Foreign Language Film Submissions 2017

After getting nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Live Action Short Film category in 2013 for Henry, Montreal film maker Yan England does not disappoint with his feature film debut, 1:54. The film made a splash in French-speaking Canada, generating a wide debate in society about its main theme, bullying in schools and how to prevent it.

The Brazilian foreign film entry, Bingo: King of Mornings, is a biographical drama written by award-winning writer Luis Bolognesi and Fábio Meira, with a remarkable directorial debut from coveted film editor Daniel Rezende. Bingo is based closely on Arlindo Barreto’s life as Bozo the Clown in the 1980s (changed to Bingo for legal reasons) but is truly a film about the trials and tribulations of fame and success.

Jupiter’s Moon is a Hungarian drama directed by Kornel Mondruczo who also co-wrote the film with Kata Weber.  The film premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and competed for the Palme d’Or in the main section.

Breath is a fantastical drama written and directed by native Iranian Narges Abyar. Set in Yazd, Iran, spanning between the 1970s and the end of the 1980s, Breath (Nafas) is a harrowing story about war and childhood as seen through the creative eyes of 9-year-old Bahar (played by Sareh Nour Mousavi), who uses her imagination to dream her way out of her violent reality.

Of his film, Birdshot, writer-director Mikhail Red says: “I was inspired by a news article about a Bukidnon (Philippines) farmer who shot, killed, cooked and ate a critically endangered Philippine Eagle in the wild. ” An engaging coming-of-age drama and thriller, it follows the story of a young girl who accidentally shoots an endangered Philippine Eagle.

Wolf Warrior II is a nationalist action film that stormed China’s box office in 2017. Since its theatrical release in China and North America, the movie has made over 860 million USD.

“My Husband’s Wife (Tokal), is the story of two women who find out that they have the same husband. Produced, written, directed and starring the lovely Gauikhar (Gia) Noortas (as Bota), the movie is the much-talked-about drama in Kazakshtan and Kyrgyzstan as it handles the taboo topics of infidelity, immorality and the abuse of power of wealthy, powerful men.

A highly political drama that shows the implications of celebrity culture and the influence of fame on sensitive topics like religion, is the premise of The Preacher, an Egyptian film by director Magdi Ahmed Ali. Sheikh Hatem (Amr Saad) is a high-profile television celebrity and talk-show host in a society influenced by fundamentalist views.

Lipstick Under My Burkha is an Indian black comedy film that tells the story of four small town Indian women, ages 18 to 55, who are asserting their personal and sexual rights. Written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and produced by Prakash Jha, the controversial film almost did not make it on the big screen in India when it was initially denied a release in January 2017 after the country’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) refused a certificate stating that “There are contagious (sic) sexual scenes, abusive words, audio pornography and a big sensitive touch about one particular section of society.

The Wedding Plan is an Israeli romantic comedy in which Michal (Noa Koler) is a young-ish woman who's been trying to get hitched for years. All her clocks are ticking like with many of Jane Austen heroines or, more recently, Bridget Jones.