We are so very sorry that the ICO’s good friend and cultural collaborator of many years, Antony ‘Tony’ Rayns passed away earlier this month. In this piece, Simon Ward, former Deputy Director and later a Trustee of the ICO, pays tribute to Tony’s tireless work to promote independent cinema around the world. From the ICO’s beginning, […] The post Tony Rayns Remembered (1948 – 2026)...

Bill Kong’s Edko Films has come on board to represent “We Are Born Good,” the debut feature from Hong Kong writer-director Yeung Leung Chuen, handling world sales on the Cantonese-language drama. The film will have its world premiere in the Discovery section of the Toronto Film Festival. Chung Suet Ying, who won best leading actress […]

South Africa’s Totem Zea and Dutch production company PRPL are teaming on “Third Wheel,” one of the big buzz titles this week at Fantasia’s Frontières Co-Production Market, combining entertainment in its propulsive psychological thriller drive plus a swingeing comment on post-colonial power dynamics in Africa.  To be directed by Zoe Ramushu, whose short “It Takes […]

Hungarian filmmaker Lili Horvát’s first English-language feature, “My Notes on Mars,” starring Mackenzie Davis and Rupert Friend, will open the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Giornate Degli Autori. The section has unveiled a richly assorted lineup featuring works by female directors and exploring the female universe, regardless of who is behind the camera. This years’s selection […]

Earlier this year, the Academy Awards announced that the winner of TIFF’s Platform Award—alongside major prizes from other leading international festivals—would automatically qualify for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars.

Last week, Netflix dropped that they were back in the Ava DuVernay business when it was announced that her new docu would open sometime this year….now the New York Film Festival folks announce that 14th will close the fest (October 9th) — and what is neat is that the fest hosted the world premiere of DuVernay’s 13th exactly a decade ago.

Anton Corbijn’s A Talent for Murder, Chris Rock’s Misty Green and Florian Zeller’s Bunker will be receiving major showcases as they were selected as part of the 2026 Gala Presentations.

Hirokazu Kore-eda, Shinya Tsukamoto and Lee Chang-dong are the doing the Venice to Toronto double down, Jesse Eisenberg is sticking to a Telluride and TIFF showcase, while Andrew Haigh, Simon Stone and Mike Leigh might be packing their suitcases for the Lido, Colorado and Toronto.

Venice’s International Critics’ Week aka Settimana Internazionale della Critica have made their selections for their 41st edition and we’ve got some Sundance, Rotterdam and Cannes alumni filmmakers amongst this batch.

Next week we will know the line ups for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, as well as the 41st International Critics’ Week picks and 23rd Giornate degli Autori selections.