News

When South African director John Barker was seven years old, the Johannesburg native experienced Cape Town’s Minstrel Carnival for the first time. The annual celebration, which is rooted in the traditions of slaves dating back to the early years of colonial rule, is a colorful, raucous pageant unique to the Mother City — an event that Barker would later spend 14 years bringing to the big screen.

“The Umbrella Men” finally premiered last fall at the Toronto Film Festival, 16 years after Barker’s 2006 debut, “Bunny Chow,” debuted at the prestigious North American fest. Barker’s fifth feature was the closing film this week at the Joburg Film Festival, which wrapped Feb. 5 in the South African city.

“The Umbrella Men” is set in the Bo-Kaap, a formerly segregated Cape Town neighborhood that’s home to the city’s Cape Malay community, where the hip-hop producer Jerome Adams (Jaques de Silva) has returned...

The fifth Joburg Film Festival wrapped Sunday night with the caper comedy “The Umbrella Men,” from homegrown director John Barker, a local premiere that cast and crew celebrated by promenading through Nelson Mandela Square with brightly colored parasols. Earlier in the week, the first edition of the Jbx Content Market — a two-day industry confab running parallel to the fest — concluded after offering a short but wide-ranging overview of the state of play for Africa’s screen industries in 2023.

There’s no clear-cut portrait that can emerge from an industry gathering on a continent as rich and diverse as Africa, where film and TV production and consumer trends — as with everything else — vary widely from one country to the next. The major markets of South Africa and Nigeria still dominate the conversation at such events; global players like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video see those territories as key to their expansion...

Amazon Prime Video has closed a multi-picture licensing agreement with South Africa’s Known Associates, the parent company of Johannesburg-based Known Associates Entertainment (Kae) and Cape Town-based Moonlighting Films, the company announced Thursday during the Joburg Film Festival.

The deal grants Prime Video exclusive SVOD access to over 20 South African feature films, including Zane Meas’ “Klip Anker Baai,” Marvin-Lee Beukes’ “Tickets,” Jahmil Qubeka’s “You Are My Favorite Place,” Dick d’vLz Reubïn’s “Gereza” and Norman Maake’s “Piet’s Sake 2.”

The slate also includes at least eight newly produced films in 2023, among them new features from Ian Gabriel (“Four Corners”), Alastair Orr (“Triggered”), Meg Rickards (“Tess”) and John Barker, who will be filming the sequel to his 2022 Toronto Film Festival premiere “The Umbrella Men” (pictured).

“We’re delighted to be bringing Prime Video customers this diverse and compelling slate of South African movies from the dynamic team at Known Associates,...

Returning to Johannesburg cinemas for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Joburg Film Festival kicked off its 5th edition with a joyful relaunch on Tuesday night, as local luminaries walked a gold carpet in Nelson Mandela Square in honor of the festival’s slogan, “Our Stories. Our Gold,” and the crowd was serenaded with a soaring performance from South African soprano Zandile Mzazi and singer Thandiswa Mazwai.

The event, which runs Jan. 31 – Feb. 5, bowed with the African premiere of “Xalé” (pictured), from veteran Senegalese director Moussa Sène Absa, a story of female subjugation and self-liberation that opened last year’s BFI Film Festival and was the West African nation’s entry in the 2023 international feature film Oscar race.

The festival wraps with “The Umbrella Men,” by local helmer John Barker (“Wonder Boy for President”), a caper comedy about first-time bank robbers pulling a heist...

Bronté Snell, Rob van Vuuren, Joey Rasdien, Jaques De Silva and Keenan Arrison in The Umbrella Men

One of the most enjoyable heist movies to reach the screen in recent years, Toronto International Film Festival hit The Umbrella Men follows a group of musicians who decide to rob a bank in order to save their beloved nightclub and community hub, covering up the activities, covering up their activities with Capetown’s annual Minstrel Carnival. It’s a wildly entertaining ride, and very much in keeping with the character of the team behind it, director John Barker and lead actors Jaques De Silva, Shamilla Miller, Keenean Arrison and Bronté Snell, all of whom were in high spirits when we got together for an interview, despite a long day packed with promotional work. John kicked off the discussion, talking about how the project began.

“I've made a slice of life film and it did really well,...

The 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced the international arm of its festival. Taking place September 8 through 18, TIFF previously unveiled Sally El Hosaini’s opening night film “The Swimmers” as well as Special Presentations including the world premieres of Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans,” Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” and Nicholas Stoller’s “Bros.”

“The Woman King,” “Catherine Called Birdy,” “The Menu,” “Moonage Daydream,” and “My Policeman” additionally debut at the festival.

Now, the Contemporary World Cinema slate has been announced for 2022 TIFF. The lineup includes features from more than 50 countries spanning the globe. The respective world premieres for “Bones of Crows” and “The Swearing Jar” are among programming highlights, as well as the North American premieres for Koji Fukada’s “Love Life” and Jerzy Skolimowski’s “Eo.”

“We are so proud of the TIFF Docs and Contemporary World Cinema programs,” Anita Lee, chief programming officer,...

Thanks to TorontoFilm.Net, here is the Toronto Film Production Update for April 2016, including "Taken", "Rocky Horror Picture Show", "XXX 3" and a whole lot more:

American Gods

TV Series

Fremantle /Starz Network

Exec. Prod.: Bryan Fuller,

Michael Green, Neil Gaiman

Mar. 14 – Sep 30 /16

American Gothic

TV Series

Amblin /CBS Studios

Prods.: Frank Siracusa, John Weber

Feb 29 - Jul 1/16

Cardinal

Mini Series

Sienna Films Inc.

Prod: Jessica Daniel

Exec. Prod.: Jennifer Kawaja,

Julia Sereny

Co Producers: Elise Cousineau, Andrea Glinski

Feb 11 - Apr 21/16

Dark Matter Season 2

TV Series

Prod: Norman Denver

Exec. Prod.: Jay Firestone,

Vanessa Piazza, Joseph Mallozzi

Dec 9/15 - May 9/16

Designated Survivor

TV Pilot

Designated 1 Ltd.

Prod.: Amy Harris, David Guggenheim

Exec. Prod.: Amy Harris, David Guggenheim

Mar. 7 - Oct. 21/16

Downsizing

Feature

Paramount /

Mega Omaha Films Inc.

Prods.: Mark Johnson, James Burk, James Taylor

Exec. Prod.: Diana Pokorny

Apr. 12 - Jul 11/16

Eyewitness...

Over the years, we've covered a number of Terminator ripoffs and killer robot movies.including Lady Terminator, Cyborg Soldier, Robogeisha and Runaway starring Tom Selleck's mustache.but now it's time to meet.   American Cyborg: Steel Warrior (1993)   Director: Boaz Davidson Stars: Joe Lara, Nicole Hansen, John Ryan   In a future ravaged by nuclear war against machines, a man must protect a... Read More...

It’s the end of the world as we know it; that is, unless one very powerful chicksta (and the fetus she carries around in a backpack) can save the proverbial day.

That’s the basic plotline of American Cyborg: Steel Warrior, a post-apocalyptic tale starring Joe Lara (one of my favorite action stars and movie hunks, he also made a great “Tarzan” on TV) and Nicole Hansen.

Set in a dark futuristic society where evil cyborgs terrorize everyone and everyone else is pretty much poor, miserable, and dressed real funny, American Cyborg centers on a real power couple: the prophetically named Mary, the last fertile woman on earth and a very strong and beautiful one to boot, and Austin, the tough and h-a-w-t hero of the title.

Armed with a killer crotch kick and a fetus that, when it’s born, is destined to lead a powerful resistance movement in Europe,...

• Caran Hartfield's Bury Me Standing and Jake Mahaffy's Free in Deed are two in development projects looking for funding among the 15 selected by Cannes' Atelier de la Cinéfondation. As explained to me by some Sundance directors who had a chance to have their projects take part in the Cannes' The Atelier, in a nutshell, it acts as one extra way to meet with other producers in an attempt to get some coin (mostly foreign) prior to production. Mostly reserved to first, second and third time directors, this year selection includes two U.S. based projects. The directors and producers meet with industry people during the festival's hustle and bustle. Supported by indie producers Effie Brown (Real Women Have Curves) and Gina Kwon (Me and You and Everyone We Know), Bury Me Standing already has three players attached to the project (Mos Def, Kerry Washington and Alfre Woodard) and

...