The world of independent film pays tribute to Hingama Panahi – The Hollywood Reporter

News of the death of Celluloid Dreams CEO Hengameh Panahi has sparked a wave of admiration and tributes from the independent film community.

Panahi, a pivotal figure in the international art house scene, died on November 5 at the age of 67. During her decades in the industry – as a producer, co-financier, and sales agent – ​​Panahi introduced the world to world-class authors from Iran (Jafar Panahi). , Marjane Satrapi), Europe (Jacques Audiard, François Ozon, Gaspar Noe, Marco Bellocchio, Alexandre Sokurov, and the Dardenne Brothers) and across Asia (Takeshi Kitano, Naomi Kawase, Jia Zhangke, Hirokazu Kore-eda).

“I made films that were difficult, that were difficult to produce and sell and promote, and I fought for them,” says Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas.The last emperor) who knew and worked with Panahi for more than 30 years. It was a unique part of the film ecosystem. She was truly inspired, by the films she was able to make and watch.

Celluloid Dreams, founded by Panahi in 1985, has been a pioneer in scouting and promoting international filmmakers, especially from regions (Asia and the Middle East) long ignored by distributors in the West.

Audiard in the French prison drama Prophetthe samurai Kitano action comedy Blind Swordsman: Zatoichithe moving autobiography of Satrapi PersepolisThe Violent West by S. Craig Zahler Bone tomahawkTodd Haynes’ experimental biopic of Bob Dylan I’m not there – There was little that united the Celluloid Dreams lineup except Panahi’s great taste.

“Panahi was the sales agent par excellence, pioneering since the 1980s a new way of understanding the exchange and promotion of art films at the international level,” says Giona Nazzaro, Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival. “But beyond that, she is famous for her unparalleled eye for finding emerging projects and supporting them as a producer. To this distinctive vision we owe the discovery and dedication of some of the greatest contemporary authors: from Jaafar Panahi to Kitano Takeshi, from Jacques Audiard to Jia Zhangke…. “A new generation of professionals has been formed under her close supervision and guidance. We now also consider them among the brightest lights in our industry.”

Shortly after news of her death, the Locarno Festival posted on X (formerly Twitter) calling Panahi a “fierce and inexhaustible source of inspiration.”

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A fierce and inexhaustible source of inspiration, Heneghame Panahi has played a crucial role in the history of cinema and an essential part, more than we can imagine, in shaping our own history as passionate cinephiles.@GionaNazzaroGreetings: https://t.co/OmdTsOnfrm pic.twitter.com/6GTRT6iDFS

— Locarno Film Festival (@FilmFestLocarno) November 9, 2023

In a post on Thursday, the European Producers Club described Panahi as “a very important woman who has illuminated our industry for decades with her passion and vision.” We owe Hingama Panahi’s masterpieces and many successes.

Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice Film Festival, described Panahi as “almost a legendary figure,” saying for the filmmakers she helped launch, she was “much more than a simple sales agent or co-producer: she could become their friend and advisor, a mentor who could Guiding them through the most difficult choices and supporting them in moments of uncertainty.For the festival directors and distributors, she ensured a quality that depended on her refined taste and infallible eye for new authors… She left behind a void that will be very difficult to fill.

Many highlighted Panahi’s role as a partner and mentor. Famously, after meeting two talented but broke young animators on a trip to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, Panahi helped organize a trip for them to attend the Anima Animation Festival in Brussels. the couple? John Lasseter and Tim Burton.

Through dreams of celluloid, Panahi actively sought partnerships with other independent producers and distributors to find new ways to finance and release difficult-to-market films.

“When I started MUBI 16 years ago, Hingama was the first person in the film industry to believe in me,” says Efe Chakarel, who launched his online streaming platform with Panahi’s help. “Her instincts were as sharp as a knife. She invested in MUBI (then called ‘The Auteurs’), joined our board of directors, licensed its entire library to us, and mentored me. Her influence and ideas in those early days helped shape what MUBI has become today. “We miss her very much.”

“Hingama’s taste was unparalleled and she was an exceptional sales agent,” wrote independent production and sales group XYZ Films in an email. Hollywood Reporter After Panahi’s death. In 2012, XYZ formed a third-party sales partnership with Celluloid Dreams in 2012, called Celluloid Nightmares, to produce and distribute arthouse horror films. “You have taught us a lot over the years of our partnership on Celluloid Nightmares,” said XYZ. “Hingama’s passing is a loss to filmmakers and cinema around the world, and we will miss her.”

Jeremy Thomas points out that Panahi’s death comes at a time when the cinema she celebrated and championed has become an endangered species.

“It was an engine of world cinema, and for a while it was a very powerful work, very popular in cinemas and on DVD, but a lot has changed,” he says. “You go to big festivals, like Toronto, and the screenings are packed, with audiences lining up to see these films (but) fewer and fewer of them are getting theatrical screenings. The market has been greatly reduced (to) a couple of streamers who have taste.

But he adds that Panahi will be the last to give up the fight for independent cinema.

“She was a lifelong fighter and did whatever it took to stay in the game,” he says. “Above all, it was her infectious enthusiasm and optimism. Most people in the film industry are glass half-empty. Hingama has always been half-full or redundant.”