UPDATED AUGUST 26: Below is a list of films selected for the main sections of Locarno, San Sebastian, Venice and Toronto film festivals originating from or mostly filmed in Asia, Africa and the Middle East (or from filmmakers originating from these regions but based elsewhere) with sales agents and nationalities of co-production partners where known. **This list is a work in progress so please DM me if you have updates or additions.**
VENICE 2024:
COMPETITION:
Stranger Eyes (Singapore, Taiwan, France, US) [PICTURED ABOVE]
Dir: Yeo Siew Hua
Int’l sales: Playtime
Youth (Homecoming) (France, Luxembourg, Netherlands)
Dir: Wang Bing
Int’l sales: Pyramide International
OUT OF COMPETITION:
Broken Rage (Japan)
Dir: Takeshi Kitano
Int’l sales: Amazon MGM Studios
Cloud (Japan)
Dir: Kurosawa Kiyoshi
Int’l sales: Nikkatsu
Phantosmia (Philippines)
Dir: Lav Diaz
Int’l sales: Diversion
HORIZONS:
Aicha (Tunisia, France, Italy, Saudi, Qatar)
Dir. Mehdi Barsaoui
Int’l sales: The Party Film Sales
Carissa (South Africa)
Dirs. Jason Jacobs, Devon Delma
Int’l sales: Reason8 Films
Happy Holidays (Palestine, Germany, France, Italy)
Dir: Scandar Copti
Int’l sales: Indie Sales
Happyend (Japan, US, Singapore)
Dir: Neo Sora
Int’l sales: Magnify
Mistress Dispeller (US, China)
Dir: Elizabeth Lo
Int’l sales: The Party Film Sales
One Of Those Days When Hemme Dies (Turkey)
Dir: Murat Firatoglu
Pooja, Sir (Nepal)
Dir: Deepak Rauniyar
Int’l sales: Trigon Films
VENICE CRITICS WEEK:
Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia)
Dir: Dương Diệu Linh
Int’l sales: Barunson E&A
Perfumed With Mint (Egypt, France, Tunisia)
Dir: Muhammed Hamdy
VENICE DAYS:
Boomerang (Iran)
Dir: Shahab Fotouhi
Int’l sales: Cercamon
To Kill A Mongolian Horse (Mongolia)
Dir: Jiang Xiaoxuan
Super Happy Forever (Japan)
Dir: Kohei Igarashi
SPECIAL EVENTS
Sudan, Remember Us (France, Tunisia, Qatar)
Dir: Hind Meddeb
Int’l sales: Dulac Distribution
TORONTO 2024:
CENTREPIECE WORLD PREMIERES:
Bound In Heaven (China)
Dir: Huo Xin
Int’l sales: Rediance
Crocodile Tears (Indonesia, France, Singapore, Germany)
Dir: Tumpal Tampubolon
Int’l sales: Cercamon
Front Row (Algeria, Saudi, France)
Dir: Merzak Allouache
Seven Days (Germany)
Dir: Ali Samadi Ahadi
Sunshine (Philippines)
Dir: Antoinette Jadaone
The Legend Of The Vagabond Queen Of Lagos (Nigeria, Germany, South Africa, US)
Dirs: Agbajowo Collective [James Tayler, Ogungbamila Temitope, Okechukwu Samuel, Mathew Cerf, Tina Edukpo, Bisola Akinmuyiwa, A.S. Elijah]
Int’l sales: Rushlake Media
GALAS:
Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight (South Africa)
Dir: Embeth Davidtz
Harbin (Korea)
Dir: Woo Min-ho
Int’l sales: CJ ENM
Superboys Of Malegaon (India)
Dir: Reema Kagti
Int’l sales: Amazon Prime Video
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS:
All We Imagine As Light (France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
Dir: Payal Kapadia
Int’l sales: Luxbox
Caught By The Tides (China)
Dir: Jia Zhang-Ke
Int’l sales: MK2 Films
I, The Executioner (Korea)
Dir: Ryoo Seung-wan
Int’l sales: CJ ENM
Love In The Big City (Korea)
Dir: E.oni
Int’l sales: Plus M
On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (Zambia, UK, Ireland)
Dir: Rungano Nyoni
Int’l sales: A24
PLATFORM:
Daughter’s Daughter (Taiwan)
Dir: Huang Xi
The Wolves Always Come At Night (Australia, Mongolia, Germany)
Dir: Gabrielle Brady
Int’l sales: Cinephil
DISCOVERY:
Boong (India)
Dir: Lakshmipriya Devi
Int’l sales: Excel Entertainment
Freedom Way (Nigeria)
Dir: Afolabi Olalekan
Gulizar (Turkey, Kosovo)
Dir: Belkis Bayrak
Mother Mother (Kenya, Somalia)
Dir: K’naan Warsame
The Paradise Of Thorns (Thailand)
Dir: Boss Kuno
Saba (Bangladesh)
Dir: Maksud Hossain
SAN SEBASTIAN 2024:
COMPETITION:
Bound In Heaven (China)
Dir: Xin Huo
Int’l sales: Rediance
Serpent’s Path (Japan, France)
Dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Int’l sales: Kadokawa
NEW DIRECTORS:
Gulizar (Turkey, Kosovo)
Dir: Belkis Bayrak
Regretfully At Dawn (Thailand)
Dir: Sivaroj Kongsakul
Int’l sales: Diversion
Stars And The Moon (China)
Dir: Yongkang Tang
Winter In Sokcho (France, Korea)
Dir: Koya Kamura
LOCARNO 2024:
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION:
Agora (Tunisia, France, Saudi, Qatar)
Dir: Ala Eddine Slim
Int’l sales: Mad Solutions
By The Stream (Korea)
Dir: Hong Sangsoo
Int’l sales: Finecut
Youth (Hard Times) (France, Luxembourg, Netherlands)
Dir: Wang Bing
Int’l sales: Pyramide International
CINEMA OF THE PRESENT:
Crickets, It’s Your Turn (France, Kazakhstan)
Dir: Olga Korotko
Int’l sales: Cercamon
Joqtau (Kazakhstan)
Dir: Aruan Anartay
PIAZZA GRANDE:
Electric Child (Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Philippines)
Dir: Simon Jaquemet
Int’l sales: Visit Films
Shambhala (Nepal, France, Norway, Turkey, HK, Taiwan, US, Qatar)
Dir: Min Bahadur Bham
Int’l sales: Best Friend Forever