Under the Shadow

Tehran, 1988: As the Iran-Iraq War rumbles into its eighth year, a mother and daughter are slowly torn apart by the bombing campaigns on the city coupled with the country’s bloody revolution. As they struggle to stay together amidst these terrors, a mysterious evil stalks through their apartment.

Directed by Babak Anvari

Starring Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, Arash Marandi

Genre(s) War Film

2017 BAFTA Awards: LA LA Land Wins Best Film, 13TH Wins Best Documentary

La La Land was named Best Film at the EE British Academy Film Awards aka 2017 BAFTA Awards, with Damien Chazelle winning Director and Emma Stone receiving the award for Leading Actress. Linus Sandgren won for Cinematography and Justin Hurwitz won Original Music. Ava DuVernay’s film, exploring race in the US criminal justice system, 13th, won the award for Documentary. Kubo and the Two Strings took the award for Animated Film, and Film Not in the English Language was won by Hungarian holocaust drama, Son of Saul. Outstanding British Film was won by I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach. Writer/director Babak Anvari and producers Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill and Lucan Toh received the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Under the Shadow. Home won the British Short Film award, while the BAFTA for British Short Animation was won by A Love Story. The EE Rising Star Award, voted for by the public, went to Tom Holland. The Special Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema was presented to film distributor and exhibitor Curzon for its work in bringing art house and foreign language cinema to British audiences. Nathan Lane, Simon Pegg and HRH The Duke of Cambridge, President of BAFTA, presented the Academy’s highest honour, the Fellowship, to writer, director, actor and producer Mel Brooks. The winners of the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2017 2016 NOMINATIONS AND WINNERS (presented in 2017) FELLOWSHIP MEL BROOKS OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA CURZON BEST FILM ARRIVAL Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron Ryder I, DANIEL BLAKE Rebecca O’Brien LA LA LAND Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc Platt MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. Walsh MOONLIGHT Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM AMERICAN HONEY Andrea Arnold, Lars Knudsen, Pouya Shahbazian, Jay Van Hoy DENIAL Mick Jackson, Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, David Hare FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM David Yates, David Heyman, Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling, Lionel Wigram I, DANIEL BLAKE Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty NOTES ON BLINDNESS Peter Middleton, James Spinney, Mike Brett, Jo-Jo Ellison, Steve Jamison UNDER THE SHADOW Babak Anvari, Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER The Girl With All the Gifts: MIKE CAREY (Writer), CAMILLE GATIN (Producer) The Hard Stop: GEORGE AMPONSAH (Writer/Director/Producer), DIONNE WALKER (Writer/Producer) Notes on Blindness: PETER MIDDLETON (Writer/Director/Producer), JAMES SPINNEY (Writer/Director/Producer), JO-JO ELLISON (Producer) The Pass: JOHN DONNELLY (Writer), BEN A. WILLIAMS (Director) Under the Shadow: BABAK ANVARI (Writer/Director), EMILY LEO, OLIVER ROSKILL, LUCAN TOH (Producers) FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE DHEEPAN Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux JULIETA Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar MUSTANG Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Charles Gillibert SON OF SAUL László Nemes, Gábor Sipos TONI ERDMANN Maren Ade, Janine Jackowski DOCUMENTARY 13th Ava DuVernay, Spencer Averick, Howard Barish THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK- THE TOURING YEARS Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Scott Pascucci, Nigel Sinclair THE EAGLE HUNTRESS Otto Bell, Stacey Reiss NOTES ON BLINDNESS Peter Middleton, James Spinney WEINER Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg ANIMATED FILM FINDING DORY Andrew Stanton KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS Travis Knight MOANA Ron Clements, John Musker ZOOTROPOLIS Byron Howard, Rich Moore DIRECTOR ARRIVAL Denis Villeneuve I, DANIEL BLAKE Ken Loach LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Kenneth Lonergan NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Tom Ford ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY HELL OR HIGH WATER Taylor Sheridan I, DANIEL BLAKE Paul Laverty LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Kenneth Lonergan MOONLIGHT Barry Jenkins ADAPTED SCREENPLAY ARRIVAL Eric Heisserer HACKSAW RIDGE Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan HIDDEN FIGURES Theodore Melfi, Allison Schroeder LION Luke Davies NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Tom Ford LEADING ACTOR ANDREW GARFIELD Hacksaw Ridge CASEY AFFLECK Manchester by the Sea JAKE GYLLENHAAL Nocturnal Animals RYAN GOSLING La La Land VIGGO MORTENSEN Captain Fantastic LEADING ACTRESS AMY ADAMS Arrival EMILY BLUNT The Girl on the Train EMMA STONE La La Land MERYL STREEP Florence Foster Jenkins NATALIE PORTMAN Jackie SUPPORTING ACTOR AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON Nocturnal Animals DEV PATEL Lion HUGH GRANT Florence Foster Jenkins JEFF BRIDGES Hell or High Water MAHERSHALA ALI Moonlight SUPPORTING ACTRESS HAYLEY SQUIRES I, Daniel Blake MICHELLE WILLIAMS Manchester by the Sea NAOMIE HARRIS Moonlight NICOLE KIDMAN Lion VIOLA DAVIS Fences ORIGINAL MUSIC ARRIVAL Jóhann Jóhannsson JACKIE Mica Levi LA LA LAND Justin Hurwitz LION Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Abel Korzeniowski CINEMATOGRAPHY ARRIVAL Bradford Young HELL OR HIGH WATER Giles Nuttgens LA LA LAND Linus Sandgren LION Greig Fraser NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Seamus McGarvey EDITING ARRIVAL Joe Walker HACKSAW RIDGE John Gilbert LA LA LAND Tom Cross MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Jennifer Lame NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Joan Sobel PRODUCTION DESIGN DOCTOR STRANGE Charles Wood, John Bush FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock HAIL, CAESAR! Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh LA LA LAND David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Shane Valentino, Meg Everist COSTUME DESIGN ALLIED Joanna Johnston FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Colleen Atwood FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS Consolata Boyle JACKIE Madeline Fontaine LA LA LAND Mary Zophres MAKE UP & HAIR DOCTOR STRANGE Jeremy Woodhead FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS J. Roy Helland, Daniel Phillips HACKSAW RIDGE Shane Thomas NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Donald Mowat, Yolanda Toussieng ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Amanda Knight, Neal Scanlan, Lisa Tomblin SOUND ARRIVAL Sylvain Bellemare, Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl DEEPWATER HORIZON Dror Mohar, Mike Prestwood Smith, Wylie Stateman, Renee Tondelli, David Wyman FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Niv Adiri, Glenn Freemantle, Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Ian Tapp HACKSAW RIDGE Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie, Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright LA LA LAND Mildred Iatrou Morgan, Ai-Ling Lee, Steve A. Morrow, Andy Nelson SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS ARRIVAL Louis Morin DOCTOR STRANGE Richard Bluff, Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Tim Burke, Pablo Grillo, Christian Manz, David Watkins THE JUNGLE BOOK Robert Legato, Dan Lemmon, Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Neil Corbould, Hal Hickel, Mohen Leo, John Knoll, Nigel Sumner BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION THE ALAN DIMENSION Jac Clinch, Jonathan Harbottle, Millie Marsh A LOVE STORY Khaled Gad, Anushka Kishani Naanayakkara, Elena Ruscombe-King TOUGH Jennifer Zheng BRITISH SHORT FILM CONSUMED Richard John Seymour HOME Shpat Deda, Afolabi Kuti, Daniel Mulloy, Scott O’Donnell MOUTH OF HELL Bart Gavigan, Samir Mehanovic, Ailie Smith, Michael Wilson THE PARTY Farah Abushwesha, Emmet Fleming, Andrea Harkin, Conor MacNeill STANDBY Jack Hannon, Charlotte Regan EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public) ANYA TAYLOR-JOY LAIA COSTA LUCAS HEDGES RUTH NEGGA TOM HOLLAND
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MOONLIGHT and LOVE & FRIENDSHIP Lead Nominations for London’s Critics’ Circle Film Awards

[caption id="attachment_12014" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Love & Friendship[/caption] Barry Jenkins’ drama Moonlight and Whit Stillman’s comedy Love & Friendship lead the nominations for the 37th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, garnering seven nominations each. Both are up for Film of the Year, as well as multiple acting honors. The gala ceremony will be held on Sunday January 22nd, 2017, in London, at The May Fair Hotel. Following close behind is Maren Ade’s German comedy Toni Erdmann with six nominations, while La La Land, Manchester by the Sea and American Honey have five citations each. The winners will be voted on by 140 members of The Critics’ Circle Film Section. The nominations were announced at The May Fair today by actress Chloe Pirrie and actor-filmmaker Craig Roberts. The 22nd January ceremony will again be hosted by actor-filmmakers Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, who won the critics’ Breakthrough Filmmakers prize in 2012 for their screenplay for Sightseers and have gone on to write and direct Prevenge and Aaaaaaaah!, respectively. “Our critics nominated more than 160 titles for Film of the Year alone, representing the range of wide opinions and the sheer number of movies critics watch each year,” says Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Awards. “There was love for everything from Aferim to Zootropolis, including Captains America and Fantastic, plus acclaimed women from Jackie, Julieta, Moana, Christine, Krisha and Victoria to Miss Sloane and Florence Foster Jenkins. Making it onto that final list of nominees is never easy.” British actors Naomie Harris, Andrew Garfield, Kate Beckinsale and Tom Bennett each received nominations both for specific performances and for their body of work in 2016. Unusually, the writer-directors of four Film of the Year contenders are also nominated for both Screenwriter and Director: Moonlight’s Jenkins, Toni Erdmann’s Ade, La La Land’s Damien Chazelle and Manchester by the Sea’s Kenneth Lonergan. In addition to Film of the Year, Gianfranco Rosi’s immigration-themed film Fire at Sea is also nominated for both Foreign-Language Film and Documentary. Also contending for Film of the Year are Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, László Nemes’ Son of Saul and Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake. Last year’s ceremony saw George Miller winning both Film and Director for Mad Max: Fury Road, with three awards going to Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and the Dilys Powell Award presented to Kenneth Branagh. The full list of nominees for the 37th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards: FILM OF THE YEAR American Honey Fire at Sea I, Daniel Blake La La Land Love & Friendship Manchester by the Sea Moonlight Nocturnal Animals Son of Saul Toni Erdmann FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR Fire at Sea Son of Saul Things to Come Toni Erdmann Victoria DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years Cameraperson The Eagle Huntress Fire at Sea Life, Animated BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR American Honey High-Rise I, Daniel Blake Love & Friendship Sing Street ACTOR OF THE YEAR Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea Adam Driver – Paterson Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge Jake Gyllenhaal – Nocturnal Animals Peter Simonischek – Toni Erdmann ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Amy Adams – Arrival Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship Sandra Hüller – Toni Erdmann Isabelle Huppert – Things to Come Emma Stone – La La Land SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR Mahershala Ali – Moonlight Tom Bennett – Love & Friendship Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water Shia LaBeouf – American Honey Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Viola Davis – Fences Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women Naomie Harris – Moonlight Riley Keough – American Honey Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann Damien Chazelle – La La Land Barry Jenkins – Moonlight Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea László Nemes – Son of Saul SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann Damien Chazelle – La La Land Barry Jenkins – Moonlight Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea Whit Stillman – Love & Friendship BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR Tom Bennett – Love & Friendship, Life on the Road Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge, Silence Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins Dave Johns – I, Daniel Blake David Oyelowo – A United Kingdom, Queen of Katwe BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship Rebecca Hall – Christine Naomie Harris – Moonlight, Our Kind of Traitor, Collateral Beauty Ruth Negga – Loving, Iona Hayley Squires – I, Daniel Blake YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER Ruby Barnhill – The BFG Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls Sennia Nanua – The Girl With All the Gifts Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch, Morgan Ferdia Walsh-Peelo – Sing Street BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER Babak Anvari – Under the Shadow Mike Carey – The Girl With All the Gifts Guy Hibbert – Eye in the Sky, A United Kingdom Peter Middleton & James Spinney – Notes on Blindness Rachel Tunnard – Adult Life Skills BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM Isabella – Duncan Cowles & Ross Hogg Jacked – Rene Pannevis Sweet Maddie Stone – Brady Hood Tamara – Sofia Safonova Terminal – Natasha Waugh TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT American Honey – Robbie Ryan, cinematography Arrival – Sylvain Bellemare, sound design High-Rise – Mark Tildesley, production design Jackie – Mica Levi, music Jason Bourne – Gary Powell, stunts La La Land – Justin Hurwitz, music Moonlight – Nat Sanders & Joi McMillon, editing Sing Street – Gary Clark & John Carney, music Rogue One – Neal Scanlan, visual effects Victoria – Sturla Brandth Grovlen, cinematography
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Under the Shadow Kicks Off Lineup for 2016 New Directors / New Films

Under the Shadow

The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art have announced the complete lineup for the 2016 New Directors / New Films (ND/NF), taking place March 16 to 27 in New York City.

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First 9 Films in Midnight Section Revealed for 2016 Sundance Film Festival

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival announced the nine feature films that will screen in its Midnight section, which has launched films including The Blair Witch Project, SAW, Super Troopers, The Babadook, Black Dynamite, What We Do In The Shadows, Dead/Alive, Delicatessen, The Descent and Hard Candy. The 2016 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 21 to 31, 2016, in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. MIDNIGHT From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you on the edge of your seat and wide awake. 31 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rob Zombie) — Five friends are kidnapped on the day before Halloween and are held hostage in a terrifying place named Murder World. While trapped, they must play a violent game called 31, in which the mission is to survive 12 hours against a gang of evil clowns. Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Brake, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Meg Foster. World Premiere Antibirth / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Danny Perez) — In a desolate community full of drug-addled marines and rumors of kidnapping, a wild-eyed stoner named Lou wakes up after a crazy night of partying with symptoms of a strange illness and recurring visions. As she struggles to get a grip on reality, the stories of conspiracy spread. Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Mark Webber, Meg Tilly, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos. World Premiere The Blackout Experiments / U.S.A. (Director: Rich Fox) — A group of friends discover the dark underworld of the ultra-scary, psychosexual horror experience called Blackout. But what starts as a thrill ride through the unknown becomes deeply personal, developing into an obsession that hijacks their lives and blurs the line between reality and paranoid fantasy. World Premiere Carnage Park / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Mickey Keating) — The year is 1978. A team of wannabe crooks botch a small-town bank heist and flee with their hostage deep into the California desert, where they inexplicably find themselves in a harrowing fight for survival against a psychotic ex-military sniper. Cast: Ashley Bell, Pat Healy, Alan Ruck, Darby Stanchfield, James Landry Hébert, Larry Fessenden. World Premiere The Greasy Strangler / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Hosking, Screenwriters: Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard) — When Big Ronnie and his son Brayden meet lone female tourist Janet on Big Ronnie’s Disco Walking Tour—the best and only disco walking tour in the city—a fight for Janet’s heart erupts between father and son, and the infamous Greasy Strangler is unleashed. Cast: Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo, Gil Gex, Jesse Keen, Joe David Walters. World Premiere Outlaws and Angels / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: JT Mollner) — With a notorious bounty hunter closing in on their trail, a gang of cold-blooded outlaws invades the home of a seemingly innocent frontier family, where an unexpected game of cat and mouse ensues throughout the night, leading to seduction, role reversal, and ultimately bloody revenge. Cast: Chad Michael Murray, Francesca Eastwood, Luke Wilson, Teri Polo, Madisen Beaty, Nathan Russell. World Premiere Trash Fire / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Richard Bates Jr.) — When Owen is forced to confront the past he’s been running from his whole adult life, he and his girlfriend, Isabel, become entangled in a horrifying web of lies, deceit, and murder. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be scarred for life. Cast: Adrian Grenier, Angela Trimbur, AnnaLynne McCord, Fionnula Flanagan, Matthew Gray Gubler, Ray Santiago. World Premiere Under the Shadow / United Kingdom, Jordan (Director and screenwriter: Babak Anvari) — Tehran, 1988: As the Iran-Iraq War rumbles into its eighth year, a mother and daughter are slowly torn apart by the bombing campaigns on the city coupled with the country’s bloody revolution. As they struggle to stay together amidst these terrors, a mysterious evil stalks through their apartment. Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, Arash Marandi. World Premiere Yoga Hosers / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kevin Smith) — Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie are teenage besties from Winnipeg who love yoga and live on their smartphones. But when these sophomores get invited to a senior party by the school hottie, the Colleens accidentally uncover an ancient evil buried beneath their Canadian convenience store. Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp, Justin Long, Austin Butler, Tyler Posey. World Premiere (pictured above)
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Under the Shadow

2017 BAFTA Awards: LA LA Land Wins Best Film, 13TH Wins Best Documentary

MOONLIGHT and LOVE & FRIENDSHIP Lead Nominations for London’s Critics’ Circle Film Awards

Under the Shadow Kicks Off Lineup for 2016 New Directors / New Films

First 9 Films in Midnight Section Revealed for 2016 Sundance Film Festival