The world premiere of Omer Tobi’s film Tropicana (pictured) will make its world premiere in the Proxima Competition at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The film is a Canada-Israel copro between Filmoption International, the banner of Canadian producer Paul Cadieux, and the Tel Aviv-based companies Sima Films and Medalia Productions. The film follows a lonely middle-aged supermarket cashier who has her life upended by the mysterious murder of her boss.

The Proxima competition offers space to emerging and established filmmakers. This year ten films will have world premieres and two in international premieres. The Karlovy Vary festival runs June 28 through July 6.

Matthew Rankin feature wins Directors’ Fortnight People’s Choice award

Director Matthew Rankin’s Une langue universelle (Universal Language) has won the Directors’ Fortnight People’s Choice award in Cannes.

The award was introduced this year and recognizes “a unique cinematic proposition embracing individuality and freedom of cinematographic expression.”

Winnipeg-born Rankin co-wrote the French- and Persian-language film with Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi. Sylvain Corbeil of Montreal-based Metafilms produced. Set in Tehran and Winnipeg, the surreal comedy centres on three intertwining stories. Maison 4:3 is the film’s Canadian distributor.

Lauren Grant screenplay selected for Wscripted

Producer and filmmaker Lauren Grant is one of 10 women and non-binary creators selected for the Wscripted Cannes Screenplay List for the script Afterwards.

The film is about a woman who must cope with her grief after becoming a widow in her early thirties. Ashleigh Rains of Toronto’s C’mon Mort Productions and lori lozinski of Vancouver’s Violator Films are attached to produce. Development of the film has been supported by Ontario Creates, Telefilm Canada and the Harold Greenberg Fund. 

The list features 10 scripted projects that are seeking domestic and international financing partners. The list is curated by an international jury, which this year included actor Vanessa Kirby, director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén and filmmaker Nathalie Marchak. 

Image courtesy of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival