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Vahid Vakilifar :: Director of Rhinos Conquered The Middle East (2024)
The director, whose films have appeared at festivals like Rotterdam, Tribeca, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, and Antalya, embraces a style distinct from the traditional approach of Iranian cinema..
K9 :: Sailing Against the Tide :: Vahid Vakilifar, An Independent Filmmaker
Vahid Vakilifar's fourth film, K9, is an intoxicating visionary sci-fi that believes in the power of light despite the darkness consuming the world. Even in the bloodiest images there is at least a glimmer of hope..
Movie Review :: Daddio (2024)
Dialogue can lie, but faces tell the truth. Stories are told through faces. It takes enormous trust on the part of a director to allow this to happen, to let the faces do most of the heavy lifting. A two-character film with wall-to-wall dialogue. Dakota Johnson's and Sean Penn's faces fill..
‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘Seed of the Sacred Fig,’ ‘The Room Next Door’ Lead European Film Award Nominations
The 37th European Film Awards, which take place annually in the lakeside Swiss city of Lucerne, have unveiled their nominations for 2024. Unsurprisingly, the list is led by French..
VALENCIA 2024 :: Review: A Bathroom of One's Own
“I have never known why people like the smell of napalm in the morning. Nor why it is strange that I like the smell of the bathroom. You know, that dense, sometimes fruity aroma, but for me the bathroom is the only place where I can..”
New York 2024 Review :: NO OTHER LAND Chronicles Living Under Occupation
A co-production between Palestine and Norway, the film was selected for the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere, winning..
"My Favorite Cake" :: film directors accused of "Spreading Corruption" in a new case
In addition to "Propaganda Against the Regime", they have also been accused of two new charges, including "spreading corruption through the production of vulgar films and spreading..
‘All We Imagine as Light’ and ‘April’ Lead Nominations for Asia Pacific Screen Awards
Two films by women directors, Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light” and Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “April” lead the nominations for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards..
Trump Campaign staff Calls "The Apprentice" Malicious Defamation
US presidential candidate Donald Trump's legal team are reaching out for Ali Abbasi, "The Apprentice" Danish-Iranian film director. The story of Trump is also the story of the development of the perception of reality in our..
Azar Nafisi's READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN is now a film!
The autobiographical story of a fearless teacher who secretly gathers seven of her female students to read forbidden Western classics in revolutionary Iran. It is directed by Eran Riklis, written by Marjorie David..
Could ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’ Cause the Academy to Rethink How Countries Select International Oscar Candidates?
Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s politically-charged thriller is becoming..
TOKYO 2024 :: EXCLUSIVE: Trailer for Roya Sadat’s historical drama film Sima’s Song
The movie, premiering at Tokyo, tells a tale of friendship and ideological clashes as two women navigate the complexities of Afghanistan's shifting political landscape..
TOKYO 2023 :: Film Review :: Maria by Mahdi Asghari Azghadi :: A captivating thriller noir
“Maria” is a captivating thriller noir that remains interesting from beginning to end, while making a very intriguing comment about the impact of cinema..
Tokyo film festival reveals 2024 Line-up with strong Asian presence
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) today revealed the lineup for its 37th edition, which includes world premieres of features from China, Japan and Hong Kong among its competition strands..
WARSAW 2024 :: The 40th Warsaw Film Festival :: Main programme
This year’s edition of the Warsaw Film Festival, unfolding between 11 and 20 October, will present 84 feature films, amongst which 26 world premieres, 18 international premieres, 6 European premieres, 5 Eastern European..
TIFF 2023 :: Farhad Delaram :: Director of Achilles
Writer-director Farhad Delaram made this film as the bloody crackdown on protesters began in his home country. His feature debut is a testament to the magnitude of collective cracks that - when amassed - can tear down walls..
VENICE 2024 Awards LIVE: The awards of the 81st Venice Film Festival
The list of winners is being unveiled at the festival's closing ceremony. “Cinema is in great shape.” These were the words of Isabelle Huppert, the chair of the jury, which has handed the Golden Lion to director Pedro Almodóvar..
VENICE 2024 Orizzonti Extra :: Nader Saeivar :: Director of The Witness
“The new generation wants to win using forgiveness and beauty”. VENICE 2024: The Iranian director explains how he intended to commemorate the women’s movement and its non-violent forms of protest..
VENICE 2024 International Film Critics’ Week • Milad Tangshir • Director of Anywhere Anytime
“I wouldn’t just remake a timeless masterpiece – I’m not crazy”. The director explains how a regular bicycle can, for some people, mean the difference between survival or simply not..
VENICE 2024 :: International Film Critics’ Week :: Awards
Vietnam's Don’t Cry, Butterfly wins the Grand Prize at Venice’s International Film Critics’ Week. US title Homegrown scooped the prize for Best Technical Contribution, while Jethro Massey’s Paul & Paulette Take a Bath snagged the Audience Award..
VENICE 2024 Out of Competition • Thomas Vinterberg • Director of Families Like Ours
The acclaimed director talks about his choice of subject, his creative process and whether there’s a Danish film wave still out there. “You could say that we inspired COVID, rather than..”
Venice 2024 :: ‘The Witness’ :: Director Talks Iran Situation, Working With Jafar Panahi (EXCLUSIVE)
“The Witness,” premiering at the Venice Film Festival, has sold to Benelux, France and No.mad Entertainment. Directed by Nader Saeivar, and co-written by Saeivar and Jafar..
VENICE 2024 Out of Competition • Amos Gitai • Director of Why War
What fuels the human need to destroy and kill? Why do people go to war with each other? The Israeli director offers a kaleidoscopic film essay on war, fuelled by a historic exchange of letters between Einstein and Freud..
TIFF 2024 :: Offers a stellar lineup of highly anticipated films
Another September, another Toronto International Film Festival. This year feels particularly special, like there’s something in the pre-festival air. Perhaps it’s because of the stellar lineup, with other festival heavy hitters..
TIFF 2024 :: Seven Days :: Haft Rooz :: WORLD PREMIERE
Written by Mohammad Rasoulof — also at the Toronto Film Festival with The Seed of the Sacred Fig — directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi and shot by Mathias Neumann, Seven Days perfectly captures the personal costs of the struggle for..
Alain Delon, a universal icon :: A legend of French cinema and a key figure in the global film industry
“With the passing away of Alain Delon, France has lost one of its universal icons”. The French Presidency paid tribute to the star in a statement released on the very day of..
Oscars: Germany Submits Mohammad Rasoulof’s ‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’ For International Feature Film Race
Germany has selected Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s drama The Seed of the Sacred Fig as its submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy..
LOCARNO 2024 Awards :: Toxic wins the Golden Leopard at Locarno
The festival has elevated two courageous Lithuanian directors, Saulė Bliuvaitė and Laurynas Bareiša, to the highest podium, along with the equally radical Kurdish-Austrian director Kurdwin Ayub..
LOCARNO 2024 Piazza Grande • Mohammad Rasoulof • Director of The Seed of the Sacred Fig
The Iranian director fills us in on the background to his Cannes-awarded film as well as on the current political situation in Iran. 'The regime is a minefield. All it wants at the moment is to..'
LOCARNO 2024 :: Semaine de la Critique :: Review: A Sisters’ Tale
Iranian director Leila Amini films her sister, an aspiring singer, across seven years, in a country where public singing by women is banned. The restrictions on women’s rights in Iran, and the waves of unrest against them..
VENICE 2024 :: FIRST LOOK :: Families Like Ours
“Countries disappear, love remains.” The country which perishes is Denmark in a not-too-distant future. A grandiose and intimate family drama about a nation forced to say goodbye to the homeland..
VENICE 2024 :: Venice selects 21 films to compete for the Golden Lion
Great returns, some confirmations and a few surprises, both in competition and out, in the varied line-up of this year’s Venice Film Festival. Alberto Barbera has promised many more surprises during his press conference..
‘The Things You Kill’
Best Friend Forever Acquires Alireza Khatami’s Thriller

Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever has acquired international rights of Alireza Khatami’s “The Things You Kill.” A timely, gripping narrative that elevates..
Universal Language :: A Whimsical Fusion of Tehran and Winnipeg
By converting his drab hometown into an exotic land filled with nostalgia, Matthew Rankin seems to be seeking out the universal language of cinema itself. He quits his meaningless job in a Québecois government office and sets out..
EDINBURGH 2024 :: “A SHRINE” Selected for 77th Edinburgh IFF
The festival will feature the world premiere of “A SHRINE” directed by Abdolreza Kahani. This film, a collaborative production between Canada, Iran, and France, is set to compete for the highly esteemed Sean Connery Prize..
KARLOVY VARY 2024 Proxima :: Review: Nothing in Its Place
How far are people willing to go for their political beliefs, and how much can the ideology of a group influence the behavior of an individual? Nothing in Its Place holds up a mirror to more than one revolution..
KARLOVY VARY 2024 :: Noaz Deshe :: Director of Xoftex :: Interview
"I wanted to document the progression of the mental state of stateless people in a refugee camp." The director tells us more about his new film, in which he portrays refugees filming satirical sketches and preparing for a zombie..
KARLOVY VARY 2024 Competition :: Review: Xoftex
Xoftex is the name of a Greek refugee camp for Syrian and Palestinian asylum seekers. To pass the time, camp inhabitants such as Nasser make satirical short films and prepare to make a zombie film. Noaz Deshe explains how he..
Shanghai IFF 2023 :: A Review of 'Cause of Death: Unknown'
The first film by Ali Zarnegar receives an overall acceptable score. The writer and director's extensive experience, including his frequent involvement in short cinema, writing.., has had a positive impact on the film's quality..
Bahar Lellahi :: 40-year-old Iranian Female filmmaker Murdered in Prison
Bahar Lellahi, an Iranian director and screenwriter from the Northern city of Amol and a resident of Tehran, was killed at the Islamic Republic's detention center and was secretly buried in a cemetery near the city of Karaj..
Dead of Night :: A standout feature by Farhad Vilkiji
“Dead of Night”, a standout feature by Farhad Vilkiji, marking his directorial debut, delves into the struggles of an Iranian intellectual navigating political and personal challenges, promising a poignant exploration of human resilience..
BERLINALE 2024 Encounters :: Interview :: Matías Piñeiro
Matías Piñeiro’s experimental, hour-long film 'You Burn Me', an interesting work based on texts by Cesare Pavese and Sappho about the relationship between two women, was included in this year’s Berlinale Encounters program..
Super Size Me :: A terrific cheeky stunt :: small wonder Morgan Spurlock never matched it
'Super Size Me' director Morgan Spurlock dies aged 53. 'Super Size Me' was his masterpiece – a documentary which really did have an effect and challenged the way we think about food..
Cannes 2024 review :: 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' - A powerful rebellion in the name of art & freedom
Mohammad Rasoulof examines Iran's contemporary tensions through the internalization of turmoil by a family of four. It's a suspenseful and bold call to arms for those..
Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ Wins Palme d’Or at 2024 Cannes Film Festival
Sean Baker’s Anora has won the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, which wrapped Saturday night (May 25). It marks Baker’s second time in Competition, following 2021’s Red Rocket..
Cannes 2024 :: ‘Grand Tour’ :: Review :: In Search of Lost Time
Closer in spirit to an essay film like "Sans Soleil" than to a conventional love story, this lushly abstract travelogue is as gorgeous as it is impenetrable. Miguel Gomes’ Beguiling Colonial Romance Travels from Saigon to Shanghai in..
Cannes 2024 :: ‘All We Imagine as Light’ :: A Sensual Triumph
India’s First Cannes Competition Title in 30 Years Is a Sensual Triumph. Payal Kapadia captures the way two women in Mumbai move through the world with bracing intimacy. It is both dreamlike and like waking up from a dream..
Cannes 2024 :: Mohammad Rasoulof Speaking to IndieWire
Rasoulof Made It to Cannes for ‘Seed of the Sacred Fig,’ but His Perilous Journey Out of Iran Isn’t Over. "I consider making works of art as my right, and there’s no reason why I wouldn’t fight for this right."..
Cannes 2024 :: Donald Trump Origin Tale ‘The Apprentice’ Gets 11-Minute Ovation At Its Cannes World Premiere
The Trumps were on the red carpet this evening at the Cannes Film Festival — sort of — as Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice world premiered in competition. There was lots of hugs..
Cannes Film Festival 2024 ::
Francis Ford Coppola Finally Talks Megalopolis

The Oscar-winning legend has been the subject of deafening rumors about his self-financed new epic. For the first time in public, he finally got to tell his story...
UPDATE :: I exist to narrate :: Mohammad Rasoulof writes about his forced departure from Iran
By publishing a post on his personal Instagram page, he announced his forced departure from Iran. His writing, which you can read here, is a testament to the many artists who were driven..
The Phoenix (Simorgh) is finally online!
The Phoenix (Simorgh) is a short film Written & Directed by Nora Niasari. It follows Mr Farid, an exiled Iranian actor, who teaches drama to reluctant asylum seeker teenagers inside an Australian Detention Centre..
Films Boutique boards Mohammad Rasoulof’s Cannes Competition title
Berlin-based Films Boutique has secured world sales rights to Mohammad Rasoulof’s 'The Seed Of The Sacred Fig' ahead of its premiere in Competition at Cannes, and has closed a distribution deal in France..
Nika's Last Breath :: BBC World Service Documentaries
Secret document says Iran security forces molested and killed teen protester. An Iranian teenager was sexually assaulted and killed by three men working for Iran's security forces, a leaked document understood to have been..
Cannes Film Festival 2024 :: Michel Hazanavicius & Mohammad Rasoulof Movies in Competition Lineup
Cannes Film Festival has added some international titles to Competition Lineup: Hazanavicius‘ 'The Most Precious of Cargoes' and Rasoulof‘s 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig'..
'Biological Terror?!' :: Speculations about Alidoosti's unknown disease
According to some sources, Taraneh told her colleagues that she passed out during her interrogation by IRGC intelligence agents and then, realized that she was injected with an unknown ampoule, after which she felt dizzy..
Taraneh Alidoosti's mother: Pray for her! Her disease is severe!
The celebrated Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti's mother has announced that her daughter is suffering from an illness of "unknown origin". Earlier, there were reports that Taraneh Alidoosti was ill and hospitalized..
‘The Apprentice’ :: A dive into the underbelly of the American empire
The drama charts a young Donald Trump’s ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn. A first look at the forthcoming film from Ali Abbasi, set to premiere at Cannes..
STOCKFISH 2024 :: Review: Tove’s Room
A new biopic about Danish poet Tove Ditlevsen and her tortured marriage to the sadistic news editor Victor Andreasen. We’re in Copenhagen in 1969, and the entire action of this tense, neurotic – yet very intriguing – kammerspiel takes place..
American Fiction :: Movie Review
Jeffrey Wright gives a knockout performance in this edgy, Oscar-nominated comedy. Cord Jefferson marries broad humour with affecting familial dysfunction and biting observations on race. This season’s edgiest comedy arrives with richly deserved Oscar nominations for..
CPH:DOX 2024 :: Review: Silent Trees
Zwiefka – whose last film, Vika! has enjoyed a healthy festival run and is still travelling the world – now trains her lens on a completely different topic: the story of a Kurdish refugee girl stranded in the no man’s land between Belarus and Poland...
CPH:DOX 2024 :: Review: Immortals
Immortals is a dystopian film that turns into an ode to fragility, and it shows the contrasting feelings of those who allowed themselves the luxury of hoping that David might kill Goliath. Maja Tschumi’s film is built around the hopes and broken dreams, but most of all the..
Exiled Iranian Filmmakers Call Out AMPAS Over Omission
Exiled Iranian Filmmakers (IIFMA) has written to AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) to protest the omission of murdered Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui from the In Memoriam segment of the Academy Award..
Oscar 2024 :: How to Watch Every 2024 Oscar-Nominated Movie
It’s time to fire up your Letterboxd, roller-skate out of the real world, and head off to movie land. The 2024 Oscar nominations have been officially announced, giving you a perfect watchlist for catching up on all the films you..
Berlin: Indie Juries Pick :: ‘Sex’, ‘Dying’ and ‘Cake’
Matthias Glasner's German family epic 'Sterben' (Dying), Iranian feature 'My Favourite Cake,' and Dag Johan Haugerud's Norwegian drama 'Sex' picked up multiple awards from the independent juries at the 74th Berlinale..
BERLINALE 2024 Awards :: Mati Diop’s Dahomey bags the Golden Bear
The 74th Berlinale (15-25 February) was brought to a close tonight by the traditional awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast, which saw the triumph of Mati Diop’s Dahomey, the winner of this year’s Golden Bear..
BERLINALE 2024 :: Competition Review: Architecton
Several thousand years of architectural history are woven together in Kossakovsky's visionary blockbuster, which almost without dialogue - but with images as sharp as flint and a soundtrack as massive as a pillow - is a total cinematic..
BERLINALE 2024 :: Review: Afterwar
An immersive and uncategorisable film, shot over a period of 15 years, was made in close collaboration with its four Kosovar protagonists. A dark chapter in modern European history draws to a close. Haunted by memories of the past and caught in an uncertain state of limbo..
BERLINALE 2024 Competition :: Review: My Favourite Cake
All eyes were on writer-directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha – or, rather, their absence – at the world premiere of their new film, My Favourite Cake, which has just made its debut in the Competition section of..
NAVALNY (2022) :: Navalny’s Plight in a Russian Prison Highlighted
The fact that this documentary movie involves one of the most brazen incidents of state sponsored assassination in memory means this is a unique document of a very singular man. After almost being poisoned to death in 2020..
CPH:DOX 2024 :: The line-up of the 2024 CPH:DOX competitions
CPH:DOX unveils the films nominated across all six award categories. The selection features 66 films in competition, among which 47 are world premieres, 17 international premieres and 2 European premieres..
BERLINALE 2024 :: ‘My Favourite Cake’ Directors Deliver Powerful Message From Iran
‘My Favourite Cake’ Directors Deliver Powerful Message From Iran After Authorities Banned Travel to Berlinale: ‘Like Parents Forbidden From Looking at Their Newborn Child’..
Farshad Hashemi :: Director of 'Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others' :: Interview
“I can’t predict the future, but I know this is just the beginning”. The winner of Göteborg’s Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award plays with fact and fiction in his debut film..
BERLINALE 2024 :: EXCLUSIVE :: Trailer for Berlinale Panorama entry 'My Stolen Planet'
The German-Iranian co-production is a diary-style narrative by Farahnaz Sharifi, from her childhood to the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom uprising..
Farshad Hashemi's film wins The Ingmar Bergman Debut Award at Goteborg Film Festival
The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award goes to Farshad Hashemi's feature debut 'Me, Maryam, The Children And 26 Others'. The prize consists of a stay at The Bergman Estate on..
‘Eternal’ :: Rotterdam Review :: A soulful exploration of love and regret
How can you commit to the future when life on earth seems so finite? It is a question that haunts the central character in writer/director Ulaa Salim’s admirably offbeat romance Eternal..
IFFR 2024 Tiger Competition :: 'Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others'
Farshad Hashemi's feature debut, Me, Maryam, the Children and 26 Others, which has just world-premiered in IFFR's Tiger Competition, will inevitably inspire associations with Iranian cinema's tradition of intertwining..
Berlinale Calls for Iran to Allow Directors to Attend Festival
The Berlin Film Festival has called on Iran to allow directors Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha to leave the country to attend the world premiere of their new film My Favorite Cake..
"My Favourite Cake" :: to premiere in the Berlinale Competition
Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s My Favourite Cake to premiere in the Berlinale Competition. Last year, the pair were banned from travelling in relation to their film..
Asghar Farhadi, Iranian filmmaker :: “I saw how powerful women are”
In a new interview with french newspaper Le Monde, Farhadi reveals he won't be making any new films in Iran, for the time being, as an act of resistance against the regime..
IPADOC 2024 :: Review :: Son of the Mullah
Nahid Persson pays tribute to Rouhollah Zam, an exiled Iranian activist and journalist with a tragic fate, with a moving film about the pursuit of regime opponents. “I had a beautiful life before I left Iran”..
‘Gunda’ :: Berlin Review :: Intensely moving and quite genuinely unique
Anyone who never thought they could imagine the feelings of an animal will have their mind changed here. Viktor Kossakovsky’s extraordinary film is every bit as resonant as Bresson’s ’Balthazar’ or Bela Tarr’s ’Turin Horse’..
BERLINALE 2024 :: “Sons” by Gustav Möller :: Selected for main Competition
BERLIN. “The Guilty” director Gustav Möller's prison drama “Sons” will be celebrating the World premiere in the International Competition strand of the Berlinale as the first Danish-language film in eight years..
BERLINALE 2024 Competition :: Encounters
The Berlinale (15-25 February) has announced the full line-ups of its Competition and Encounters sections. Twenty films will vie for the Golden and Silver Bears, including two debut features..
La chimera :: A fairy tale with a social conscience and plenty of humor
Alice Rohrwacher's film is clever, ambitious, and funny throughout, but it also works as an intelligent meditation on our attitudes toward life, love, and death. Get used to her name, because she will be sticking around well after..
Iran: PEN International Calls for investigation over Baktash Abtin’s tragic death
PEN International holds the Iranian authorities fully responsible for the death of the prominent writer, poet, and filmmaker Baktash Abtin and calls for an urgent investigation into..
GOLDEN GLOBES 2024 :: 'Anatomy of a Fall' wins two Golden Globes
Justine Triet’s film shone bright at the ceremony, at which the main winners were Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which also boast European participation..
Tótem :: A dazzling, vibrant child’s-eye view of jubilation and tragedy
Lila Avilés’s latest film is filtered largely through the perspective of a seven-year-old girl who experiences the ups and downs of life in a day with her big and beautiful family.. A co-production between Mexico, Denmark and..
Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers Is a Holiday Triumph
Alexander Payne's new film The Holdovers, starring Paul Giamatti, is the kind of wonderful comedy-drama we used to take for granted. Today it feels like a cinematic miracle. In Payne’s work, one individual’s failings..
Film Orgs call on Iranian authorities to drop charges against two movie directors
Some 30 film organizations, festivals and professionals have signed an open letter calling on Iranian authorities to immediately drop all charges against directors Maryam Moghadam..
Absence :: Ali Mosaffa's mystical thriller
An Iranian man, while investigating into his father's youth in Prague, finds himself in the shoes of a third man who is almost dead and happens to be his half-brother. Absence is an attempt to shed light on a forgotten corner..
‘Cafe’ :: Review :: Screened at 64th Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival 2023
May seem absurdist, but it is at least partially autobiographical. Like his countryman Jafar Panahi, a ban on filmmaking didn’t stop Mihandoust and, in the three years he was waiting for the sentence to be enacted, he..
Stockholm International Film Festival Awards 2023
Best Film: “The Settlers” by Felipe Gálvez Haberle. In a remarkable triumph, Chilean maestro Felipe Gálvez’s brutal western clinched the coveted Best Film award. The film delves into the annals of Chilean colonization and..
36th TIFF :: Tokyo 2023 :: Winners
Family drama Snow Leopard, directed by the late Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden, has won the Tokyo Grand Prix, the top prize at this year’s Tokyo Film Festival. Tatami by Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv won the Special Jury Prize, also the award for Best Actress for Zar Amir..
Tokyo Film Festival 2023
The Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), set to run October 23 to November 1, revealed the lineup for its 36th edition, including 20 world premieres across its two competition strands. The festival features 15 titles in its main Competition section led by Japan and China..
GoCritic! Animest 2023 :: Review :: The Siren
As shown through the eyes of a teenage boy, Sepideh Farsi's animated film shows both the horrors and kindness that wartime brings. A striking, bleakly beautiful account of living in a war zone, which captures a traumatic and..
LONDON 2023 :: Review :: Celluloid Underground
Unsuitable films were burned after the Islamic regime took over Iran. But one man stashed away reels and reels of banned and western movies – to thrill a new generation in secret film clubs.. A salute to the underground film lovers..
Golshifteh Farahani On the Shocking News of One of Iran's most prominent film-makers' Murder
"I did my very first movie 'The Pear Tree' with him when I was 14 years old. He was One of the most incredible directors of Iran and a great friend throughout these 26 years"..
Noted Iranian film director and his wife found stabbed to death in their home
Fans of the celebrated Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui have woken to the shocking news of his murder at home by an unknown assailant. He was 83. He was a co-founder of Iran’s film new wave in the early 1970s..
ORCA :: A Protest Against Hate, Intolerance and Dehumanization
Iranian swimmer (Taraneh Alidoosti) fights abuse and oppression with an “Orca” as her Spirit Animal. This drama ... is a genuinely inspiring story, in part because it doesn't adhere to the formula we might expect..
Copenhagen Cinematheque :: 'Leila's Brothers' :: Film of the Month in October
Iranian cinema surprised at last year's Cannes festival – this time with a screwball comedy about finances and love, family relations and generational gaps..
LOCARNO 2023 :: Radu Jude :: Interview :: It's Later Than You Think
Jude once again proves himself to be one of the most original auteurs of our times. Moreover, his lack of fear at being controversial – or simply wrong – allows him to create cinema on an extraordinary scale that does not necessarily..
OSCARS 2024 :: European titles submitted for the Oscars race
European countries reveal their titles submitted for the Best International Feature Film Award at the 2024 Academy Awards. With the 96th Academy Awards ceremony scheduled to take place in Hollywood on 10 March, 2024..
Oscars 2024 :: Denmark Picks ‘The Promised Land’ for Best International Feature Category
Denmark has picked its 2024 Oscar contender, selecting period epic The Promised Land as its official Academy Award entry in the best international feature category..
Oscars 2024 :: Sweden selects Milad Alami’s 'Opponent' as Oscar candidate
“We are very proud and honoured to be the Swedish submission to the Oscars this year! I am personally extra proud of our fantastic actors and our team.” Alami said. The film produced by Annika Rogell for Tangy is also nominated for..
Female Freedom Fighters :: The Politics of Women's Hair
Why the World’s First Feminist Revolution is Happening in Iran. A female revolution is underway in Iran. The mullahs are fighting back with brutal force. A year after it all began, women aren't giving up..
Oscars 2024 :: 'The Night Guardian' :: Iran Oscar entry
Iran has submitted Reza Mirkarimi’s The Night Guardian for Best International Film category at the 96th Academy Awards, in a move that will likely prompt pushback from the country’s dissident film community..
Venice 2023 :: ‘Green Border’ Review: Agnieszka Holland’s Humanitarian heart-in-mouth thriller Masterpiece
A modern-day resistance movie dealing with a new kind of fascism, and very much of a piece with Holland's previous classics 'In Darkness'..
Venice 2023 Winners :: Full List :: Golden Lion Goes To Yorgos Lanthimos For ‘Poor Things’
The 80th Venice Film Festival handed out its awards and Yorgos Lanthimos has clinched the top prize with his latest feature Poor Things, starring Emma Stone; Hamaguchi, Sarsgaard..
Venice 2023 :: ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Review :: Ryusuke Hamaguchi Delivers A Constantly Surprising Film
Nature cannot be evil, only indifferent. But what about us? Hamaguchi is not interested in taking the easy road to a satisfactory resolution. On the contrary; his story runs up hard against..
Venice 2023 :: ‘The Beast’ Review :: Bertrand Bonello’s Trippy Sci-Fi
Is it sci-fi? Is it a romance? Is it a mystery? Is it a drama? It’s all these things together and none of them at the same time. It is moving and alienating, intellectual and visceral, it is challenging and confusing but it’s undeniably a..
Venice 2023 :: Woody Allen Gets Rapturous Reception :: Talks Love Of European Cinema; Life-Career Luck..
Allen was last in Venice in 2007, with Cassandra’s Dream starring Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor, and prior to that was invited in 1995 to receive a Career Golden Lion, but did..
VENICE 2023 Giornate degli Autori :: Interview: Ayat Najafi :: Director of The Sun Will Rise
The director talks about his Iranian-shot film, which documents the trials and tribulations of a theatre company, while outside, in the streets, youngsters are demonstrating..
Venice 2023 Flash Mob :: In Solidarity with Iranian pro-democracy protests
Jane Campion, Damien Chazelle, Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv joined a flash mob on the Venice Film Festival’s red carpet on Saturday in support of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Iran..
Venice 2023 (Orizzonti) :: ‘Tatami’ Review :: Potent Political Sport Thriller
Billed as the first feature film to be co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker, “Tatami” goes all in with a lean and tense narrative that is part sport movie, part political thriller — with both parts equally neatly realized..
Variety (EXCLUSIVE) :: Iranian Filmmaker Ali Asgari Banned From Traveling & Making Movies
Ali Asgari, whose latest film “Terrestrial Verses” (co-directed by Alireza Khatami) world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, has been banned by the Iranian authorities from leaving the country and directing movies until further notice..
Venice 2023 :: ‘Priscilla’ Gets 7-Minute-Plus Ovation In Venice
Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla got a rousing response at its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Monday evening. The pic, a biopic of Priscilla Presley, who was in attendance for the movie based on the memoir she co-authored, scored..
Venice 2023 :: ‘Poor Things’ Review :: Emma Stone In Yorgos Lanthimos’ Glorious Paean To Freedom
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How to Watch and Stream Every 2024 Oscar-Nominated Movie

How to Watch and Stream
Every 2024 Oscar-Nominated Movie

By Savannah Salazar, Vulture.com
Mar. 8, 2024

It’s time to fire up your Letterboxd, roller-skate out of the real world, and head off to movie land.

After a year of dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, a pink-and-black double-feature phenomenon, and some truly great films from auteur directors, the 2024 Oscar nominations have been officially announced, giving you a perfect watchlist for catching up on all the films you missed ahead of the Oscar ceremony in March.

The good news, depending on who you ask, is that a handful of the Best Picture nominees are already available to stream — from The Holdovers, to Barbie, to Oppenheimer, the leader of the Oscar-nominee pack. You have options!


Watching 1973’s Oscar winner The Godfather in this year’s Oscar-nominated Barbie. Photo: Warner Bros.

And we’re here to help you sort through them. In the list below, we’ve prioritized the Best Picture nominees up top, with the additionally nominated films split into a few categories. Some titles, such as shorts and international films, are not widely available to see yet, but this list will be updated regularly throughout the awards season. Without further ado, here’s how to watch and stream all the 2024 Oscar nominees.

Best Picture Nominees Streaming or in Theaters

American Fiction

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright), Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score



Academy voters seemed to be as smitten with American Fiction as the book publishers were smitten with My Pafology in American Fiction. Along with a top prize, Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown pulled through in the acting categories while director and writer Cord Jefferson received an Adapted Screenplay nomination for his first feature film. (Available to stream on MGM+ and to rent on Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.)

Anatomy of a Fall

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Justine Triet), Best Actress (Sandra Hüller), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing



The legal drama from Neon won the Palme d’Or at 2023 Cannes, managed to edge out Barbie at the Golden Globes, and is continuing that streak by earning a slot in the Best Picture lineup and a Best Director nom for Justine Triet, making her the only woman nominated in that category this year. (Available to rent on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and YouTube and will be available to stream on Hulu March 22.)

Barbie

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Supporting Actress (America Ferrera), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Song (“I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For”)



Hi, Barbies! Hi, eight nominations! The box-office juggernaut of 2023 received a handful of noms — from America Ferrera’s first Oscar nomination to two nods for its original songs. The only bummer is that Margot Robbie was snubbed for Best Actress, though is nominated as producer, and voters didn’t nominate Greta Gerwig for Best Director. A weird choice for sure, but at least she and Noah Baumbach were recognized in Adapted Screenplay. Now if only the Academy can convince Ryan Gosling to sing “I’m Just Ken” at the ceremony. (Available to stream on Max.)

The Holdovers

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), Best Supporting Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing



It’s becoming more and more obvious that the Supporting Actress award is Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s to win, so go see why. (Available to stream on Peacock.)

Killers of the Flower Moon

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Actress (Lily Gladstone), Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song (“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)”)



Martin Scorsese’s sweeping film earned ten nominations including Best Director, Score, a Supporting Actor nomination for Robert De Niro, and most importantly, a Best Actress nomination for Lily Gladstone, the first Indigenous American woman to receive recognition in that category. It also paves the way for her high-school superlative to come true. (Available to stream on Apple TV+.)

Maestro

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Actress (Carey Mulligan), Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound



For all the attention Bradley Cooper’s Maestro nose got this season, it didn’t stop the movie from nabbing seven nominations. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Oppenheimer

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.), Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score



Despite a different voting body, the Golden Globes was just the beginning of most people realizing that Oppenheimer is the movie to beat this awards season. It has 13 nominations spread healthily among the majority of the awards categories, including Christopher Nolan in Best Director. If he wins, it will be his first time ever winning an Academy Award, which is wild. (Available to stream on Peacock.)

Past Lives

Nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay



Director and writer Celine Song’s lush first feature will go down in history as an impressive directorial debut: It earned her Best Picture and Original Screenplay nominations right out of the gate, a feat most recently pulled off by Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig in 2018. (Available to stream on Paramount+.)

Poor Things

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos), Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score



There have been comparisons drawn between Poor Things and Barbie, mostly because both films, on the surface, are about women venturing into a world radically new to them. Instead of a doll, Poor Things stars Emma Stone, who received a Best Actress nom, as a dead woman brought back to life with the brain of her unborn child by a brilliant and maybe slightly mad surgeon (Willem Dafoe). It’s an audacious dark comedy from Yorgos Lanthimos that earned him a Best Director nom, and the film itself is the second most-nominated film of the bunch. (Available to stream on Hulu.)

The Zone of Interest

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Jonathan Glazer), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best International Feature Film



The most dour film on this lineup, The Zone of Interest struck a chord in Academy voters as they awarded Under the Skin director Jonathan Glazer his first Oscar nominations, for Best Director and Adapted Screenplay, for this heavy story about Nazi commander Rudolf Höss and his family’s idyllic home right outside of the horrors of Auschwitz. The film also earned a nomination for Best Sound; if you’ve seen the film, you know why. (Available to purchase on Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.)
Other Oscar Movies Streaming or in Theaters

American Symphony

Nominated for Best Original Song (“It Never Went Away”)

Jon Batiste’s song “It Never Went Away,” written for the documentary American Symphony focusing on him and his wife, Suleika Jaoaud, was able to receive some Oscar love despite not landing a nom in Best Documentary. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

The Boy and the Heron

Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film



Hayao Miyazaki earns his fourth nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. (His earlier film Spirited Away won in 2003.) Now, if only voice acting was a category. (Available in theaters.)

The Color Purple

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Danielle Brooks)

After playing the role of Sofia in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, Danielle Brooks’s stunner performance in the theatrical musical remake earned her a Supporting Actress nom. (Available to stream on Max.)

The Creator

Nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound

Gareth Edwards’s original sci-fi story — just like his earlier film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — was honored in two categories: Best Visual Effects and Sound. (Available to stream on Hulu.)

El Conde

Nominated for Best Cinematography



Pablo Larraín’s bloody film about the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet may have come and gone last fall, but its cinematographer, Ed Lachman, brought the film an Oscar nomination. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Elemental

Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film

It’s been quite a journey for Elemental from box-office failure, to box-office success, and now, some Oscar recognition! (Available to stream on Disney+.)

Flamin’ Hot

Nominated for Best Original Song (“The Fire Inside”)

Will Diane Warren get an award for writing a song for a Hot Cheeto movie? Probably not, but it’s fun to say out loud. (Available to stream on Hulu.)

Godzilla Minus One

Nominated for Best Visual Effects

Godzilla’s first Oscar nom! (Available in theaters.)

Golda

Nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling

I did not recognize Helen Mirren for a hot second in the Golda trailer, so one can assume the Best Makeup and Hairstyling nod was deserved. (Available to stream on Paramount+.)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Nominated for Best Visual Effects

The Guardians of the frickin’ Galaxy have now saved Marvel’s ass twice in the past year: (1) by actually delivering a good movie, and (2) by earning a frickin’ Visual Effects nomination. Quantumania could never. (Available to stream on Disney+.)

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Nominated for Best Original Score

Indy lives another day in the Oscars limelight! Thanks to legendary composer John Williams, that is. (Available to stream on Disney+.)

May December

Nominated for Best Original Screenplay



Charles Melton, we will avenge you!! Most of the Academy just didn’t get it, but at least Samy Burch got an Original Screenplay nomination for her whip-smart script. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning

Nominated for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound

Tom Cruise may have not gotten all the IMAX screens he wanted, but hey, at least Dead Reckoning (née Part One) is getting some credit this awards season. (Available to stream on Paramount+ .)

Napoleon

Nominated for Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design

Bonne news for the Napoleon Bonaparte biopic this morning! It notched three nominations, for Visual Effects, Production Design, and Costume Design. (Available to stream on Apple TV+.)

Nimona

Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film

Considering that Nimona was so close to being lost forever and one of the best animated films of a stacked year, the adorably fun adventure film getting an Oscar nomination is the cherry on top of its long journey to viewers. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Nyad

Nominated for Best Actress (Annette Bening) and Best Supporting Actress (Jodie Foster)

Nyad hasn’t made much noise over awards season, but given that Jodie Foster and Annette Bening nabbed nominations in Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively (and the latter was possibly the nomination that spoiled Margot Robbie’s chances in the lineup), the Academy was certainly paying attention. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Robot Dreams

Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film

Robot Dreams is Neon’s second animated feature to be nominated for an Oscar, two years after Flee. Adapted by the comic of the same name by Sara Varon, this film follows the close friendship between a dog and a robot. (Not available yet.)

Rustin

Nominated for Best Actor (Colman Domingo)

Colman Domingo’s performance of Bayard Rustin (and his sheer charisma on the awards trail) landed the actor his first Oscar nomination. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Society of the Snow

Nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best International Feature Film



An unflinching retelling of the 1977 Andes flight disaster, director J.A. Bayona’s Society of the Snow is Spain’s representative in the International Feature Film category and also managed to receive recognition for its Makeup and Hairstyling. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Nominated for Best Animated Feature Film

Congrats to Miles and Gwen. (Available to stream on Netflix.)


*     *     *     *     *


Best Documentary Feature Film


Bobi Wine: The People’s President

This documentary tracks Bobi Wine’s journey from a musician to a politician fighting against Uganda’s dictatorship. (Available to stream on Disney+.)

The Eternal Memory

Maite Alberdi directs a poignant tale about a Chilean couple who learn that one of them has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. (Available to stream on Paramount+.)

Four Daughters

Winner of Best Documentary at Cannes, Four Daughters follows Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters’ relationship as two of her eldest children are radicalized by Islamic State. (Available to stream on Netflix and the Kino Film Collection.)



To Kill a Tiger

After his daughter is raped, an Indian farmer demands justice, challenging the country’s courts. The doc portrays her choice, after she turns 18, to reveal her identity and reject the culture of shame around victims of sexual violence. (Available in select theaters.)

20 Days in Mariupol

Trapped in a city under siege, a team of Ukrainian journalists struggle to report on the Russia-Ukraine war from the hotspot of Mariupol. (Available to rent on Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube.)




*     *     *     *     *

Best International Feature Film


Io Capitano

In this refugee drama, a Senegalese boy and his cousin flee their hometown of Dakar in an attempt to emigrate to Italy. (Available in theaters.)

Perfect Days

A meditation on repetition directed by Wim Wenders, the warmly received Perfect Days follows a contented toilet cleaner named Hirayama, played by Koji Yakusho. (Available in theaters.)

Society of the Snow
(See above.)

The Teachers’ Lounge

A teacher investigates some thievery going on at her school. You just know she’s not being paid enough. (Available in select theaters.)

The Zone of Interest
(See above.)


*     *     *     *     *


Best Live-Action Short Film


The After

David Oyelowo stars as a grieving rideshare driver. (Available to stream on Netflix.)

Invincible

Inspired by the director Vincent René-Lortie’s childhood friend, Invincible follows the final 48 hours of a 14-year-old boy. (Available to watch on YouTube.)

Knight of Fortune

A comedic short focused on two widowers who meet at a morgue. (Available to watch online through The New Yorker.)

Red, White and Blue

Brittany Snow stars in this short film from Nazrin Choudhury about a single woman who must cross state lines to get a much needed abortion. (Available to rent here.)

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Wes Anderson’s magnificent Asteroid City may have been ignored this awards season, but at least his delightful Roald Dahl adaptations earned some recognition. (Available to stream on Netflix.)


*     *     *     *     *


Best Animated Short Film

Letter to a Pig

An unlikely letter (written by a Holocaust survivor to the pig who saved his life) is read to an unlikely audience — a classroom of high-schoolers — and stirs a powerful reaction in one of its students. (Available in theaters.)

Ninety-Five Senses

Tim Blake Nelson leads this tale of a man appreciating all five of his body’s senses for possibly the last time. (Available to watch online.)

Our Uniform

An Iranian girl remembers old memories through her school uniforms. (Available in theaters.)

Pachyderme

A young girl’s stay at her grandparents unravels. (Available to watch on YouTube.)

War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko
Executive-produced by Sean Ono Lennon and directed by Pixar alum Dave Mullins, War Is Over! translates John and Yoko’s song into a World War I tale. (Available in theaters.)


*     *     *     *     *

Best Documentary Short Film


The ABCs of Book Banning

Young children and authors come together to talk about book-banning. (Available to stream on Paramount+.)

The Barber of Little Rock

A New Yorker short following Arlo Washington, a local Black barber who plans to open a nonprofit bank for his community. (Available to watch online.)

Island in Between

A New York Times Op-Doc, filmmaker S. Leo Chiang examines Taiwan China and the United States in relation to the islands of Kinmen. (Available to watch on YouTube.)

The Last Repair Shop

A story on a group of craftspeople who repair student instruments. (Available to watch on YouTube.)

Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó

Filmmaker Sean Wang’s documentary focuses on his two grandmothers. (Available to stream on Disney+.)



Night Train To Lisbon
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