Ashlee Simpson has the benefit of hindsight when it comes to her infamous 2004 appearance on Saturday Night Live. Speaking on the Broad Ideas With Rachel Bilson & Olivia Allen podcast, the singer explained that the performance, which saw her lip-syncing her single “Autobiography,” taught her how to pick herself back up.
“I had done my rehearsal the night before and then I woke up the next day and I couldn’t speak,” Simpson explained on the podcast episode. “I saw the voice doctor that day and I had two nodules beating against each other.
“I had done my rehearsal the night before and then I woke up the next day and I couldn’t speak,” Simpson explained on the podcast episode. “I saw the voice doctor that day and I had two nodules beating against each other.
- 2/21/2024
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Ashlee Simpson is revisiting her infamous Saturday Night Live performance in a new podcast interview.
On the latest episode of Rachel Bilson’s Broad Ideas, the “Pieces of Me” singer recalls “losing my f—king voice” the morning she was set to make her SNL debut, on Oct. 23, 2004.
More from TVLineThe 20 Most Shocking Live TV Moments<em>SNL</em> Taps Shane Gillis, Famously Fired From the Show Over Racist and Homophobic ‘Jokes,’ to HostHBO Delaying Last Week Tonight Clips on YouTube
“I had done my rehearsal the night before, then I woke up the next day and I couldn’t speak,” Simpson claims.
On the latest episode of Rachel Bilson’s Broad Ideas, the “Pieces of Me” singer recalls “losing my f—king voice” the morning she was set to make her SNL debut, on Oct. 23, 2004.
More from TVLineThe 20 Most Shocking Live TV Moments<em>SNL</em> Taps Shane Gillis, Famously Fired From the Show Over Racist and Homophobic ‘Jokes,’ to HostHBO Delaying Last Week Tonight Clips on YouTube
“I had done my rehearsal the night before, then I woke up the next day and I couldn’t speak,” Simpson claims.
- 2/20/2024
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
Prominent local producer Jeremy Chua has been appointed as general manager of the Singapore International Film Festival. He takes up the post from Jan. 1, 2024.
Emily J. Hoe, who led the festival for the past four years as its executive director, is stepping down and is understood to be relocating to Australia.
Thong Kay Wee will remain in place as the Sgiff’s programming director.
Chua is the founder of production firm Potocol and is among a small group of Singaporean producers who are using Asia’s burgeoning project market and development labs and dollops of grant in aid funding from Singapore authorities to turn the wealthy Southeast Asian state into a hub for regional co-productions.
Potocol was co-producer of “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” the Vietnamese debut feature that won the best film prize at Sgiff’s closing event on Sunday. Earlier, the film won the Camera d’Or for...
Emily J. Hoe, who led the festival for the past four years as its executive director, is stepping down and is understood to be relocating to Australia.
Thong Kay Wee will remain in place as the Sgiff’s programming director.
Chua is the founder of production firm Potocol and is among a small group of Singaporean producers who are using Asia’s burgeoning project market and development labs and dollops of grant in aid funding from Singapore authorities to turn the wealthy Southeast Asian state into a hub for regional co-productions.
Potocol was co-producer of “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” the Vietnamese debut feature that won the best film prize at Sgiff’s closing event on Sunday. Earlier, the film won the Camera d’Or for...
- 12/13/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Co-production Protocol
Dynamic Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua is to receive the Fiapf Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asia Pacific Cinema, at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) on Nov. 3 on Australia’s Gold Coast. In the nine years since founding his company Potocol, Chua has focused on international co-production of Asian films and telling Asia stories.
Two of his most recent films, Indonesian director Makbul Mubarak’s “Autobiography” and Vietnamese feature debutant Thien An Pham’s “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” are their country’s respective Oscar contenders. In 2021 Chua produced Bangladesh’s first film in Cannes “Rehana,” while at the most recent Busan International Film Festival he premiered Singapore-Japan co-venture “Last Shadow at First Light” and Thailand’s “Doi Boy.” At Busan’s Asian Project Market, his Philippines-set “Filipinana” was the outstanding development work, walking away with three prizes.
At Apsa, Chua will take part in a producers’ round...
Dynamic Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua is to receive the Fiapf Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asia Pacific Cinema, at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) on Nov. 3 on Australia’s Gold Coast. In the nine years since founding his company Potocol, Chua has focused on international co-production of Asian films and telling Asia stories.
Two of his most recent films, Indonesian director Makbul Mubarak’s “Autobiography” and Vietnamese feature debutant Thien An Pham’s “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” are their country’s respective Oscar contenders. In 2021 Chua produced Bangladesh’s first film in Cannes “Rehana,” while at the most recent Busan International Film Festival he premiered Singapore-Japan co-venture “Last Shadow at First Light” and Thailand’s “Doi Boy.” At Busan’s Asian Project Market, his Philippines-set “Filipinana” was the outstanding development work, walking away with three prizes.
At Apsa, Chua will take part in a producers’ round...
- 10/17/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Indonesian film industry is poised to spread its wings globally as the country’s filmmaking boom is the subject of a focus at the Busan International Film Festival.
Films from the country now routinely get selected and win prizes at major international festivals. The local market in Indonesia, which has the fourth-largest population in the world with 277 million, is rapidly expanding with homegrown productions accounting for a significant share. Indonesia is also bolstering its cultural policies that include an annual $13 million international co-production grant. Featured at Busan this year are 15 features, shorts and series.
The festival has been inviting Indonesian films since 1996. In 2004, the late Kim Ji-seok, after whom one of the festival’s top awards is named now, curated a program titled ‘Garin [Nugroho] and the Next Generation: New Possibility of Indonesian Cinema.’ “I realized that the next generation is already visible, but overlooked,” festival programmer Park Sungho told Variety.
Films from the country now routinely get selected and win prizes at major international festivals. The local market in Indonesia, which has the fourth-largest population in the world with 277 million, is rapidly expanding with homegrown productions accounting for a significant share. Indonesia is also bolstering its cultural policies that include an annual $13 million international co-production grant. Featured at Busan this year are 15 features, shorts and series.
The festival has been inviting Indonesian films since 1996. In 2004, the late Kim Ji-seok, after whom one of the festival’s top awards is named now, curated a program titled ‘Garin [Nugroho] and the Next Generation: New Possibility of Indonesian Cinema.’ “I realized that the next generation is already visible, but overlooked,” festival programmer Park Sungho told Variety.
- 10/9/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Korean powerhouse Cj Enm is set to continue its already extensive investment in Indonesia.
The company will announce a slate of Indonesian films imminently. It is also planning to produce films and series that can be remade in other international territories, said Justin Kim, head of international productions at Cj Enm, which has production and distribution businesses in Indonesia.
“There’s a lot of series that have been produced by us in Indonesia and we’re still waiting for that one definitive Indonesian series to break out,” Kim said.
Kim was speaking at a panel focusing on international coproductions with Indonesia at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market. The Indonesian panelists included prolific producer Yulia Evina Bhara (“Autobiography”), director Mouly Surya (“Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts”) and Alex Sihar from the country’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and was moderated by Lorna Tee,...
The company will announce a slate of Indonesian films imminently. It is also planning to produce films and series that can be remade in other international territories, said Justin Kim, head of international productions at Cj Enm, which has production and distribution businesses in Indonesia.
“There’s a lot of series that have been produced by us in Indonesia and we’re still waiting for that one definitive Indonesian series to break out,” Kim said.
Kim was speaking at a panel focusing on international coproductions with Indonesia at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Contents and Film Market. The Indonesian panelists included prolific producer Yulia Evina Bhara (“Autobiography”), director Mouly Surya (“Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts”) and Alex Sihar from the country’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and was moderated by Lorna Tee,...
- 10/7/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Celebrated Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua and emerging Philippines talent Rafael Manuel have teamed on “Filipinana,” a selection at the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Project Market this year.
The film will follow 17-year-old girl Isabel, who spends her whole day teeing-up balls for golfers at a country club. She feels strangely drawn to club president Dr. Palanca, but as she starts to piece together a more violent picture of what lies behind the club’s pristine facade, she comes to realize that what began as an innocent infatuation is rooted in a more sinister, shared history.
“Filipinana” is based on the short film of the same name that won the Silver Bear for best short at the 2020 Berlinale. The project began life as a feature film script that Manuel wrote when he was at film school in London in 2018. Manuel ultimately decided it would be better to build a...
The film will follow 17-year-old girl Isabel, who spends her whole day teeing-up balls for golfers at a country club. She feels strangely drawn to club president Dr. Palanca, but as she starts to piece together a more violent picture of what lies behind the club’s pristine facade, she comes to realize that what began as an innocent infatuation is rooted in a more sinister, shared history.
“Filipinana” is based on the short film of the same name that won the Silver Bear for best short at the 2020 Berlinale. The project began life as a feature film script that Manuel wrote when he was at film school in London in 2018. Manuel ultimately decided it would be better to build a...
- 10/6/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Ashlee Simpson is expressing interest in returning to her pop rock sound!
The 39-year-old singer and actress is well known for her albums Autobiography and I Am Me, and fans have been waiting for new music for many years.
In a newly released interview, Ashlee shared how she stills listens to the music that inspired her then, and her daughter Jagger is actually helping inspire her now.
Find out what she said inside…
“For me, yes, I still resonate. I’m still a teen-angsty mom,” she told Popsugar. “I’m like yes, Jagger, we’re going to jump around and dance.”
She even noted that her daughter is loving Olivia Rodrigo and even her own old albums.
“I’m inspired that my daughter is so inspired by my old albums,” Ashlee said, adding she’s ready to get back out there. “I have the itch and I’m very ready.
The 39-year-old singer and actress is well known for her albums Autobiography and I Am Me, and fans have been waiting for new music for many years.
In a newly released interview, Ashlee shared how she stills listens to the music that inspired her then, and her daughter Jagger is actually helping inspire her now.
Find out what she said inside…
“For me, yes, I still resonate. I’m still a teen-angsty mom,” she told Popsugar. “I’m like yes, Jagger, we’re going to jump around and dance.”
She even noted that her daughter is loving Olivia Rodrigo and even her own old albums.
“I’m inspired that my daughter is so inspired by my old albums,” Ashlee said, adding she’s ready to get back out there. “I have the itch and I’m very ready.
- 10/6/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
A first trailer has been unveiled for Indonesian filmmaker Yosep Anggi Noen’s “24 Hours With Gaspar.”
The film world premieres at the Busan International Film Festival where it is in the prestigious Jiseok competition. Set in 2032 and based on the novel of the same name by Indonesian author Sabda Armandio, the film follows Gaspar, a private detective with 24 hours to live, who finds clues about the mysterious disappearance of Kirana, his childhood friend. The clues lead to a human trafficking syndicate.
“24 Hours With Gaspar” features a stellar Indonesian cast including Reza Rahadian, Shenina Cinnamon (“Dear David”), Laura Basuki (“Before Now And Then”), Kristo Imanuell (“Big Four”), Sal Priadi, Dewi Irawan (“Anwar: The Untold Story”) and Iswadi Pratama.
The film is a collaboration between KawanKawan Media, Visinema and Legacy Pictures and produced by Yulia Evina Bhara for KawanKawan Media and Cristian Imanuell for Visinema Pictures.
Noen and KawanKawan previously...
The film world premieres at the Busan International Film Festival where it is in the prestigious Jiseok competition. Set in 2032 and based on the novel of the same name by Indonesian author Sabda Armandio, the film follows Gaspar, a private detective with 24 hours to live, who finds clues about the mysterious disappearance of Kirana, his childhood friend. The clues lead to a human trafficking syndicate.
“24 Hours With Gaspar” features a stellar Indonesian cast including Reza Rahadian, Shenina Cinnamon (“Dear David”), Laura Basuki (“Before Now And Then”), Kristo Imanuell (“Big Four”), Sal Priadi, Dewi Irawan (“Anwar: The Untold Story”) and Iswadi Pratama.
The film is a collaboration between KawanKawan Media, Visinema and Legacy Pictures and produced by Yulia Evina Bhara for KawanKawan Media and Cristian Imanuell for Visinema Pictures.
Noen and KawanKawan previously...
- 9/26/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Elvis Presley‘s “Bossa Nova Baby” was originally by a group that performed one of the most famous tunes of the 1950s. A songwriter explained how the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll rescued the song from obscurity. Despite the song’s eventual success, it wasn’t able to stop a record label from going under.
Elvis Presley’s ‘Bossa Nova Baby’ was recorded by the band behind ‘Love Potion No. 9’
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were a songwriting duo known for writing Elvis tunes such as “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “She’s Not You.” They also co-wrote other hits, such as The Clovers’ classic hit “Love Potion No. 9.” In the 2009 book Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography, Stoller discussed the evolution of their career. “We started our own label called Tiger Records,” he recalled. “This meant that we would not only produce, but we would press,...
Elvis Presley’s ‘Bossa Nova Baby’ was recorded by the band behind ‘Love Potion No. 9’
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were a songwriting duo known for writing Elvis tunes such as “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “She’s Not You.” They also co-wrote other hits, such as The Clovers’ classic hit “Love Potion No. 9.” In the 2009 book Hound Dog: The Leiber and Stoller Autobiography, Stoller discussed the evolution of their career. “We started our own label called Tiger Records,” he recalled. “This meant that we would not only produce, but we would press,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Stars Acting Up At Busan
Oscar-winning Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung will headline the Actors’ House section of the upcoming Busan International Film Festival, it was announced on Thursday.
Introduced in 2021, Actors’ House is a special series that connects audiences and film enthusiasts with iconic actors from the current generation through its in-depth discussions. “There’s much anticipation to hear her words of wisdom, as she’s known for her insightful observations,” said the festival.
Others this year include: Han Hyo-joo, Song Joong-ki and Korean-American actor and author John Cho. Han is known for performances in 2015’s “The Beauty Inside,” “W” (2016), “Happiness (2021), and last year’s “The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure.” She will be in Busan with Netflix-backed “Believer 2” and recently appeared in the Disney+ original series, “Moving.”
Song, who hosted the 2021 Busan festival’s opening ceremony, was recently seen in “Hopeless,” one of the handful of Korean films in Cannes this year.
Oscar-winning Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung will headline the Actors’ House section of the upcoming Busan International Film Festival, it was announced on Thursday.
Introduced in 2021, Actors’ House is a special series that connects audiences and film enthusiasts with iconic actors from the current generation through its in-depth discussions. “There’s much anticipation to hear her words of wisdom, as she’s known for her insightful observations,” said the festival.
Others this year include: Han Hyo-joo, Song Joong-ki and Korean-American actor and author John Cho. Han is known for performances in 2015’s “The Beauty Inside,” “W” (2016), “Happiness (2021), and last year’s “The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure.” She will be in Busan with Netflix-backed “Believer 2” and recently appeared in the Disney+ original series, “Moving.”
Song, who hosted the 2021 Busan festival’s opening ceremony, was recently seen in “Hopeless,” one of the handful of Korean films in Cannes this year.
- 9/14/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The QCinema International Film Festival in the Philippines has beefed up its industry program by introducing a project market strand, QCinema Project Market (Qpm). It acts as a networking and funding platform for Filipino and Southeast Asian projects in advanced development.
With the support of the Quezon City Film Development Commission (Qcfdc) and the Quezon City local government, Qpm will award over $300,000 in grants to selected projects.
To be eligible, the director must have at least a draft of the full script of a feature-length fiction film project, and the film must not yet be completed by the time QCinema 2023 commences and must not yet be fully financed. Southeast Asian directors with at least one short feature film may apply. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 15.
“In recent times, this region has showcased remarkable advancements in its cinematic endeavors, boasting production values that rival international benchmarks. This is clearly evident in...
With the support of the Quezon City Film Development Commission (Qcfdc) and the Quezon City local government, Qpm will award over $300,000 in grants to selected projects.
To be eligible, the director must have at least a draft of the full script of a feature-length fiction film project, and the film must not yet be completed by the time QCinema 2023 commences and must not yet be fully financed. Southeast Asian directors with at least one short feature film may apply. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 15.
“In recent times, this region has showcased remarkable advancements in its cinematic endeavors, boasting production values that rival international benchmarks. This is clearly evident in...
- 9/5/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Busan film festival’s Asian Project Market is set to welcome several of the region’s top auteurs either as producers or prospective directors at its next edition in October.
Apm organizers Thursday unveiled 30 projects to be presented during a four-day round of one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions.
India’s Rima Das (“Tora’s Husband”) will pitch “Malti My Love.” Japan’s Fukada Koji will pitch “Nagi Notes.” Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak (“Autobiography”) will pitch “Watch It Burn.”
Among the successful producers adding their weight to Apm contenders are: Patrick Mao Huang selling Peter Ho’s project “Appetite for Desire”; Jeremy Chua, pitching Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana”; Ichiyama Shozo (“Ash Is Puirest White”) pitching Song Fang’s Japan-China collaboration “Full Moon”; Fran Borgia pitching Aakash Chhabra’s “I’ll Smile in September”; and Tan Chui Mui (“Barbarian Invasion”) pitching Jian Xiaoshuan’s “To Kill A Mongolian Horse.”
The project...
Apm organizers Thursday unveiled 30 projects to be presented during a four-day round of one-on-one meetings and pitching sessions.
India’s Rima Das (“Tora’s Husband”) will pitch “Malti My Love.” Japan’s Fukada Koji will pitch “Nagi Notes.” Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak (“Autobiography”) will pitch “Watch It Burn.”
Among the successful producers adding their weight to Apm contenders are: Patrick Mao Huang selling Peter Ho’s project “Appetite for Desire”; Jeremy Chua, pitching Rafael Manuel’s “Filipinana”; Ichiyama Shozo (“Ash Is Puirest White”) pitching Song Fang’s Japan-China collaboration “Full Moon”; Fran Borgia pitching Aakash Chhabra’s “I’ll Smile in September”; and Tan Chui Mui (“Barbarian Invasion”) pitching Jian Xiaoshuan’s “To Kill A Mongolian Horse.”
The project...
- 8/3/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has announced a second feature film with Indonesian action director Timo Tjahjanto, The Shadow Strays, starring a large ensemble cast of popular young actors.
Tjahjanto previously worked with Netflix on The Big 4, which charted on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Films chart in the first week of its release.
Currently in production, The Shadow Strays stars Aurora Ribero (Like & Share), Hana Malasan (Ben & Jody), Ali Fikri (Nussa), Adipati Dolken (Posesif) and reteams Tjahjanto with The Big 4 actors Kristo Immanuel and Andri Mashadi.
The film also stars Malaysian actor Chew Kin Wah and veteran Indonesian actor Arswendy Bening Swara, who has recently won multiple awards for Autobiography and Missing Home. Production is through Frontier Pictures with Wicky V. Olindo and Anne P. Ralie on board as producers.
Tjahjanto is also known for hit action films such as The Night Comes For Us and May the Devil Take You,...
Tjahjanto previously worked with Netflix on The Big 4, which charted on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Films chart in the first week of its release.
Currently in production, The Shadow Strays stars Aurora Ribero (Like & Share), Hana Malasan (Ben & Jody), Ali Fikri (Nussa), Adipati Dolken (Posesif) and reteams Tjahjanto with The Big 4 actors Kristo Immanuel and Andri Mashadi.
The film also stars Malaysian actor Chew Kin Wah and veteran Indonesian actor Arswendy Bening Swara, who has recently won multiple awards for Autobiography and Missing Home. Production is through Frontier Pictures with Wicky V. Olindo and Anne P. Ralie on board as producers.
Tjahjanto is also known for hit action films such as The Night Comes For Us and May the Devil Take You,...
- 7/20/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
The international co-production support scheme aims to build on the growing success of features from the country.
Indonesia has launched the first film matching fund scheme of its kind to support international co-productions, building on the growing success of features from the country.
The one-to-one matching fund is supported by the Indonesian Cultural Endowment Fund, which has put aside $10m for the grant. To be eligible, the project must have an Indonesian producer or director attached.
“There is no cap for each selected project. It depends on the number of international grants they have previously received so long as the government budget is still available,...
Indonesia has launched the first film matching fund scheme of its kind to support international co-productions, building on the growing success of features from the country.
The one-to-one matching fund is supported by the Indonesian Cultural Endowment Fund, which has put aside $10m for the grant. To be eligible, the project must have an Indonesian producer or director attached.
“There is no cap for each selected project. It depends on the number of international grants they have previously received so long as the government budget is still available,...
- 5/17/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service has acquired Makbul Mubarak’s award-winning debut feature, “Autobiography,” for the Southeast Asian region.
The film, which is being sold by Alpha Violet, follows young Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), whose father is in prison and whose brother works abroad. He works as the housekeeper in a mansion in a rural Indonesian town belonging to retired general Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara). Purna returns to the town to start his mayoral election campaign and Rakib, whose clan has worked for the general’s family for centuries, serves as his assistant. An act of vandalism during the campaign triggers an escalating chain of violence.
The film debuted in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizon’s strand in 2022, where it won the Fipresci prize and has been on an award-winning spree since, winning at Tokyo, Adelaide, Singapore, Marrakech, Taipei Golden Horse, Stockholm, Bangkok, Hainan and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
The film, which is being sold by Alpha Violet, follows young Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), whose father is in prison and whose brother works abroad. He works as the housekeeper in a mansion in a rural Indonesian town belonging to retired general Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara). Purna returns to the town to start his mayoral election campaign and Rakib, whose clan has worked for the general’s family for centuries, serves as his assistant. An act of vandalism during the campaign triggers an escalating chain of violence.
The film debuted in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizon’s strand in 2022, where it won the Fipresci prize and has been on an award-winning spree since, winning at Tokyo, Adelaide, Singapore, Marrakech, Taipei Golden Horse, Stockholm, Bangkok, Hainan and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
- 3/13/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Feature debutant Makbul Mubarak’s “Autobiography,” which premieres in Venice’s Horizons strand on Saturday, is a deeply personal tale informed by his own experiences.
The film, which is being sold by Alpha Violet, follows young Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), whose father is in prison and whose brother works abroad. He works as the housekeeper in a mansion in a rural Indonesian town belonging to retired general Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara). Purna returns to the town to start his mayoral election campaign and Rakib, whose clan has worked for the general’s family for centuries, serves as his assistant. An act of vandalism during the campaign triggers an escalating chain of violence.
Mubarak, formerly a film critic, made several acclaimed shorts before embarking on the aptly titled “Autobiography,” which he describes an “emotional investigation” into his childhood. He grew up in Indonesia during the latter days of the dictatorship, which lasted...
The film, which is being sold by Alpha Violet, follows young Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), whose father is in prison and whose brother works abroad. He works as the housekeeper in a mansion in a rural Indonesian town belonging to retired general Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara). Purna returns to the town to start his mayoral election campaign and Rakib, whose clan has worked for the general’s family for centuries, serves as his assistant. An act of vandalism during the campaign triggers an escalating chain of violence.
Mubarak, formerly a film critic, made several acclaimed shorts before embarking on the aptly titled “Autobiography,” which he describes an “emotional investigation” into his childhood. He grew up in Indonesia during the latter days of the dictatorship, which lasted...
- 9/3/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Indonesia’s Makbul Mubarak is making quite a splash with his debut feature “Autobiography,” which is world premiering at Venice’s Horizons strand and then playing at Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema section.
The film, which examines the effects of Indonesia’s military dictatorship on the country’s youth, follows a young man torn between loyalty and justice who confronts the truth of his father figure — a retired general — that may destroy them both.
Mubarak, film critic-turned-filmmaker and a Berlinale Talents and Asian Film Academy alumni, previously directed acclaimed short films “The Dog’s Lullaby” (2016), “Malediction” (2017) and “A Plastic Cup of Tea Before Her” (2018).
The cast includes Kevin Ardilova, Arswendy Bening Swara, Yusuf Mahardika, Lukman Sardi and Haru Sandra.
” ‘Autobiography’ is a story very specific to Indonesia because it addresses the legacy of our history, but at the same time, it also addresses the world we are co-existing in now: the heavy price of ignorance,...
The film, which examines the effects of Indonesia’s military dictatorship on the country’s youth, follows a young man torn between loyalty and justice who confronts the truth of his father figure — a retired general — that may destroy them both.
Mubarak, film critic-turned-filmmaker and a Berlinale Talents and Asian Film Academy alumni, previously directed acclaimed short films “The Dog’s Lullaby” (2016), “Malediction” (2017) and “A Plastic Cup of Tea Before Her” (2018).
The cast includes Kevin Ardilova, Arswendy Bening Swara, Yusuf Mahardika, Lukman Sardi and Haru Sandra.
” ‘Autobiography’ is a story very specific to Indonesia because it addresses the legacy of our history, but at the same time, it also addresses the world we are co-existing in now: the heavy price of ignorance,...
- 8/26/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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