Olmo Schnabel's directorial debut PET SHOP DAYS screened as a Festival Favorite at SXSW, 2024. The film stars Jack Irv, Darío Yazebek Bernal, alongside Willem Dafoe, Peter Sarsgaard and more.

Impulsive black sheep Alejandro (Bernal) and pet store employee Jack (Irv) enter a whirlwind romance that sends them down the rabbit hole of depravity in Manhattan’s underworld.

In an interview at SXSW with director Olmo Schnabel, actor Darío Yazebek Bernal, EP Jeremy O'Harris, here is what they had to say:

Can you tell us a little bit about the film? Was it difficult to get off the ground? 

OLMO: It was a collaboration among friends, and yes was a difficult movie to make. Obviously when you’re not part of the industry and you’re doing something that might seem challenging or on the periphery of what people will accept, there is a lot of trial and error. It was a kind of search party to find the right producing partner to help me get this movie made. It wasn’t until I met Francesco Melzi d’Eril that I found a producer who was very excited and motivated to put this film together. I think because he’s from another cultural background, he was willing to take some risks. Whereas if you go meet with an agency or head of a studio in the US, they have a mandate to fill that this film didn’t fit into. Someone like Francesco is willing to bet on young filmmakers, and to take a risk. With Francesco I met Jeremy who was very instrumental. He helped me meet other people who were super useful for getting this out into the world. It was important to create a dialogue and have the support system I needed, because it wasn’t easy.

JEREMY: Olmo had worked a long time and garnered a lot of financing before I got involved. It was a real mountain to climb getting the movie made. Francesco is a great champion of Italian cinema and independent cinema. He’s worked a lot with Luca Guadagnino. I think that in Francesco, Olmo found a real partner who could read the universe he was building.  

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the story? Is it based on true events?

OLMO: Jack Irv, the lead in the movie who also co-wrote it, based it off a friendship he had with a friend of ours named Alejandro. In its core it’s based off a relationship he was very excited and surprised about. I believe it’s more of a fantasy of what they could do together than what they weren’t doing together. It’s a mixture between the attraction of a real relationship but also that kind of naïve childlike curiosity of what could happen if they went on this crazy adventure together. And Jack had that kind of spontaneous completely loose and free story that didn’t need to be hyper realistic. It was much more like if something was going to happen, then it’s destiny. Like if you’re going to win the lottery, you’re going to win it; I’m not going to explain to you how the ticket ended up in your hand. Similarly, these two characters literally bumped into each other on the street and this wild adventure ensues.

DARIO: I think the movie itself is

Spring is just around the corner, which means it’s that time of year for the annual True/False Fest to take over Columbia, Missouri. Dedicated to only premiering and screening non-fiction films, the festival (a nonprofit Ragtag Film Society project) is a unique four-day event rooted in four key values: integrity, inclusivity, playfulness, and sustainability.  We’re […]

The post Film Festival Watch: 14 Sundance-Supported Films to Catch at the 2025 True/False Film Fest first appeared on sundance.org.

Fiume o morte! and Raptures take IFFR 2025’s top awards  

The winners of the top IFFR 2025 prizes are here! Alongside the Tiger Award and Big Screen Award, the Tiger Special Jury, FIPRESCI, NETPAC, and Youth Jury awards were announced during the ceremony tonight in 'de Doelen'.

The festival doesn't end here though – there's still plenty to catch over the closing weekend, including Mouly Surya's HBF-backed closing film This City Is a Battlefield. Read more below.

Tiger Competition winner
Fiume o morte! by Igor Bezinović (Croatia, Italy, Slovenia)
The jury said: "At times of the rise of ultra-nationalism within a contemporary European context, the film playfully grapples with the past not as a closed chapter, but as a living reality."

Big Screen Competition winner
Raptures by Jon Blåhed (Sweden, Finland)
The jury said: "A film that asks painful questions that were relevant almost a century ago and, as it turns out, are even more relevant today."

Tiger Special Jury Award winners
L’arbre de l’authenticité by Sammy Baloji (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
The jury said: "A beautiful essay film with a methodical, playful and meditative approach to both science and history."

Im Haus meiner Eltern by Tim Ellrich (Germany)
The jury said: "For a seemingly simple portrayal of family relations and ageing, it is deeply honest, emotionally fraught, and sensitively framed."

FIPRESCI Award winner
Fiume o morte! by Igor Bezinović (Croatia, Italy, Slovenia)
The jury said: "Whilst full of dry, self-reflexive humour, the film manages to use its creative exploration of history to provide in-depth commentary on worrying contemporary political developments, specifically the rise of the global far-right."

NETPAC Award winner
Bad Girl by Varsha Bharath (India)
The jury said: "The film that we have chosen unfolds a coming-of-age story in a provocative way, it is cinematic and playful, with unexpected narrative solutions."

Youth Jury Award winner
The Visual Feminist Manifesto by Farida Baqi (Syria, Lebanon, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands)
The jury said: "From the first instance, the film proves itself to be one of a kind: unravelling its story in the format of a poem, it gracefully takes its viewer along."

Read our full report

Bruno Chatelin met for a quick interview with David Jovanovic after his successfull screening in PÖFF competition (first feature) and an incredingly long and passionate Q&A!

Dule (pictured above at Tallinn Nordic Forum Hotel with the director) is a happy boy who spends his childhood together with his hero father and mother, too small to understand that his home will soon be taken by the mine next to the village. If death caused by pollution does not take the boy sooner. Dule’s father Vid knows.

Dule playfully tries to find magic solutions in order to extinguish the pulsating ache in his father’s behaviour patterns and to save plants growing in his home garden. One after the other, everyday activities become iconic sparks of hope and the greenhouse becomes an Eden that needs Dule’s protection.

A remarkable feature of “Sun Never Again” is its pervasive symbolism which has been created using the main techniques of the art of film in a manner where besides iconic references, the relationship between light and shadow and composition is meaningfully eloquent. A seemingly unnoticeable story is thereby intertwined with the deeply contemplated philosophical approach of director David Jovanović to create a power pearl of a film which captures the audience with its detail-sensitive dramaturgic flow and fills the soul with meaning.

Elise Jagomägi

Today, the European Film Academy announced the winners of this year’s Excellence Awards. These awards honour the different arts and crafts of film making in eight categories. The winners will receive their awards at the award ceremony of the 37th European Film Awards on 7 December in Lucerne. A special eight-member jury decided on the winners in the following categories based on the European Film Awards Feature Film Selection.

    European Cinematography
Benjamin Kračun for THE SUBSTANCE
 
The jury: “Just as Elisabeth Sparkle’s world in THE SUBSTANCE contracts, the cinematography of Benjamin Kračun simultaneously excels. Despite the constraints of her environment, he playfully explores her physical and psychological demise with highly stylised lens distortions and manipulations. It is loud and glossy, but also manages to eke out an unexpected intimacy and vulnerability. The audience is transported through to an unbearably painful, and hilariously raucous ending, achieved only through collaboration with all departments and is undoubtably a celebration of cinematography and cinema.”
 
European Editing
Juliette Welfling for EMILIA PÉREZ
 
The jury: “In the feverish musical odyssey EMILIA PÉREZ, Juliette Welfling's editing strikes us with its incredible fluidity and elegance. The richness of the story's registers and tonalities is orchestrated with remarkable meticulousness, immersing the audience in the narrative without feeling any of the usual stop-and-go between sung scenes and the others. Very impressive!”
 
European Production Design
Jagna Dobesz for THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
 
The jury: “The difficult life and psychological drama of young Karoline in post-WWI Copenhagen is expertly illustrated by an excellent, interesting, visually strong, and striking production design.
Through skillfully designed interiors, along with carefully chosen exteriors, production designer Jagna Dobesz strongly and powerfully contributes to the visual quality and atmosphere of the movie.”
 
European Costume Design
Tanja Hausner for THE DEVIL’S BATH
 
The jury: “With great precision and great intelligence, Tanja Hausner's costumes in THE DEVIL'S BATH build every single character in a masterful and very modern way. They contribute perfectly to the overall picture and story. On top of that, each costume, including the background actors and extras, is a piece of art, exciting in colour, proportions, texture, and visual rhythm.”
 
European Make-up & Hair
Evalotte Oosterop for WHEN THE LIGHT BREAKS
 
The jury: “Evalotte Oosterop's make-up and hair in WHEN THE LIGHT BREAKS takes into account the complexity of the protagonists' relationships. Without a guideline to follow, she creatively combines classic hairstyles with something we're not so used to see, matching the story perfectly.”
 
European Original Score
Frederikke Hoffmeier for THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
 
The jury: “In an original and experimental way, Frederikke Hoffmeier's original score in THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE works wi

Today, the European Film Academy announced the winners of this year’s Excellence Awards. These awards honour the different arts and crafts of film making in eight categories. The winners will receive their awards at the award ceremony of the 37th European Film Awards on 7 December in Lucerne. A special eight-member jury decided on the winners in the following categories based on the European Film Awards Feature Film Selection.

    European Cinematography
Benjamin Kračun for THE SUBSTANCE
 
The jury: “Just as Elisabeth Sparkle’s world in THE SUBSTANCE contracts, the cinematography of Benjamin Kračun simultaneously excels. Despite the constraints of her environment, he playfully explores her physical and psychological demise with highly stylised lens distortions and manipulations. It is loud and glossy, but also manages to eke out an unexpected intimacy and vulnerability. The audience is transported through to an unbearably painful, and hilariously raucous ending, achieved only through collaboration with all departments and is undoubtably a celebration of cinematography and cinema.”
 
European Editing
Juliette Welfling for EMILIA PÉREZ
 
The jury: “In the feverish musical odyssey EMILIA PÉREZ, Juliette Welfling's editing strikes us with its incredible fluidity and elegance. The richness of the story's registers and tonalities is orchestrated with remarkable meticulousness, immersing the audience in the narrative without feeling any of the usual stop-and-go between sung scenes and the others. Very impressive!”
 
European Production Design
Jagna Dobesz for THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
 
The jury: “The difficult life and psychological drama of young Karoline in post-WWI Copenhagen is expertly illustrated by an excellent, interesting, visually strong, and striking production design.
Through skillfully designed interiors, along with carefully chosen exteriors, production designer Jagna Dobesz strongly and powerfully contributes to the visual quality and atmosphere of the movie.”
 
European Costume Design
Tanja Hausner for THE DEVIL’S BATH
 
The jury: “With great precision and great intelligence, Tanja Hausner's costumes in THE DEVIL'S BATH build every single character in a masterful and very modern way. They contribute perfectly to the overall picture and story. On top of that, each costume, including the background actors and extras, is a piece of art, exciting in colour, proportions, texture, and visual rhythm.”
 
European Make-up & Hair
Evalotte Oosterop for WHEN THE LIGHT BREAKS
 
The jury: “Evalotte Oosterop's make-up and hair in WHEN THE LIGHT BREAKS takes into account the complexity of the protagonists' relationships. Without a guideline to follow, she creatively combines classic hairstyles with something we're not so used to see, matching the story perfectly.”
 
European Original Score
Frederikke Hoffmeier for THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
 
The jury: “In an original and experimental way, Frederikke Hoffmeier's original score in THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE works wi

The 28th Ji.hlava IDFF wrapped with awards. The Best Czech Documentary Film is The Impossibility directed by Tomáš Hlaváček and the Best World Documentary Award went to Ms. President by Marek Šulík. The Award for Best Debut this year went to the film Grey Zone by Daniela Meressa Rusnoková. The audience appreciated Dajori by Martin Páv and Nicolas Kourek. For his Contribution to World Cinema, the leading figure of Taiwan's New Wave, Tsai Ming-liang, was honored. Ji.hlava continues online until November 17.

Tomorrow evening, Ji.hlava Online kicks off. It will run until November 17 and will offer over 150 films from this year's live festival program. All films will be available for viewing only within the Czech Republic.

Opus Bonum: Ms. President

Opus Bonum, a section showcasing contemporary world documentary production, included 13 film titles.

Out of them, the three-member jury selected Ms. President by Slovak director Marek Šulík as the winner of the competition section. “A fascinating and absorbing character study of Zuzana Čaputová's five years as Slovak President addressing the ethical and political shifts in Slovak society during this time. Ms. President presents a personalized and intimate portrait with a particular focus on gender and familial dynamics along with her political undoing by opposition populist leader, Prime Minister Robert Fico. The film gives the viewer a profound sense of the challenges facing women in politics today,” says the statement of the jury composed of Australian philosopher Robert Sinnerbrink, acclaimed Chinese director Xiaoshuai Wang, and Czech filmmaker and composer Eliška Cílková. The creators of the winning film will receive a financial prize of 10,000 USD.

As part of Opus Bonum section, the jury this year also awarded a prize to the best film from the Central and Eastern European region. The award went to Czech film Happiness to All by Filip Remunda. “A powerful and unsettling observational character study of a disaffected, marginalised individual, which explores the social context in which Putin's nationalist populism has taken root. Happiness to All is a challenging and insightful work that sheds light on the disturbing side of contemporary Central European politics,” said the jury in its statement. The creators of the winning film from Central and Eastern Europe will receive a financial award of 5,000 USD.

The Best Editing Award was given to Goodbye directed by Toia Bonino. “The Goodbye unfolds a complex and revealing examination of family history focusing on Toia Bonino’s discovery of her grandfather's links to fascism as an aide to Benito Mussolini. The film shifts to an intuitive and reflective exploration of gender relations and the intertwining of familial, cultural, and political history. Many layers of editing and complex narration are edited masterfully together here in ways that remain open and thought-provoking,” appreciated the jury.

The Award for the Best Cinematography went to In Praise of Shadows by Canadian filmmaker Catherine Martin. “A mesmerising visual meditation on s

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) reveals the selection for the Rebels with a Cause competition. The side-competition, dedicated to films that push the boundaries of cinematic art, contains 6 world premieres and 4 international premieres. 

"The filmmakers who come to our Rebel Area, don't fight or rebel for anything, they've already won," says Javier Garcia Puerto, the main curator of the programme. "They expose their crisp ideas, concerns and proposals in a very authentic, attractive and personal way, making them universal through a daring way of challenging the current norms of standard, industrial cinema."

Launched in 2017, the competition strand has become increasingly popular with festival audiences. "It's a candy for the audience," comments Puerto.  "For those who see themselves as a conscious audience and who want to discover a different, engaging and a surprising way to immerse themselves in the joy of cinema."

Puerto also discloses the selection process: "Most of the time, we don't make our choices based solely on the films. We curate the programme with those viewers in mind who want to be challenged and discover different ways of storytelling. There are, of course, themes such as gender roles and their contemporary evolution, the labyrinths of the creative process, or the daily struggle in a post-pandemic society. But it's a selection that goes beyond themes and current genres, showing a wide palette of references and bets. There are crazy comedies, rage music films, a playful beyond-the-line doc-sex self-portrait or even a reinterpretation of a Western cultural myth."

The counterpart of the PÖFF Shorts sub-festival, Rebels With Their Shorts, consists of 14 works, including one world premiere and one international premiere. Programme details will be available from the 1st of November. 


REBELS WITH  A CAUSE COMPETITION 2024: FILM DETAILS 

A Sip Of Hell, 2024, Argentina; 
directors: Pilar Boyle, Mariano Asseff. World premiere.

Carole & Grey, 2024, USA;
director: Jon Bass. International premiere. 

Contact Lens, 2024, China;  
director: Ruiqi Lu. World premiere.

Everything That Will Happen Has Already Happened, 2024,USA, Belgium, Lebanon, France;
director: Vladan Nikolic. World premiere. 

I Can't Have Sex, 2024, Argentina;
director: Bel Gatti. World premiere.

Okamoto, 2024, Japan;
director: Soujiro Sanada. World Premiere. 

Protected Men, 2024, Germany;
director: Irene von Alberti. International&nb