Global Flicks 9: ‘Sarafina!’ Returns To Cannes 30 Years Later; First Trailer For ‘Banel & Adama’ Released

Africa: The Sudanese drama, Goodbye Julia, which will premiere at Cannes Un Certain Regard this week, has been picked up for French distribution by ARP Selection. The film, director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut, takes place before the succession of South Sudan in 2011 and follows two women living within the political unrest within the country, one in the North and the other from the South.

The first trailer for the Toulaye-Sy’s upcoming drama, Banel & Adama, has been released by Best Friends Forever. The Sengalese film will be the only feature to make its official debut at the Cannes Film Festival competition. Ramata-Toulaye Sy is now only the second black woman whose film will be featured in the Cannes Film Competition. The filmmaker claims her inspiration for the film was born out of a desire to tell a story centered around a tragic African heroine.

Sarafina!, the classic South African film from director Anant Singh is set to make its return to the Cannes Film Festival 30 years after its debut at the event. The film will be screened as part of the Cannes Classics section of the festival which recognizes the achievements, contributions, and quality in particular pieces of cinema.

At this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival, a record setting number of African titles are making their premiere, raising the question if African cinema is finally getting its spotlight on the international stage. The festival will feature two African projects in its main competition while four others will have a presence in Un Certain Regard.

Goodbye Julia, the first Sudanese film to launch at Cannes will now have its North American sales handled by CAA Media Finance. CAA will be working with Egyptian production house Ambient Light Films on the Mohamed Kordofani directed film.

Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir

Asia: Two classic Ozu Yasujiro films, Record of a Tenement Gentleman and The Muneteka Sisters, are set to headline the Cannes Classics section at the upcoming festival. The screenings will be held on Ozu’s 120th birthday and will kick off a six-month long tribute to the filmmaker.

Sonakshi Sinha will be making her official debut in the world of streaming with the upcoming eight part crime drama, Dahaad, on Prime Video. Sinha first catapulted onto the mainstream Bollywood scene in with her debut in the hit film, Dabangg and has since appeared in 30 different films.

The Glassworker, Pakistan’s first ever Hayao Miyazaki-style animated film, has enlisted the producer ship of Apoorva Bakshi, the Emmy-winning producer behind Delhi Crime. The film is directed by Usman Riaz and is developed from his animation company, Mano Animation Studios.

N.T. Rama Rao Jr., who achieved worldwide stardom after his lead role in last year’s worldwide Bollywood hit, RRR, is teaming with acclaimed Kannada filmmaker Prashanth Neel on an untitled project scheduled to shoot in March of next year. While little is known about the film, its producers have claimed it will "set new benchmarks in the Indian film industry”. It will also mark Rao Jr.’s 31st film role in his career.

The international rights to the upcoming debut feature of Mongolian filmmaker Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir titled City of Wind have been picked up by Best Friend Forever, the Brussels-based production house. The film is currently set for a fall release of this year. The story follows a 17-year-old shaman who communicates with an ancestral spirit to help his community.

A Korean remake of the popular Drishyam franchise is in the works with Anthology Studios and Panorama Studios collaborating on the project. The official announcement was made India Pavilion in Cannes by Panorama head Kumar Mangat Pathak and Anthology helmer Choi Jae-won.

Europe: Ibermedia has launched a new initiative to expand animation into new areas across Europe and Latin America by sending out an open call for applications for its Ibermedia Next funding in an effort to provide a boost to animators to explore new technologies and tools being created for the medium. Applications will be accepted and reviewed from May 12 to Aug. 21 with material such as pilots, shorts, and teasers being eligible for funding.

Filmmakers Panique and Pajaro have teamed up with Vivemant Lundi on the animated feature Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake. The film, directed by Irene Iborra, is an adaptation of the children’s novel, La Pelicula de la vida by Maite Carranza which has been translated into multiple languages and sold over 24,000 copies in Spain alone.

Manny Perez - Gladys Vega

Latin America: The sales rights to Maria Alche and Benjamin Naishtat’s upcoming film, Puan, have been picked up by Luxbox. The film is also written by Alche and Naishtat and stars Leonardo Sbaraglia.

Dominican-American actor, Manny Perez, is set to star in and direct an upcoming crime thriller titled Vengeance: A La Soga Story, a follow-up to the 2009 film La Loga. Film Mode Entertainment, the production arm behind the action thriller, has begun shopping the film in Cannes to potential international buyers.

Authorities in Rio de Janerio seek to increase the city’s cash rebate for overseas productions launched last October by RioFilme with a 35% deduction on spending and $3 million in funding. RioFilme will issue a call for applications for the rebate’s second year this June.

The filmmaking industry in Peru is on the rise due to an increase in state funding and as a result, has carved a space for itself on the global cinema scene. Multiple awards were given to Peruvian titles at this years Malaga Film Festival such as Estados generales and La otra orilla. The country’s entertainment industry was also saved from the pandemic lockdown primarily due to Paramount Studios’ upcoming summer blockbuster, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, which filmed in Peru during the summer of 2021 and brought about hundreds of jobs for those impacted by the shutdown. Other potential measures, such as launching a film commission and training programs for the local entertainment industry, are being discussed in an effort to make Peru a more attractive location to shoot in.

African queens - netflix

Middle East: The worldwide rights to the upcoming Shahab Hosseini and Sepideh Moafi-led mystery feature, Will Berries, have been picked up by Gravndave Intl. The distribution arm will be presenting the film to potential buyers at the Cannes Film Market from May 16-27.

Egypt’s government-owned broadcast network, Al Wathaeqya, has responded to Netflix’s docuseries, African Queens, in their casting of a Black actress to play Cleopatra, by developing its own Cleopatra documentary where the subject will be presented as light-skinned. Since the documentary’s release, the casting of Adele James, a black actress, as Cleopatra has caused backlash in Egypt and among Egyptian government bodies.