German-Turkish director Fatih Akin is attending the Red Sea Film Festival for the screening of “Rhinegold,” about young Iranian-Kurdish immigrant Giwar Hajabi, also known as Xatar, who is one of Germany’s most successful rap stars. The pic was released in Germany on Oct. 27 and has grossed over $10 million,…
Turkish

The European Film Academy has unveiled the eight winners of the Excellence Awards spanning the arts and crafts categories. These will receive their prizes during the European Film Awards on Dec. 10 in Reykjavík, Iceland. Best European cinematography went to Kate McCullough for “The Quiet Girl,” an Irish drama directed…

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. All reality TV can promise hours of entertainment but few can promise to make your life easier. Since its premiere in 2009, “Shark Tank” has introduced the world to…

In May 2015, 19-year-old Kurdish aspiring singer Mutlu Kaya was shot in the head by a man whose marriage proposal she refused. The femicide attempt came after dozens of death threats related to the young woman’s successful participation in Turkey’s equivalent to “Got Talent,” which granted her country-wide notoriety. Co-directed…

Netflix has unveiled four new Turkish original series and a feature film commissioned and presented at a local event by Pelin Diştaş, the streaming giant’s director of original content for Turkey. Diştaş during the presentation said that Netflix has now produced “more than thirty original series and films in Turkey,…

Melisa Onel found that her international relations degree did not open many career paths and turned to the arts instead. She’s worked in theater, photography, documentaries short film and, increasingly, in features. Her latest feature film “Suddenly,” which has its world premiere in Tokyo on Wednesday, has the accomplished feel…

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. In case you didn’t get the memo, this is apparently the month of surprise deals events. Amazon’s October Early Access Sale (basically just a splashy name for Prime Day…

Thailand Has ‘One for the Road’ Thailand has selected “One for the Road” as its contender for the best international feature film section of the Academy Awards. Directed by Nattawut ‘Baz’ Poonpiriya (“Bad Genius” and Netflix’ “Thai Cave Rescue”) and produced by Wong Kar-wai, the film premiered at the Sundance…