Interview: David Baute • Director of Benigno - “Benigno Speaks of Something We All Seek: To Feel Supported and Connected...
Spanish director David Baute’s new documentary Benigno debuted at the Shanghai International Film Festival, offering an intimate portrait of a solitary elder from Tenerife. Shot on Super 8 mm, the film captures everyday rituals—coffee, reading, street sounds—to explore memory, aging, and the human need for connection. Baute, whose animated feature Black Butterflies won a Goya, uses the modest setting of Benigno’s home and neighbourhood to reflect universal themes of belonging. The work aims to leave viewers feeling at peace with time and community.
Review: Back and Forth - Transilvania 2026
Actor‑turned‑director Cristian Bota’s feature debut Back and Forth won the Best Romanian Feature Debut award at the 25th Transilvania International Film Festival. The road‑movie follows Cornel, a struggling actor‑father, on a tense Easter trip with his estranged dad, exposing inherited toxic...
World Cinema to Intersect with Places, Memories and Identities at the Ischia Film Festival - Festivals / Awards - Italy
The 24th Ischia Film Festival will run from 27 June to 4 July at the historic Aragonese Castle, presenting 66 works from 33 countries. The official competition features 32 films, including 27 premieres, and a dedicated "Location Denied" section that tackles human‑rights...
EXCLUSIVE: Trailer and Poster for Karlovy Vary Entry A Whole Person Almost - Karlovy Vary 2026 - Proxima
Efthimis Kosemund‑Sanidis’s first feature, A Whole Person Almost, premiered in the Proxima section of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 3‑11). The drama follows Ilias, a debt‑laden young man who travels to his late father’s remote island seeking an inheritance...
KVIFF Central Stage Returns with 11 Projects as Karlovy Vary Launches Book-to-Screen Showcase - Karlovy Vary 2026 – KVIFF Industry...
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Industry Days (July 5‑8) will feature KVIFF Promises, presenting 38 projects across five strands. The second edition of KVIFF Central Stage returns with 11 late‑stage fiction films from established Central and Eastern European directors, supported by...
The Paramount-Warner Bros Merger Endangers European Cinema - Industry / Market - Europe/USA
The U.S. Department of Justice cleared the $110 billion Paramount‑Skydance‑Warner Bros Discovery merger in June 2026. The combined company will own Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, HBO, Max, Paramount+ and a massive film library, giving it unprecedented control over production, distribution and streaming. European filmmakers, producers...
YouTube Expands MIPCOM Cannes Presence as a Key Growth Partner for the Global Media Industry - MIPCOM Cannes 2026
YouTube is returning to MIPCOM Cannes for its second year, this time with an expanded programme aimed at helping broadcasters, studios and creators unlock new audiences and revenue streams. The platform will host a keynote by EMEA Vice President Pedro...
Review: Lionel - Transilvania 2026
Spanish director Carlos Saíz’s new film Lionel, a road‑movie about a NEET son and his estranged father, premiered in competition at the Transilvania International Film Festival. The narrative follows their trip from Murcia to Marseille, using a bespoke soundtrack to...
Hyo-Joo Yang Readies Her Feature Debut, Half Moon - Production / Funding - Germany/South Korea
Korean writer‑director Hyo‑joo Yang is preparing her feature debut, Half Moon, a German‑Korean co‑production that follows a Korean‑German teen and her estranged aunt on a North Sea island. The drama explores family trauma, belonging and emotional healing, and will incorporate...
30 Publishers From Around the World Will Attend the 11th Book Adaptation Rights Market in Venice - Venice 2026 -...
The 11th Book Adaptation Rights Market will run September 4‑6, 2026, alongside the 83rd Venice Film Festival. Thirty international publishers and literary agents, selected through a January call for tenders, will gather at the Hotel Excelsior on Venice’s Lido. The...
EXCLUSIVE: Michel Gondry Is Filming Les Petites Peurs - Production / Funding - France
Michel Gondry has begun shooting Les petites peurs, his 15th feature film, in the Cévennes region of France. The project stars César‑winning actors Tahar Rahim, Vimala Pons and a strong French ensemble, and is produced by Partizan Films with Georges Bermann at the helm....
EXCLUSIVE: Irma Pužauskaitė’s Sophomore Feature, Hold Me Closer, Enters Production - Production / Funding - Lithuania/Poland
Lithuanian‑Polish psychological drama "Hold Me Closer" has entered production under director and intimacy coordinator Irma Pužauskaitė. The 90‑minute feature starring Lina Rastokaitė is budgeted at €1.31 million (≈ $1.43 million), with €1.25 million (≈ $1.36 million) already secured. It follows Elena, an intimacy coordinator whose marriage...
Filmin and Elastica Form a Distribution Alliance - Distribution / Releases / Exhibitors - Spain
Filmin, Spain’s longest‑running streaming platform, has acquired the distribution business of independent producer‑distributor Elastica. The deal keeps both brands operating separately while giving Filmin direct control over Elastica’s award‑winning catalogue, including titles such as Alcarràs and The Zone of Interest....
Reza Rahadian’s On Your Lap Wins Best Film at the Bishkek International Film Festival - Bishkek 2026 – Awards
The fourth Bishkek International Film Festival (BIFF) ran June 7‑12, showcasing premieres from over 30 countries and awarding a slate of competition prizes. Indonesian actor‑filmmaker Reza Rahadian’s directorial debut *On Your Lap* captured the International Competition’s Best Film award. Kazakhstan’s *Restart*...
Review: 3 Days in September - Transilvania 2026
Romanian director Tudor Giurgiu’s new feature *3 Days in September* premiered as the opening film of the 25th Transilvania International Film Festival, after its world debut at IFFR. The drama unfolds in a single, unbroken take, following a bride‑to‑be whose...