Deadline’s Contenders Film: International kicks off this morning, offering up the opportunity to hear from filmmakers who have been making waves around the world in 2021. The second annual event spotlighting international feature films begins at 9 a.m. PT and will showcase the cream of the crop from this year’s festival awards winners, box office hits and International Feature Oscar hopefuls as the teams behind them discuss their work and inspirations.
Register here to view the livestream.
For Contenders Film: International, we’ve again pivoted to a virtual event, which will boast a robust lineup. Talent will discuss 26 titles from their countries, which will be the official submissions to the International Feature Film Category at the 94th Academy Awards. A total of 19 studios, streamers and distributors be on hand with presentations including clips and Q&As moderated by Deadline’s crack crew of offshore and domestic editors and reporters.
The global film industry is a stronghold. They bring new perspectives to the world and illuminate new talent. Indeed, every year seems to offer up an embarrassment of riches — be it from established or brand-new filmmakers.
It’s been another strange year given the Covid situation’s continuing ebbs and flows, but major overseas festivals such as Cannes and Venice went ahead with in-person events and delivered a powerhouse of pickings. Among the movies we’ll be sharing time with are Julia Ducournau’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane (France); Paolo Sorrentino’s Venice Grand Jury Prize winner The Hand of God (Italy); Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero (Iran) and Juho Kuosmanen’s Compartment No. 6 (Finland), which shared the Grand Prize in Cannes; Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria (Colombia), a Jury Prize laureate on the Riviera; Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes Screenplay winner Drive My Car (Japan); Kira Kovalenko’s Un Certain Regard honoree The Fists are Uncomfortable (Russia) and that same section’s Originality Prize winner, Valdimar Johannsson’s Lamb(Iceland); the most-respected performance-crowned I’m Your ManMaria Schrader (Germany); Polish Film Festival Best Picture Do Not Leave Trace by Jan P Matuszynski (Poland); and two box office smashes in their home markets in Ryoo Seung-wan’s Escape Mogadishu (Korea) and the David Ondříček-directed Zátopek (Czech Republic).
Talent will be available for you Titanestar Agathe Russelle The Hand of God’s breakout Filippo Scotti, I’m Your Man’s Schrader and lead humanoid Dan Stevens, Lamb’s Johannsson and star Noomi Rapace, Memoria’s Weerasethakul; The Fists are Unfit’ Kovalenko and producer Alexander Rodnyansky; A Hero’s Farhadi, and Compartment No. 6’s Kuosmanen among many more.
Check out today’s scheduleAnd panel lineup below, and follow the panel coverage on Deadline and our Twitter,FacebookandInstagramchannels using the hashtag #DeadlineContenders.
Contenders Film: International 2021 schedule
(All times PT).
9 a.m. – Livestream begins
MUBI
9:04-9:18 a.m. – Unclenching the Fists
Alexander Rodnyansky (Producer)
Kira Kovalenko (Director)
9:18a-9:30 a.m. – Great Freedom
Sebastian Meise (Director)
Franz Rogowski (Actor)
KINO LORBER
9:30-9:40 a.m. – Luzzu
Alex Camilleri (Writer/Director/Editor)
9:40-9:55 a.m. – Hive (Kino Lorber/Zeitgeist Films)
Blerta Basholli (Writer/Director)
Yllka Goshi (Actor)
9:55-10:06 a.m. – Brighton 4th
Levan Koguashvili (Director)
Phedon Papamichael (Cinematographer)
10:06-10:16 a.m. – Casablanca Beats
Nabil Ayouch (Writer/Director/Producer)
AURUM FILM
10:17-10:27 a.m. – Leave No Traces
Jan P. Matuszynski (Director)
Tomasz Zietek (Actor)
SIDESHOW & JANUS FILMS
10:27-10:37 a.m. – Drive My Car
Rysuke Hamaguchi (Director/Co-Writer)
COHEN MEDIA GROUP
10:37-10:48 a.m. – Let It Be Morning
Eran Kolirin (Director)
Alex Bakri (Actor).
10:48-10:58 a.m. – The Good Boss
Fernando Leon de Aranoa (Director/Screenwriter/Co-Producer)
Javier Bardem (Actor)
NETFLIX
10:58-11:14 a.m. – The Hand of God
Lorenzo Mieli (Producer)
Daria D’Antonio (Cinematographer)
Filippo Scotti (Actor)
11:14-11:32 a.m. – Prayers for the Stolen/Noche de Fuego
Tatiana Huezo (Writer/Director)
BLEECKER ST.
11:32-11:43 a.m. – I’m Your Man
Dan Stevens (Actor)
Maria Schrader (Director)
SONY CLASSICS – PICTURES CLASSICS
11:43-11:55 a.m. – Compartment No. 6
Juho Kuosmanen (Director/Co-Writer)
AMAZON STUDIOS
11:55 a.m.-12:08 p.m. – A Hero
Asghar Farhadi (Director)
12:08 a.m.-12:38 p.m. – LUNCH
NEON
12:38-12:49 p.m. – Titane
Agathe Rousselle, Actor
12:49-1 p.m. – Memoria
Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Director/Writer/Producer)
FOCUS MEDIA
1-1:10 p.m. – Tereza37
Danilo Serbedzija (Director)
Lana Baric (Writer/Actor).
LEMMING FILM
1:10-1:21 p.m. – Do Not Hesitate
Shariff Korver (Director).
SENSE PRODUCTION
1:22-1:32 p.m. – Oasis
Ivan Ikic (Director).
CORINTH FILMS
1:32-1:44 p.m. – Drunken Birds
Ivan Grbovi (Director/Writer)
Sara Mishara (Writer)
LUCKY MAN FILMS
1:44-1:57 p.m. – Zapotek
Vaclav Neuzil (Actor)
Martha Issova, Actor
ROWDY PICTURES
1:57-2:08 p.m. – Pebbles
Nayanthara Shivan (Producer)
Vignesh Shivan (Producer)
WELL, GO ENTERTAINMENT
2:09-2:22 p.m. – Escape from Mogadishu
Ryoo Seung-Wan (Director)
Kang Hye-Jung (Producer)
BLACK SPARK FILMS
2:22-2:33 p.m. – Tigers
Erik Enge (Actor).
Alfred Enoch (Actor)
Frida Gustavsson (Actor)
A24
2:33-2:44 p.m. – Lamb
Noomi Rapace, Actor
Valdimar Johannsson (Director/Writer)