbearing mother, Wilson takes her personal experience growing up in Western Canada as a nonconformist to create a confident first feature that highlights queer themes with dry humor and sensitivity. Septentrion Shadows section. World Premiere. First Wave

DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES COLLIDE IN MEXICO’S FIRST STOP-MOTION FEATURE

The task of crafting Mexico’s very first stop-motion animated feature film could not have fallen to four more worthy hands than those of Rodolfo and Arturo Ambriz. Proteges of Guillermo del Toro, the brothers gained widespread recognition with the short film REVOLTOSO (Fantasia 2016), demonstrating daring ideas and a bedeviled attention to detail. Further acclaim arrived in 2021 with FRANKELDA’S BOOK OF SPOOKS, a five-episode miniseries on Cartoon Network Latin America and HBO Max, introducing the phantom author Frankelda and her companion Herneval, an enchanted book. It turns out that the most astonishing tale the two have to tell is their own! The dazzling I AM FRANKELDA explores the challenging childhood of Francisca Imelda, and how she came to befriend Herneval, prince of the realm that lies on the other side of our dreams. Discover that world of weirdness and wonder for yourself as a milestone of animation history comes to life on Fantasia’s big screen! Animation Plus section. North American Premiere. First Wave

THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH JUMPS INTO CINEMA’S GENDER DIVIDE

Hanah’s pitch for her film school project, a satirical revenge story against men, isn’t going over well with her classmates. Especially Cheol, who accuses her of misandry (which she doesn’t deny). Cheol, meanwhile, can’t get funding for his own film because of the lack of female perspective in his script. A very fraught creative partnership begins. Yeum Moon-kyoung and Lee Jong-min star together in what’s also their feature directorial debut, THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH a quirky and immensely entertaining comedy about the unique world of filmmaking and the challenges of gender equality in cinematic storytelling. The dynamic between Yeum and Lee, as well as the highly imaginative B-movie energy of the film-within-the-film scenes, will paste a smile on your face throughout the characters’ creative process. International Premiere. First Wave

A HAUNTING 8MM DESCENT INTO AUSTRALIA’S SURREAL UNDERBELLY

A GRAND MOCKERY, the feature debut from co-directors Adam C. Briggs and Sam Dixon, is a grimy, experimental descent into Australia’s dark underbelly, rendered in the raw textures of 8mm film. Starring Dixon as Josie, a man plagued by mental illness, addiction, and compulsion, the film follows his increasingly horrific, near-ritualistic wandering from Brisbane’s mundane outskirts to the sublime horrors of the Sunshine Coast. With a tone that veers from darkly funny to nightmarishly surreal, the film channels the disorienting psychology of its outcast protagonist. A technical triumph of underground cinema, A GRAND MOCKERY transforms the grain of 8mm into something painterly and visceral, evoking Francis Bacon’s dread-soaked visions while building a phantasmagoric world of blurred realities, hypnotic soundscapes, and cinematic obsession. At once grotesque and poetic, it’s a film that pulses with human chaos and defies categorization. Underground section. International Premiere First Wave

MORE SPECTACULAR SPOOKINESS IN MONONOKE THE MOVIE: CHAPTER II – THE ASHES OF RAGE

After the first film’s sold-out world premiere at last year’s Fantasia, the mysterious Medicine Seller is back for another adventure as director Kenji Nakamura continues his inspired revival of his pop-psychedelic, paranormal-procedural anime phenomenon. The first chapter’s wildly inventive approach to design and technique, immersing the viewer in an overwhelming whirlwind of Edo-period iconography, earned MONONOKE THE MOVIE: PHANTOM IN THE RAIN a Satoshi Kon Award for Best Animated Feature, and its sequel is no less daring, dynamic, and visually dazzling. It digs even deeper into the secrets of a paradise poisoned by patriarchal cruelty, where women are reduced to mere vessels for the offspring of their social betters, for their own families’ cynical ambitions… or for the vengeful spirits of others wronged in the past. Animation Plus section. North American Premiere. First Wave

Fantasia is happy to announce that the festival has signed a three-year agreement with MELS as Presenting Sponsor. Known for its world class soundstages and highly qualified staff, MELS is one of the largest providers of film and television services in Canada. Its turnkey service covers everything from script to screen. Most of MELS’ stages are in downtown Montreal. They have serviced major feature film productions like SCREAM VI, HOME SWEET HOME ALONE, TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS, and more.

The studio’s post-production services include offline editing, image finishing, a full range of sound services and one of North America’s few remaining Kodak-accredited photochemical labs for film-stock processing, supporting 16mm and 35mm. Its services extend to film restoration, deliverables, and digital archiving. MELS also has a very large mixing stage where the sound mix for Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-winning ARRIVAL (also shot at MELS) was done.

MELS is part of Quebecor Inc., a Canadian leader in telecommunications, media, and entertainment. Fantasia has been working closely with Quebecor and its various subsidiaries since 2016.

The 29th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is presented by MELS in collaboration with Concordia University and made possible by the financial support of Telefilm Canada, the Société́ de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC), the Ministère du Tourisme, the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l’Habitation, the city of Montreal, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal, and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC).

The festival would like to thank all its private partners, friends of the event, as well as official suppliers, venues, and all participating filmmakers, sales agents, and distributors for their invaluable support.

Fantasia 2025 tickets and info

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‘THE MOOGAI’ (2025) Jon Bell expands his 2021 short folk horror into a trauma filled feature.

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

THE MOOGAI

Filmmaker Jon Bell delivers a horrific manifestation of unresolved cultural trauma in THE MOOGAI. The film opens in 1970. Aboriginal children have been forcibly removed from their families and adopted into white families for decades. Present day, Sarah Bishop eschews her cultural roots. Once a stolen child, a fact she vehemently denies, the difficult birth of her second child comes with collective wounds and folklore she cannot outrun.

Barely tolerating her birthmother, Ruth, Sarah’s whitewashed existence comes to a halt when an ancient entity rears its ugly head. Sarah’s aggression heightens as her delusions increase. She quickly spirals out of control in every aspect of her life. Sarah’s husband, Fergus, embraces his culture and does his best to navigate his familial deterioration.

The break between Sarah and her first child, Chloe, is heartbreaking. There’s no denying her resemblance to Fergus has something to do with Sarah’s icy response. The connection between Chloe, Fergus, and Ruth burns Sarah’s limited understanding of her absent culture. Ruth tries her best to protect her family, but Sarah’s relentless resistance to her roots only makes them manifest quicker as lore becomes reality and history repeats itself.

Jahdeana Mary brings earnest innocence and hurt to Chloe. You want to hug her. Meyne Wyatt is great playing Fergus. He is charming and protective. He’s a real highlight. Tessa Rose is spectacular as Ruth, giving audiences lived-in knowledge and fear. She is the heart of the film. Shari Sebbens gives Sarah everything from elitism to postpartum depression, unbridled rage to superstitious anxiety. You simultaneously loathe and feel for her. Sebbens is truly a revelation.

Practical FX, makeup, and jump scares are solid. THE MOOGAI keenly delves into medical gaslighting and the pressure on women to “do it all.” While the film is also a creature feature, Jon Bell never shies away from showing viewers that the scariest monsters are humans. It is a surprising cultural reclamation.

You can read our coverage of the original SXSW short film here!

The Moogai Trailer:

THE MOOGAI

Theatrical Release Date: May 9, 2025

Written and Directed By: Jon Bell

Director of Photography: Sean Ryan

Cast: Shari Sebbens, Meyne Wyatt, Tessa Rose, Clarence Ryan, with Toby Leonard Moore and Bella Heathcote

Produced By: Kristina Ceyton, Samantha Jennings & Mitchell Stanley

Executive Produced By: Stephen Kelliher, Sophie Green, Phil Hunt, Compton Ross, Daniel Negret, Anjali Patil, Salman Al-Rashid & Sam Frohman

Editor: Simon Njoo Ase

Runtime: 86 Minutes

Synopsis: Sarah and Fergus, a hopeful young Aboriginal couple, give birth to their second baby. But what should be a joyous time of their lives becomes sinister when Sarah starts seeing a malevolent spirit she is convinced is trying to take her baby. Fergus, who can’t see it but desperately wants to believe her, grows increasingly worried as she becomes more unbalanced. Is the child-stealing spirit real or is she in fact the biggest threat to the safety of their family?

‘PÁRVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE’ (2025) One of last year’s best gets a June release. Check out the trailer!

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

PÁRVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE

PÁRVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE- One of the coolest films from last year’s festival circuit is coming in June.

Synopsis: In a dystopian future ravaged by a viral apocalypse, three young brothers—Salvador, Oliver, and Benjamin—find themselves isolated in a remote cabin deep within the woods. As they navigate this desolate world, they harbor a dark and disturbing secret in their basement, a presence they must feed to ensure their own survival.

Here is our original Fantastic Fest 2024 review:

Filmmaker Isaac Ezban brings Fantastic Fest 2024 PÁRVULOS, the story of three siblings surviving in the woods by scavenging in a virus-ravaged world. The dangerous secret they harbor in the basement may be their undoing.

The cinematography is something to behold. The sepia-toned lens locks you into a compelling plot. It creates this magical, borderline eerie feeling. The production design team is aces with children’s drawings and makeshift inventions. The post-apocalyptic aspects are relatively subtle but incredibly effective. The end credits are outstanding. The original song “Our People Need Our Help” is a certified banger.

Two surprising performances will blow you away, but I won’t spoil that with specifics. I will only say that Norma Flores and Horacio Lazo give us everything they’ve got. Our three young brothers are magnificent. Mateo Ortega Casillas gives Benny the right amount of innocence and rebellion. Leonardo Cervantes delivers vulnerability and compassion as Oliver. Farid Escalante Correa gives Salvador a perfect mix of resentment and raging hormones. Together, they warm and break your heart.

The film’s tone takes an unexpectedly amusing twist once Benny learns the secret that Oliver and Salvador keep in the basement. Benny convinces his brothers that normalcy can return if they try hard enough. Their unrelenting determination hits a snag when a young woman crashes their holiday plans. The film takes another turn during its nearly two-hour run. A wildly dark finale holds you captive.

PÁRVULOS has enough meat on the bone for a series. Visually striking, beautifully acted, and ceaselessly compelling. Is it not only a highlight of Fantastic Fest, but one of the year’s best films, period.

Trailer:

PÁRVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE

On Demand June 3rd

‘FRÉWAKA’ (2025) Shudder original delivers Irish folk-horror at its finest

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

FRÉWAKA

Filmmaker Aislinn Clarke brings Shudder audiences a dark and tense story of a primary caregiver and the odd elderly ward she finds herself assigned. Following the death of her estranged mother, Shoo travels to a small town riddled with foul energy for the woman she must look after. Peig is a household name, and not in a good way. Surrounded by Peig’s superstitious rituals, Shoo’s growing isolation and underlying anguish trigger a long-dormant demand.

Beautifully lit and framed (DP Narayan Van Maele is a wonder), FRÉWAKA pulls you in from the first scene. Straying from any formula, Clarke takes an even more nightmarish approach with the second scene. The audience is in a constant state of unease. Peig’s routine is easily dismissed as dementia, but Clarke understands folk horror to its core.

Bríd Ní Neachtain gives Peig a fiery sass that is intoxicating. Walking the line between paranoia and rage, Neachtain commands your attention. Clare Monnelly infuses a similar hardness to Shoo but mixes a lost hurt, complex grief, and underlying fear into her role. Together, they make one hell of a compelling watch.

A clever mix of unresolved trauma and lore, Clarke keeps you guessing at every turn. One particular death made me gasp out loud. The script examines mental illness, generational trauma, and fae canon in a wicked and creative manner. FRÉWAKA is wholely unsettling. It is a perfect crossover for any romantasy readers and genre girlies.

Trailer:

New Film from The Devil’s Doorway Filmmaker Aislinn Clarke

Debuts April 25

Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, today announced the streaming premiere date and released the trailer and poster for FRÉWAKA, from the director/writer of the acclaimed THE DEVIL’S DOORWAY, Aislinn Clarke. The highly anticipated film, which made its world premiere at the 2024 Locarno Film Festival and its U.K. premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, will make its exclusive streaming debut Friday, April 25 on Shudder as part of the Halfway to Halloween celebration.

For more horror coverage, click here!

‘ZERO’ (2025) Next-level cat-and-mouse-thriller that wowed at Beyond Fest 2024 finally in theatres and on VOD April 11th!

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

ZERO

Jean Luc Herbulot brings Beyond Fest 2024 audiences a heartpounder in ZERO. Two Americans in Senegal wake up to discover bombs strapped to their chests and an unknown man speaking in their ear. They have ten hours to complete seemingly unrelated tasks before they explode. Can they beat a madman at his own game? This stealthy geopolitical thrill ride does not disappoint.

At first glance, our leading men appear opposites, but the script slowly reveals their motivations are the same. ZERO is an entirely new game of cat-and-mouse. A surprising philosophical angle is carefully crafted into the screenplay, branding a message into the audience’s psyche.

Fast-paced editing and augmented sound effects keep you engaged from the first frame. The concept combines the adrenaline of SAW and SPEED, but it’s funnier and inevitably much darker. The soundtrack is fantastic. Gregory Turbellier‘s camerawork is immersive and sharp.

Performances are outstanding. Unmistakable icon Willem Dafoe is the mysterious voice over the phone. There is something about his tone and rhythm that hypnotizes the viewer. Gary Dourdan adds a voice of enlightenment. His calm, powerful demeanor sets a tone against the tumultuous pacing.

Leading players Hus Miller (who also co-writes) and Cam McHarg have fiery chemistry, each delivering fully flushed-out characters even if we know the most basic information about them. They make a great on-screen team. I would love to see this entire crew create more projects together.

Jean Luc Herbulot delivers a winner in ZERO. Its bold messaging and fearless choices make it one of the year’s most shocking thrillers.

ZERO Trailer:

DIRECTOR: Jean Luc Herbulot
WRITERS: Jean Luc Herbulot, Hus Miller
CAST: Hus Miller, Cam McHarg, Gary Dourdan, Moran Rosenblatt, Annabelle Lengronne, Jessica Lorraine, Roger Sallah

For more Beyond Fest 2024, click here!

‘MOLA: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss (SXSW 2025) A thoughtful exploration of grief AND a celebration of life.

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss

Filmmakers Martin Brauen and Yangzom Brauen give SXSW 2025 audiences many things in their intimate documentary Mola: A Tibetan Tale of Love and Loss. Kunsang Wangmo is a firecracker. A Tibetan nun exiled from her homeland in 1959 to escape the Chinese occupation turns 100, and her final wish is to die in her homeland. The film explores respect, a stunning cultural snapshot, and generational healing.

The audience gets a boot camp lesson in Buddhism. The religion relies on the concept of embracing life to achieve full consciousness. In this practice, death is more fulfilling. Mola displays respect for all creatures through prayer and everyday gestures, some as small as encouraging flies to feast upon her leftover fruit.

Archival footage from Tibet is equal parts magical and devastating. Mola recalls her life’s journey in voice-over narration. Her harrowing escape to an Indian refugee camp as a young mother is difficult to hear but hauntingly parallels the current global upheaval. Twelve years later, a move to Switzerland with Sonam and Martin changed everything, finally providing well-deserved stability and forty-five years of family life.

However, the underlying generational trauma manifests in a contentious mother-daughter relationship. Mola uses humor and cutting words as shields. Patrick Kirst‘s score captures each beat, whether melancholy or joy. Sonam wishes for her to stay for all the reasons one would expect a loved one to feel.

Mola’s birthday wish is to go home. Martin works diligently toward obtaining a visa for her return to Tibet. After months of back-and-forth emails, Mola begins a new adventure in her homeland, while Sonam starts a new stage of grief. Watching her mother experience pure joy after 40 years is draining. Six months later, the Chinese government denied Mola’s visa renewal, but she is ready to return to Switzerland. Unsurprisingly, Mola’s health rapidly declines upon her return, and a new wave of acceptance falls upon the shoulders of the entire family. Witnessing the decline of a loved one is something you can never prepare yourself for.

There is something peaceful about MOLA. Its quiet, contemplative nature delivers an unexpected universality. It honors the life of a woman whose faith extended until her last breath.

Kunsang Wangmo – known as “Mola” to her family – is a Tibetan nun exiled from her homeland in 1959 to escape the Chinese occupation. Now 100 years old, and after living with her daughter Sonam in Switzerland for the past 45 years, she decides her last wish is to die in Tibet. This is the story of a mother and daughter coming to terms with this phase in Mola’s life, and Sonam and her husband Martin’s journey to make Mola’s last wish come true.

Molafilm.com

Mola Trailer

Yangzom Brauen

Yangzom is an award-winning Film & TV Director recognized for her short film Born in Battle, which won UNESCO and audience awards. She has directed over 30 hours of TV, including NCIS LA, Hawaii Five-0, and American Horror Stories. A bestselling author of Across Many Mountains, she’s a passionate Tibetan Freedom advocate, fluent in five languages.

Martin Brauen

Martin Brauen (b. 1948) is an anthropologist, curator, and author specializing in Tibetan, Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Japanese cultures. Former chief curator of the Rubin Museum in NYC, he has curated nearly 100 exhibitions and authored many works, including The Mandala. A filmmaker, he explores cultural traditions through films and 3D animations.

Credits

Directors:

Yangzom Brauen, Martin Brauen

Executive Producer:

Sonam Brauen, Martin Brauen, Yangzom Brauen, Daniel Stanca-Di Marco, James Haygood, Michael Raimondi

Producer:

Katherine LeBlond

Screenwriter:

Yangzom Brauen, Martin Brauen

Cinematographer:

Martin Brauen, Yangzom Brauen

Editor:

James Haygood, Samir Samperisi

Sound Designer:

Peter von Siebenthal, Arlind Sermaxhaj, Eliot Martig

Music:

Patrick Kirst

Principal Cast:

Kunsang Wangmo, Sonam Dolma Brauen, Martin Brauen

Additional Credits:

Co-Producer: Kevin Merz, Co-Producer: Samir Samperisi, Co-Producer: Silvana Bezzola Rigolini, Co-Producer: Michael Beltrami, Co-Producer: RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera

Directors:	Yangzom Brauen, Martin Brauen
Executive Producer:	Sonam Brauen, Martin Brauen, Yangzom Brauen, Daniel Stanca-Di Marco, James Haygood, Michael Raimondi
Producer:	Katherine LeBlond
Screenwriter:	Yangzom Brauen, Martin Brauen
Cinematographer:	Martin Brauen, Yangzom Brauen
Editor:	James Haygood, Samir Samperisi
Sound Designer:	Peter von Siebenthal, Arlind Sermaxhaj, Eliot Martig
Music:	Patrick Kirst
Principal Cast:	Kunsang Wangmo, Sonam Dolma Brauen, Martin Brauen
Additional Credits:	Co-Producer: Kevin Merz, Co-Producer: Samir Samperisi, Co-Producer: Silvana Bezzola Rigolini, Co-Producer: Michael Beltrami, Co-Producer: RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera

For all things SXSW, click here!

‘BAGGAGE’ (SXSW 2025 short) Packed with universally emotional messaging.

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

BAGGAGE

Lucy Davidson‘s SXSW 2025 short film BAGGAGE sticks the landing. The film follows the journey of a suitcase from weigh-in through security and all the mental stress that comes with it.

Visually, BAGGAGE is a detailed delight. Kid-friendly black-and-white stop-motion characters make for a universally meaningful watch. The story perfectly mirrors the uncomfortable experience of going through security as a human. At this point, the routine between a bag and a human is identical. It is invasive, awkward, and weirdly judgemental.
The title is a double entendre that gets further explored by the X-ray machine and subsequent inspection. If you’ve ever had your bag pulled from the conveyor belt, you understand the humiliation of a stranger rifling through a snapshot of your life and underthings. Let’s be honest. The airport is a study of human behavior. It tests our patience, anxieties, fear, and excitement within a few hours. BAGGAGE is an extraordinary examination of unresolved trauma and empathy among female friends.

Mitolyn reviews are mostly positive, with many users recommending it for its health benefits. People report feeling more energized and having better digestion after taking it. Some mention its immunity-boosting properties. A few negative reviews mention issues with taste or mild stomach discomfort, but they are in the minority.

Credits

Director:	Lucy Davidson
Producer:	Vanessa Batten, Amy Upchurch
Screenwriter:	Lucy Davidson
Cinematographer:	George Milburn
Editor:	Dan Williamson
Production Designer:	Lucy Davidson
Music:	Sam Harding & Alex Olijnyk
Principal Cast:	Dominik Shileds, Eve Gilbert, Sophie Schoorman, Camillo Sancisi
Additional Credits:	Producer: Vanessa Batten, HOD Aardman Academy: Mark Simon Hewis, Composers: Sam Harding, Alex Olijnyk, Academy PA: Amy Upchurch, DOP: George Milburn, Editor: Dan Williamson, Sound Design: Anthony Cavalieri, Colour Grade: Bram Ttwheam, VFX Supervisor: Jim Lewis, Sound Mix: Craig Conway

For all things SXSW, click here!

‘GLORIOUS SUMMER’ (SXSW 2025) Sumptuous, sinister, and aptly named.

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

GLORIOUS SUMMER

Three young women live a seemingly carefree life within the walls of a stunning estate. Their daily routine has regimen and free time, and the women submit to language tests by the unknown robotic voice guiding their waking hours. Are these women muses, are they assassins, are they replicas, or are they prisoners? We’re not quite sure.

Filmmakers Helena Ganjalyan and Bartosz Szpak bring their striking feature debut, GLORIOUS SUMMER, to SXSW 2025 audiences. The film is as unsettling as it is intriguing. There is an overarching feeling of inevitable doom. Questions whirl in your brain as small clues drop into their enigmatic conversations. The mystery immediately grabs hold.

The film could have been filmed in the 60s with 16mm cinematography by Tomasz Woźniczka. The costumes scream quiet luxury in their airy, simplistic cuts, sun-soaked pastels, and flowy fabrics. The setting is a beautifully crumbling chateau estate with fresco-painted walls and lush blooming meadows.

Each character is firmly delineated. There is a clear hierarchy. The tawny-skinned woman (Helena Ganjalyan) appears quietly cunning. The tallest, pale-skinned woman (Magdalena Fejdasz-Hanczewska) is the most openly rebellious, while the youngest, the redhead (Daniela Komędera), has a childlike need to please.

They plan to rebel. They rehearse a faux demise and all it entails, trying their hardest to keep their plans from whoever or whatever keeps them docile. Fifty minutes in, a crack in the system delivers insight to the women and the audience with just enough to keep us baited.

The cast is spectacular. Magdalena Fejdasz-Hanczewska, Helena Ganjalyan, and Daniela Komędera knock it out of the park with carefully curated specificities and physical work. Their chemistry makes your heart race. Bravo. The audience is rooting for these women. It slowly reveals the narrative revolves around free thinking and choice. GLORIOUS SUMMER is the sleeper sci-fi feminist film you never knew you needed. It lives up to its name.

GLORIOUS SUMMER Credits:

Directors: Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak

Producers: Maria Gołoś, Monika Matuszewska

Screenwriters: Helena Ganjalyan, Bartosz Szpak

Cinematographer: Tomasz Woźniczka

Editor: Alan Zejer

Production Designer: Katarzyna Tomczyk

Sound Designer: Marcin Jachyra, Maciej Amilkiewicz

Music: Bartosz Szpak

Principal Cast: Magdalena Fejdasz-Hanczewska, Helena Ganjalyan, Daniela Komędera, Weronika Humaj

Co-financed by: Polish Film Institute

SXSW Screening Schedule GLORIOUS SUMMER:

Violet Crown Cinema 2 – Saturday, March 8 at 3:00 pm w/ Filmmaker Q&A
Violet Crown Cinema 2 – Monday, March 10 at 11:30 am w/ Filmmaker Q&A
Alamo Lamar 7 – Thursday, March 13 at 6:45 pm

For all things SXSW, click here!

‘YOUR HIGHER SELF’ (SXSW 2025) A wacky journey in search of dopamine hits.

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Liz Whittemore — Leave a reply

YOUR HIGHER SELF

Life Coaching has become a rather broad term in our culture, akin to “Wellness.” Director Annie St-Pierre explores the various methods in her SXSW 2025 film YOUR HIGHER SELF. Everyone is looking for enlightenment, even if it means wading through the good, the bad, and the ridiculous.

There is an immediate irony to the film as audiences experience the training of life coaches. The overarching theme of these classes focuses on the idea that a coach is not a therapist but an advisor on present and future encouragement and self-realization. Yet, with humans, the transition seems inevitable. One has to weigh the side effects of toxic positivity when not confronting past trauma.

We witness practical workshopping, where a client rehearses for a meeting or event from start to finish. The coach serves as a theatre director, adjusting each word’s delivery and every physical movement, including micro-expressions. Bring in the horse therapy, personal soul cycle session, zoom calls, music, and group work. You name it, we get a taste.

As a product of child therapy, holding a degree in performance, as a choreographer and children’s theatre director, I know so many of these methods in my bones. I provide guidance and feedback like the dopamine hits I craved in my youth. It all falls under a broader umbrella of feel-good self-expression and the need to feel useful.

The camerawork is as engaging as the editing. The film unfolds in nuanced snapshots of industry variations. YOUR HIGHER SELF leans into the absurdity and honors that each person’s path to self-help is a personal choice while acknowledging it is ultimately business. Bravo to those who agreed to appear in the film. Kudos to Annie St-Pierre for giving everyone the confidence and trust to participate.

YOUR HIGHER SELF is a visual and emotional dream board for anyone seeking inspiration. Whatever your motives for watching, you will undoubtedly find yourself fully immersed in these methods while simultaneously poopooing them. SXSW audiences are in for quite the ride and the beginning of long conversations. Equal parts cringe and intriguing, YOUR HIGHER SELF is undeniably entertaining.

Credits:

Director:

Annie St-Pierre

Executive Producer:

Sylvain Corbeil

Producer:

Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre

Screenwriter:

Annie St-Pierre

Cinematographer:

Etienne Roussy

Editor:

Myriam Magassouba

Sound Designer:

Marie-Pierre Grenier, Bernard Gariepy Strobl, Jean-François Caissy

Music:

Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux

PINS AND NEEDLES

Canadian cat-and-mouse thriller PINS AND NEEDLES opens in the U.S. on June 24th from Filmhub

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Spotlight Narrative

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Tribeca 2025

Tribeca is back with a vengeance. This year, the festival features new and exciting storytellers who break barriers, make us laugh, and spark conversations. This year’s fest runs from June 4th to the 15th.

Take a look at a few Tribeca 2025 films, long and short, and pilots we’re keeping our eyeballs peeled for. For the entire lineup, click here!

YANUNI (Closing Night Gala)

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FANTASIA UNVEILS VIVID FIRST WAVE OF TITLES FOR ITS 29th EDITION

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THE MOOGAI

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PÁRVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE

PÁRVULOS: CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE

On Demand June 3rd

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FRÉWAKA

New Film from The Devil’s Doorway Filmmaker Aislinn Clarke

Debuts April 25

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ZERO

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Yangzom Brauen

Martin Brauen

Credits

Directors:

Executive Producer:

Producer:

Screenwriter:

Cinematographer:

Editor:

Sound Designer:

Music:

Principal Cast:

Additional Credits:

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Credits