- Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
- Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director;
- Argentina, “El รngel,” Luis Ortega, director;
- Armenia, “Spitak,” Alexander Kott, director;
- Australia, “Jirga,” Benjamin Gilmour, director;
- Austria, “The Waldheim Waltz,” Ruth Beckermann, director;
- Bangladesh, “No Bed of Roses,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;
- Belarus, “Crystal Swan,” Darya Zhuk, director;
- Belgium, “Girl,” Lukas Dhont, director;
- Boivia, “The Goalkeeper,” Rodrigo “Gory” Patiรฑo, director;
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Never Leave Me,” Aida Begiฤ, director;
- Brazil, “The Great Mystical Circus,” Carlos Diegues, director;
- Bulgaria, “Omnipresent,” Ilian Djevelekov, director;
- Cambodia, “Graves without a Name,” Rithy Panh, director;
- Canada, “Family Ties,” Sophie Dupuis, director;
- Chile, “…And Suddenly the Dawn,” Silvio Caiozzi, director;
- China, “Hidden Man,” Jiang Wen, director;
- Colombia, “Birds of Passage,” Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra, directors;
- Costa Rica, “Medea,” Alexandra Latishev, director;
- Croatia, “The Eighth Commissioner,” Ivan Salaj, director;
- Czech Republic, “Winter Flies,” Olmo Omerzu, director;
- Denmark, “The Guilty,” Gustav Mรถller, director;
- Dominican Republic, “Cocote,” Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias, director;
- Ecuador, “A Son of Man,” Jamaicanoproblem, director;
- Egypt, “Yomeddine,” A.B. Shawky, director;
- Estonia, “Take It or Leave It,” Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo, director;
- Finland, “Euthanizer,” Teemu Nikki, director;
- France, “Memoir of War,” Emmanuel Finkiel, director;
- Georgia, “Namme,” Zaza Khalvashi, director;
- Germany, “Never Look Away,” Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, director;
- Greece, “Polyxeni,” Dora Masklavanou, director;
- Hong Kong, “Operation Red Sea,” Dante Lam, director;
- Hungary, “Sunset,” Lรกszlรณ Nemes, director;
- Iceland, “Woman at War,” Benedikt Erlingsson, director;
- India, “Village Rockstars,” Rima Das, director;
- Indonesia, “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts,” Mouly Surya, director;
- Iran, “No Date, No Signature,” Vahid Jalilvand, director;
- Iraq, “The Journey,” Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji, director;
- Israel, “The Cakemaker,” Ofir Raul Graizer, director;
- Italy, “Dogman,” Matteo Garrone, director;
- Japan, “Shoplifters,” Hirokazu Kore-eda, director;
- Kazakhstan, “Ayka,” Sergey Dvortsevoy, director;
- Kenya, “Supa Modo,” Likarion Wainaina, director;
- Kosovo, “The Marriage,” Blerta Zeqiri, director;
- Latvia, “To Be Continued,” Ivars Seleckis, director;
- Lebanon, “Capernaum,” Nadine Labaki, director;
- Lithuania, “Wonderful Losers: A Different World,” Arunas Matelis, director;
- Luxembourg, “Gutland,” Govinda Van Maele, director;
- Macedonia, “Secret Ingredient,” Gjorce Stavreski, director;
- Malawi, “The Road to Sunrise,” Shemu Joyah, director;
- Mexico, “Roma,” Alfonso Cuarรณn, director;
- Montenegro, “Iskra,” Gojko Berkuljan, director;
- Morocco, “Burnout,” Nour-Eddine Lakhmari, director;
- Nepal, “Panchayat,” Shivam Adhikari, director;
- Netherlands, “The Resistance Banker,” Joram Lรผrsen, director;
- New Zealand, “Yellow Is Forbidden,” Pietra Brettkelly, director;
- Niger, “The Wedding Ring,” Rahmatou Keรฏta, director;
- Norway, “What Will People Say,” Iram Haq, director;
- Pakistan, “Cake,” Asim Abbasi, director;
- Palestine, “Ghost Hunting,” Raed Andoni, director;
- Panama, “Ruben Blades Is Not My Name,” Abner Benaim, director;
- Paraguay, “The Heiresses,” Marcelo Martinessi, director;
- Peru, “Eternity,” Oscar Catacora, director;
- Philippines, “Signal Rock,” Chito S. Roรฑo, director;
- Poland, “Cold War,” Pawel Pawlikowski, director;
- Portugal, “Pilgrimage,” Joรฃo Botelho, director;
- Romania, “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians,” Radu Jude, director;
- Russia, “Sobibor,” Konstantin Khabensky, director;
- Serbia, “Offenders,” Dejan Zecevic, director;
- Singapore, “Buffalo Boys,” Mike Wiluan, director;
- Slovakia, “The Interpreter,” Martin ล ulรญk, director;
- Slovenia, “Ivan,” Janez Burger, director;
- South Africa, “Sew the Winter to My Skin,” Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, director;
- South Korea, “Burning,” Lee Chang-dong, director;
- Spain, “Champions,” Javier Fesser, director;
- Sweden, “Border,” Ali Abbasi, director;
- Switzerland, “Eldorado,” Markus Imhoof, director;
- Taiwan, “The Great Buddha+,” Hsin-Yao Huang, director;
- Thailand, “Malila The Farewell Flower,” Anucha Boonyawatana, director;
- Tunisia, “Beauty and the Dogs,” Kaouther Ben Hania, director;
- Turkey, “The Wild Pear Tree,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
- Ukraine, “Donbass,” Sergei Loznitsa, director;
- United Kingdom, “I Am Not a Witch,” Rungano Nyoni, director;
- Uruguay, “Twelve-Year Night,” รlvaro Brechner, director;
- Venezuela, “The Family,” Gustavo Rondรณn Cรณrdova, director;
- Vietnam, “The Tailor,” Buu Loc Tran, Kay Nguyen, directors;
- Yemen, “10 Days before the Wedding,” Amr Gamal, director.
Who Needs Los Angeles? We Do.
One doesn't have to be a statistician to know that there are fewer commercials being shot in the U.S. today for the American market than ever before, and a dramatic decrease in L.A. in particular. In the last five years, as reported by FilmLA (the office tasked with issuing permits), L.A. commercial production has dipped 31 percent. But hereโs the thing: This doesnโt mean that L.A. has lost its importance as the production center of the world. Production in L.A. is vital. It is the go-to. Itโs where you can count on access to exemplary crews, a support infrastructure second to none, varied location and backlot options, a large population of on-screen talent and (fairly) predictable weather. The fact is, with overall decline and now the devastation of the fires, weโre on the brink of losing this mainstay resource. Without employment opportunities and now many without homes, talented and trained crew are bound to leave either the industry or the LA area for other opportunities, unless there are enough job opportunities to sustainย a solid living. Now is the time when we ALL must support and bolster this community. Production is needed in L.A., now! Of course, advertising is a business, and marketersโ money should be spent as efficiently as possible, BUT we have to think beyond each production and know that if we lose the incredible resource of L.A. production as we know it, then marketers, agencies and the industry loses in the long run. Over the past several days, some agencies have issued directives to production companies that are unilaterally pushing upcoming production options out of L.A. The fact is L.A. is a large area, and many sections of the city and county are not directly impacted... Read More