Review: On the Sea - Films / Reviews - UK
Helen Walsh’s second feature, *On the Sea*, follows Jack, a middle‑aged fisherman on Wales’ Anglesey, as he confronts a long‑suppressed queer identity after meeting a wandering handyman. The film debuted at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and has since screened at Thessaloniki, Palm Springs and this week’s BFI Flare. Walsh’s lyrical direction and Sam Goldie’s atmospheric cinematography emphasize mood over conventional plot structure. World sales are managed by The Yellow Affair, positioning the UK‑produced drama for art‑house releases worldwide.
Angela Summereder’s B Wie Bartleby Scoops Best Fiction Feature at the Diagonale - Diagonale 2026 – Awards
The Diagonale 2026 festival awarded its top fiction prize to Angela Summereder’s _B wie Bartleby_, praised for its blend of personal and collective storytelling. Tolga Karaaslan’s debut documentary _Baba, What’s Your Plan?_ captured Best Documentary and also secured the inaugural...
Review: A River’s Gaze - Vilnius 2026
Andreea Cristina Borțun’s debut feature *A River’s Gaze* premiered in the SMART7 competition at the Kino Pavasaris Film Festival, presenting a bleak portrait of a single mother and her teenage son living among impoverished Roma communities along the Danube. The...
France Produced 290 Feature Films in 2025 - Industry / Market - France
French cinema produced 290 feature films in 2025, a modest 6.1% decline from the 2024 record. Total investment fell 4.8% to €1.37 billion, with broadcaster contributions dropping 11.8% while distribution mandates grew 15.4%. Canal+ reduced its pre‑purchase financing, but Disney+ increased...
IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund Announces Latest Round of Production Support - Production / Funding - Netherlands
The Hubert Bals Fund’s HBF+Europe scheme has allocated €60,000 to eight international co‑productions, split between Minority Co‑production Support and Post‑production Support. The programme, backed by Creative Europe‑MEDIA, encourages European producers to partner with filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the...
The Sixth D’A Film Lab Barcelona Presents Its Projects - D’A 2026
The sixth D’A Film Lab Barcelona ran from March 22 to 25 as part of the D’A – Barcelona Film Festival, showcasing 36 projects across three sections. The Final Cut competition awarded a €20,000 prize to one of eight Spanish...
Greece to Host a Series of Film Events in the Lead-Up to the 2027 European Film Awards - European Film...
Greece will host the 39th European Film Awards in Athens on 16 January 2027, marking the first time the ceremony lands in southeastern Europe. A year‑long programme of screenings, workshops, and industry events will run throughout 2026‑27 across the country and at...
Episode 86: Calle Málaga (Morocco/ France/Spain/Germany/Belgium) - The Co-Production Podcast
The Co‑production Podcast’s 86th episode featured producers of Maryam Touzani’s film “Calle Málaga,” discussing its multi‑national collaboration. The drama, co‑produced by companies from Morocco, France, Spain, Germany and Belgium, secured Eurimages support, illustrating a complex financing structure. Hosts Domenico La...
Torrente for President, by Santiago Segura, Grossed Seven Million Euros in Its Opening Weekend - Box Office - Spain
Santiago Segura’s sixth Torrente film, *Torrente for President*, opened in 1,000 Spanish cinemas on March 13, 2026, earning over €7 million and reaching one million admissions in its first weekend. The debut represents 70 % of domestic box‑office revenue, making it the highest‑grossing Spanish...
Review: Notte Prima Degli Esami 3.0 - Films / Reviews - Italy
Italian comedy "Notte prima degli esami 3.0" revives Fausto Brizzi’s 2006 cult franchise for a Gen Z audience. Directed by newcomer Tommaso Renzoni, it stars YouTube influencer Tommaso Cassissa opposite Sabrina Ferilli and opens in cinemas on 19 March 2026 via 01 Distribution....
The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival Gears up for a Chock-Full 44th Edition - BIFFF 2026
The 44th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival returns to Brussels Expo’s Palais 10 from 3‑18 April, featuring 130 feature films and 50 shorts after last year’s uncertainty. Highlights include an exclusive Easter Monday screening of RTBF’s sci‑fi series *Ethernal* at Flagey and...
EXCLUSIVE: Trailer for CPH:DOX Entry Dream of Another Summer - Promotion - Spain/Lebanon
Spanish filmmaker Irene Bartolomé’s first documentary feature, *Dream of Another Summer*, explores memory, absence and urban scars in post‑explosion Beirut. The trailer debuted as the film prepares for its world‑premiere in the NEXT:WAVE Competition at CPH:DOX (11‑22 March). Bartolomé, who lived in...
Interview: Evi Stamou • Producer, Maketa Media - “Cinema in General – and Filmmaking as a Process – Is Inherently...
Greek producer Evi Stamou, founder of Maketa Media, discusses her politically driven documentary practice and hybrid filmmaking approach. She highlights the company’s focus on emerging directors, festival premieres, grassroots screenings, and digital distribution to reach young, engaged audiences. Stamou also...
Review: We Have to Survive - Thessaloniki Documentary 2026
Slovak director Tomáš Krupa’s new documentary *We Have to Survive* premiered in Thessaloniki’s Open Horizons section, following climate‑adaptation stories in four distant locales: North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, Australia’s underground town Coober Pedy, and Greenland’s fishing villages. The film adopts a...
Interview: Nicola Von Leffern, Jakob Carl Sauer • Directors of To Close Your Eyes and See Fire - “It's a...
Directors Nicola von Leffern and Jakob Carl Sauer debut their first feature documentary, *To Close Your Eyes and See Fire*, chronicling the human fallout from the 2020 Beirut explosion. Filmed over three years between Beirut and Vienna, the film interweaves...
Review: Days of Wonder - Bergamo 2026
Finnish director Karin Pennanen’s debut feature documentary Days of Wonder chronicles her reclusive uncle Markku’s hidden archive of paintings, music and film notes, turning his solitary legacy into a post‑humous conversation. The film blends Super 8, VHS and digital footage in a...
Review: Pieces of a Foreign Life - Bergamo 2026
Gaya Jiji's second feature, Pieces of a Foreign Life, premiered at the Bergamo Film Meeting, portraying a Syrian woman's exile through intimate melodrama rather than overt political rhetoric. The film follows Selma, played by Zar Amir, as she navigates asylum...
Interview: Gábor Holtai • Director of Feels Like Home - “You Don't Write Fear; You Write Reality” - Luxembourg 2026
Hungarian director Gábor Holtai discusses his feature debut *Feels Like Home*, an absurdist thriller that premiered at Sitges and later screened at LuxFilmFest. The film uses a dysfunctional eight‑member family to explore how intimate power dynamics can echo across society....
Interview: Ulrike Ottinger • Director of The Blood Countess - “I Always Start with the Image” - Luxembourg 2026
Ulrike Ottinger’s long‑gestating film *The Blood Countess* finally premiered at the Luxembourg Film Festival after a script first drafted in 1998 and years of financing hurdles. The movie stars Isabelle Huppert as the vampiric Elizabeth Báthory, with an expanded rebel character and...
Zuzana Kirchnerová’s Caravan Crowned Best Film at the Czech Lion Awards - Festivals / Awards - Czech Republic
At the 33rd Czech Lion Awards, Zuzana Kirchnerová’s co‑production *Caravan* was named Best Film and also earned Best Supporting Actress for Juliána Brutovská. Slovak filmmakers swept several major categories, with debut director Katarína Gramatová winning Best Director and Agnieszka Holland’s *Franz* taking four...
Review: Ladies’ Hunting Party - Malaga 2026
Pedro Aguilera’s new film “Ladies’ Hunting Party” reinterprets Carlos Saura’s 1966 classic “The Hunt” by swapping its male protagonists for a group of women. Shot in stark black‑white, the drama follows three affluent friends and a younger niece on a...
Mario Martone Now Shooting Scherzetto, Starring Toni Servillo - Production / Funding - Italy
Mario Martone is filming *Scherzetto* in Naples, starring Toni Servillo in his seventh collaboration with the director. The drama adapts Domenico Starnone’s 2016 novel about a tense three‑day duel between a reclusive grandfather and his lively grandson. Produced by Mad...
Shooting Wraps on Anna Foglietta’s Directorial Debut, Una Storia - Production / Funding - Italy
Shooting has wrapped on Anna Foglietta’s directorial debut, *Una storia*, marking the Roman actress’s first feature behind the camera. The intimate drama follows a small‑town couple, Erika and Mauro, as they grapple with the emotional vacuum left when their daughter...
Review: Materia Prima - CPH:DOX 2026
German director Jens Schanze’s new documentary Materia Prima premiered at CPH:DOX, exposing the contentious push for lithium mining in Bolivia. The film juxtaposes EU‑driven investment with historic colonial exploitation, highlighting how the country’s salt flats—critical for batteries—are threatened by environmentally...
Filming Is Under Way for L’Ordre Pourpre - Production / Funding - Belgium/France
Thomas Ancora is shooting his second feature, *L’Ordre Pourpre*, an atypical slasher set in Wallonia that tackles toxic masculinity, racism and homophobia. The story follows a hazing‑related murder at an elite Belgian university and a subsequent revenge plot. Filming began...
Caren Wuhrer Shooting Her Debut Feature, Große Mutter - Production / Funding - Germany
Caren Wuhrer’s debut feature *Große Mutter* is currently in principal photography in Hamburg’s Steilshoop district under the Nordlichter talent initiative, a joint programme by NDR, MOIN Filmförderung and nordmedia. The coming‑of‑age drama follows a disillusioned teenager and a weary septuagenarian...
Martin Scorsese’s StudioCanal-Backed What Happens at Night, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Begins Shooting - Production / Funding -...
Martin Scorsese’s next feature, “What Happens at Night,” has begun principal photography in Prague. The psychological horror, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, is adapted from Peter Cameron’s 2020 novel with a screenplay by Patrick Marber. The film is co‑produced...
Review: My Dearest Señorita - Málaga 2026
Netflix’s new feature *My Dearest Señorita* reimagines Jaime de Armiñán’s 1972 Oscar‑nominated film with a modern, intersex‑focused narrative. Directed by Fernando González Molina and scripted by trans writer Alana S. Portero, the remake stars intersex actress Elisabeth Martínez alongside veterans Paco León, Anna Castillo and Nagore Aranburu. The...
Review: Picking Up the Pieces - Mons 2026
Multi‑award‑winning production designer Catherine Cosme makes her feature‑film debut with *Picking Up the Pieces*, which earned the Jury Prize at the Love International Film Festival de Mons. The drama follows Parisian photographer Lucile as she uncovers her mother’s secret consumer‑loan...
The 24th Sofia Meetings Is Ready to Unspool - Sofia 2026 – Sofia Meetings
The 24th Sofia Meetings, part of the 30th‑anniversary Sofia International Film Festival, runs March 18‑22 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Filmmakers will pitch 15 feature‑length projects, three TV series, and ten works‑in‑progress to co‑producers, sales agents and distributors. A closed "Projects in...
Bif&st Wagers on Films From the Europe-Mediterranean Area - Bif&st 2026
The 17th Bari International Film&TV Festival (Bif&st) will run 21‑28 March 2026, centering on the Euro‑Mediterranean theme. Iranian‑Italian director Raha Shirazi’s documentary *A War on Women* opens the Meridiana competition, which showcases 12 new films from the region. The lineup...
Cinedans FEST Returns to Amsterdam for Its 22nd Edition - Festivals / Awards - Netherlands
The 22nd International Dance Film Festival, Cinedans FEST, runs March 25‑29 at Amsterdam’s Eye Filmmuseum, presenting 110 films from 53 countries. The programme blends shorts, features, documentaries, retrospectives, talks, installations and VR, and introduces an International Short Docs Competition alongside the established...
Victoria Musiedlak Prepares to Shoot L’incident - Production / Funding - France
French director Victoria Musiedlak will commence filming her second feature, L’incident, on 17 March 2026. The drama stars acclaimed actors Tahar Rahim, Alba Rohrwacher, Jean‑Pierre Darroussin, Catherine Mouchet and Micha Lescot. Pre‑sales have been secured with Canal+ and Ciné+ OCS, while regional funds...
Review: Clean - Films / Reviews - Belgium
Koen Van Sande’s debut feature *Clean* opened the closing night of FilmFestival Oostende and will hit Belgian cinemas on 11 March via KFD‑Kinepolis. The film follows Brussels anti‑drug commissioner Mathieu as he battles narcotics networks while shielding his heroin‑addicted brother Timo, a plot...
Doris Dörrie’s Frau Winkler Verlässt Das Haus in Post-Production - Production / Funding - Germany
Veteran German director Doris Dörrie is in post‑production on her latest dark comedy‑drama, *Frau Winkler verlässt das Haus*. The film, shot in Hamburg, Lübeck and Bavaria in early 2025, is set in 2030 and follows 80‑year‑old Miss Winkler as she...
Review: Shelter - Thessaloniki Documentary 2026
Spanish filmmaker Adrián Silvestre’s documentary *Shelter* follows four LGBTQI+ refugees from Colombia and Venezuela who, after being turned away by U.S. immigration, find a haven in a Guatemalan shelter. The film, which debuted in the Open Horizons section of the...
The CNC Grants an Advance on Receipts to Léa Fehner’s Isabelle - Production / Funding - France
The CNC’s 2026 advance‑on‑receipts program awarded pre‑sale financing to seven projects, spanning first‑ and second‑feature committees. Léa Fehner’s third feature *Isabelle* secured funding alongside animated titles like *Limbo* and co‑productions such as *La vie en rose*. The grants aim to...
Europa Distribution to Explore the Releases of Recent Documentaries in Europe at CPH:DOX - CPH:DOX 2026
Europa Distribution and CPH:DOX are co‑hosting a closed workshop for European documentary distributors from March 15‑18 in Copenhagen. The event will feature case studies of recent releases such as Riefenstahl, Whispers in the Woods, and Gaucho Gaucho, focusing on audience...
EXCLUSIVE: Trailer for Thessaloniki Documentary Competition Title Candidates of Death - Thessaloniki Documentary 2026
Polish director Maciej Cuske has released the trailer for *Candidates of Death*, which will debut in the International Competition at the 2026 Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (March 5‑15). The film documents a father’s amateur horror project that begins on a family...
EXCLUSIVE: Trailer for CPH:DOX Title Birita - CPH:DOX 2026
Faroese filmmaker Búi Dam debuts his first documentary feature, *Birita*, at CPH:DOX’s Nordic:DOX competition in March 2026. The film chronicles Dam’s attempt to stage Shakespeare’s *King Lear* with his mother, celebrated actress Birita Mohr, who is living with Alzheimer’s, in the...
Àlex Lora's The Fissure Is in Post-Production - Production / Funding - Spain/Belgium
Spanish‑Belgian co‑production *The Fissure* by director Àlex Lora has entered post‑production after shooting in Barcelona last autumn. The drama follows young Pol Khaled and intertwines the 2017 Barcelona‑Cambrils terrorist attacks, the complexities of migration, and the Catalan independence referendum. Featuring...
Short Inherited Silence Wins the International Grand Prix at the Tampere Film Festival - Shorts - Finland
Mariam Khatchvani’s Georgian short *Inherited Silence* captured the Grand Prix in the International Competition at the 56th Tampere Film Festival. The jury highlighted its simple yet sharp storytelling about domestic violence and the social structures that normalize it. Other top...
Interview: Jakub Viktorín • Managing Director, Visegrad Film Forum - “At Most Festivals, Films Are the Primary Attraction, and Filmmakers...
The 13th Visegrad Film Forum will run in Bratislava from March 11‑14, 2026, positioning filmmakers—not films—as the event’s centerpiece. The programme features master classes and lectures from international professionals across production design, visual effects, sound and more, alongside student screenings...
Albert Dupontel's Il Faut Brûler Maman Is in Post-Production - Production / Funding - France
Albert Dupontel’s dark comedy *Il faut brûler maman* has finished principal photography and entered post‑production, with filming completed on 23 February at Bry‑sur‑Marne Studios. The ninth feature from the César‑winning director stars Louise Coldefy, Julia Piaton, Artus and Dupontel himself, and is produced...
We Believe You Sweeps the Board at the René Du Cinéma Awards - Festivals / Awards - Belgium
The debut feature We Believe You, directed by Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys, dominated the 15th René du Cinéma Awards, taking eight trophies including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and the inaugural Audience Award. The film, which...
UK Film and High-End Television Spend Rose to £6.8 Billion in 2025, the BFI Reveals - Industry / Market -...
The British Film Institute reported that UK film and high‑end television production spend reached £6.8 billion in 2025, a 22 % year‑on‑year rise and the third‑largest annual total on record. Inward investment drove the surge, accounting for £5.8 billion (85 % of spend), while...