Cinesomnia blog

Sleep No More - Directors Cut

hello@cinesomnia.com (Cinesomnia) — Tue, 12 May 2026 16:01:27 GMT

SLEEP NO MORE is a Los Angeles neo noir crime thriller directed by ANTONIA BOGDANOVICH, and Executive Produced by PETER BOGDANOVICH. The film features REBECCA ROMIJN, THOMAS BRODIE SANGSTER, and TOBIN BELL.

Warren Emerson, once a master Shakespearian actor, is now a gambling drunk. Puck-like Samuel enchants crowds on the 3rd Street Promenade, reciting Shakespeare. And brother Beckett, a master pickpocket, makes his way through the unsuspecting crowd. When Warren gets in deep with a loan shark, his sons need to find a way to escape and like Samuel’s beloved comic book hero, Phantom Halo, they must break free of the mud that traps them. There is counterfeit money, a Bentley, a beautiful woman, knives, guns and an ending that is more like a Shakespearean tragedy then a film about growing up in the urban decay of Hollywood.

Director: Antonia Bogdanovich

Cast: Rebecca Romijn, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Luke Kleintank, Tobin Bell

For more information, visit the IMDb page.

Festivals, Sales & Survival Strategies

hello@cinesomnia.com (Cinesomnia) — Tue, 12 May 2026 15:51:45 GMT

For independent filmmakers, finishing a movie is only the beginning of the journey. The real challenge often starts after post-production — navigating film festival submissions, finding distribution opportunities, building an audience, and ultimately selling the film in an increasingly competitive market.

Every year, thousands of independent films compete for limited festival slots. Major festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, TIFF, and SXSW receive overwhelming numbers of submissions, making selection highly competitive. For filmmakers, choosing the right festivals becomes a strategic decision rather than simply submitting everywhere. Smaller niche festivals can sometimes provide stronger networking opportunities, better audience engagement, and more realistic chances for awards and press coverage.

Marketing has also become one of the most essential tools for indie film success. A strong trailer, poster design, social media presence, and press kit can significantly impact how a film is perceived before anyone even watches it. Many successful indie filmmakers now begin audience-building months before their premiere by sharing behind-the-scenes content, production updates, and teaser campaigns online.

Film sales remain one of the toughest obstacles for independent creators. Distributors and sales agents often look for films with clear target audiences, festival momentum, recognizable talent, or strong critical buzz. Without studio backing, filmmakers must learn to pitch not only their story but also the marketability of their project.

Streaming platforms have opened new doors for indie cinema, but they have also created new challenges. While digital distribution offers broader access to audiences worldwide, competition for visibility has become more intense than ever. Independent films now compete not only with other indie productions but also with major studio releases and global streaming originals.

Despite these challenges, independent filmmaking continues to thrive because of creativity, persistence, and community. Networking at festivals, collaborating with fellow creators, and understanding the business side of cinema are becoming just as important as artistic vision itself.

For emerging filmmakers, success rarely comes overnight. The indie film path demands resilience, patience, and adaptability — but for many creators, the opportunity to tell authentic stories outside the traditional studio system makes the journey worthwhile.

Cannes Film Festival 2026

hello@cinesomnia.com (Cinesomnia) — Tue, 12 May 2026 14:54:47 GMT

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival once again transformed the French Riviera into the center of the cinematic world, bringing together acclaimed filmmakers, rising talents, and international stars for one of the most anticipated events in global cinema. From red carpet premieres to thought-provoking independent films, this year’s festival celebrated storytelling in all its forms.

This edition of Cannes showcased a strong mix of auteur-driven dramas, socially conscious narratives, and bold experimental filmmaking. Several highly anticipated premieres drew standing ovations, while emerging directors used the global platform to introduce fresh perspectives and original voices to international audiences.

Among the biggest talking points of the festival were the increasing presence of younger filmmakers and the growing diversity of stories represented in competition. Industry insiders praised this year’s lineup for balancing established cinematic legends with daring newcomers pushing creative boundaries.

Beyond the screenings, Cannes 2026 also highlighted the evolving future of the film industry. Conversations surrounding streaming platforms, international co-productions, artificial intelligence in filmmaking, and the theatrical experience dominated panel discussions and press conferences throughout the event.

Fashion remained an essential part of the festival’s identity, with celebrities and filmmakers delivering unforgettable red carpet moments that quickly became global trends across social media. However, at its core, Cannes continues to be about cinema itself — celebrating films that challenge, inspire, and connect audiences around the world.

As awards season conversations begin, several films premiering at Cannes are already being considered strong contenders for international recognition later this year. Critics and audiences alike are leaving the festival with renewed excitement about the future of filmmaking.

The Cannes Film Festival once again proved why it remains one of the most influential and prestigious celebrations of cinema in the world.

https://www.festival-cannes.com/en

Get to Know the Film Director of The Spring Poem Feature Film — Natalija Avramovic

hello@cinesomnia.com (Cinesomnia) — Mon, 11 May 2026 17:44:24 GMT

When I was a little girl I was enjoying living in my own world. I was creative, feeling passionate about the world around me and my inner impressions. I enjoyed every kind of art, especially movies.

Q & A

Q: Filmmaking is a laborious job, so what keeps you motivated?

Natalija Avramović – A: Filmmaking is one of the toughest jobs but also the most inspiring one. You take the chance to create new worlds through visuals and characters that are people from everyday life. People who are not perfect but real. Every time I feel the same artistic euphoria while I'm making the film. It was my mission to write and direct “The Spring Poem”. I founded my own production company and did everything in my power to provide financing. Writing the script was limitless creative process. Shooting was a very complex experience. My task, in dealing with other authors, was to let everyone into my inner world and encourage them to make the best of it. Making films is about giving freedom to everyone on the set and listen to the heartbeat of the movie.

Q: How much patience is required in this field?

Natalija Avramović – A: If you feel strongly about something and if you feel the impulse within yourself you will know what to do. Even if it means that you have to be patient.

Q: How do you choose your star cast?

Natalija Avramović – A: With my debut film “The Spring Poem” I discovered my unique way of writing and interest in feature films. I’m inspired by everyday life and I want to bring the audience vivid and raw experience of women’s intima. During the casting process I feel the energy of my actresses and actors and I recognize from my guts who is the right for the part.
Q: What advice would you like to give to aspiring filmmakers?

Natalija Avramović – A: Be brave and fight for your deepest inspirations. Have the unbreakable will, you will be proud of yourself when you realize that you can do anything!

Still photos: @BesneSlike

Q: Please tell us about your upcoming projects.

Natalija Avramović – A: This year, I started International Female Film Festival “Petra”, the first female festival in Belgrade, Serbia that celebrates women authors and women’s films, so we can demonstrate our strength, ideas and women’s side of the story. It will take place at The Cultural centre of Belgrade Movie theater, from 16 -18th of December. I’m also preparing two other features about Petra, my main female character. The second film will be about her 20 years long fatal love with her man, and the third one will be about Petra’s childhood. While preparing the films I’m experiencing her emotional life, especially her pains and loves, beauties and ugliness and traumas. As an author I try to be as honest as possible as a women and as a human being showing my character’s life and her personal realities.

Q: How do you handle when an actor is not professional?

Natalija Avramović – A: I know what is my goal and that is to make the best of the moment. I’m patient but do not hesitate to fight my creative associates for the sake of the movie. In my view, when the things get tough, we get the best results.

Q: How do you choose a script that you are going to direct?

Natalija Avramović – A: I only choose myself as a scriptwriter. I have the best knowledge of my personal deepest and strongest motivations. I give myself utterly and spare no one of the characters in the story. The substance is to explore underneath the surface without compromise.

Q: Were there any funny anecdotes from your filmmaking process?

Natalija Avramović – A: We used the real apartments of the real people who were inspiration for my characters in the story. Also, my son Gavrilo acted as himself in the movie. I decided not to change his real name. In the last chapter of the film, when the handyman breaks the wall, that was exactly what I did in my apartment in order to make an extra room for myself. So film and the real life interact.

Q: As an independent filmmaker, what is your responsibility toward your audience?

Natalija Avramović – A: I believe that my responsibility is to be honest and brave, to show things that do not represent me in the fashionable manner but in a refreshing and honorable way that is sobering.

Q: Who are your favorite filmmakers?

Natalija Avramović – A: Lars von Trier.

Still photos: @BesneSlike

Natalija Avramović Links: The Spring Poem, IMDb

Q&A with Serbian Film Director, Screenwriter and Producer Miloš Petričić

hello@cinesomnia.com (Cinesomnia) — Mon, 11 May 2026 17:27:54 GMT

Miloš Petričić, born on November 11, 1968 is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, and producer. Graduated in film directing at the prestigious Faculty of Dramatic Arts (FDU) in Belgrade. After graduation, he directed “Almost Ordinary Story” and several movies and TV series in his hometown, Belgrade in Serbia.

Q &A

Q: Please tell us what inspired you to enter into the world of films?

Miloš Petričić – A: I was always a movie junkie, at the first place. Movie also kind of sublime all arts I like to be creative in: writing, photography and music. And the best place to articulate and express yourself and your dreams.

Q: Filmmaking is a laborious job, so what keeps you motivated?

Miloš Petričić – A: Love and strong made bond between us.

Q: How much patience is required in this field?

Miloš Petričić – A: It requires a lot of patience.

Q: How do you choose your star cast?

Miloš Petričić – A: I write for my star cast.

Q: It is rare big stars give any audition for a movie. Do you ask them for an audition?

Miloš Petričić – A: I’m always asking actors to memorize some specific scenes. Some actors like this part of journey as I do.

Q: Do you think taking an audition is the best way to cast for a movie or documentary?

Miloš Petričić – A: Yes.

Q: What advice would you like to give to aspiring filmmakers?

Miloš Petričić – A: Be sure to give 100% of yourself every single moment.

Q: Do you think directing a film is the toughest job while making a movie?

Miloš Petričić – A: It is most responsible, not toughest.

Q: How important role editing plays while making a film?

Miloš Petričić – A: Editing is the crown, the final touch of creative process as writing the last page of the Novel.

Q: Do you agree many filmmakers fail to understand the importance of editing?

Miloš Petričić – A: Not sure!

Q: Being a filmmaker needs a lot of expertise and patience because one has to handle everything all around, so what keeps you motivated?

Miloš Petričić – A: It is always much the same, yet always different challenges.

Q: Who are your filmmaking influencers?

Miloš Petričić – A: John Cassavetes, Martin Scorsese, Jim Jarmush, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan Federico Fellini, Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabroll, Andrei Tarkovsky, Alfred Hitchcock, Charles Chaplin.

Q: What are the toughest aspects of making a film today?

Miloš Petričić – A: Too keep pace with creative possibilities of upcoming new technologies.

Q: How do you choose a script that you are going to direct?

Miloš Petričić – A: I write my own scripts.

Q: Do you think the role of a producer is vital?

Miloš Petričić – A: Yes.

Q: How tough it is for a producer to keep the budget unaffected?

Miloš Petričić – A: Very Tough.

Q: What projects are you working on next?

Miloš Petričić – A: Love drama movie and some TV series.

Q: Where do you see the film industry going in the next 3 years?

Miloš Petričić – A: Industry is heading to meet tech demands of mobile techs.

Q: How do you think the industry is changing?

Miloš Petričić – A: Industry is changing by fluctuation of global economy and progress of technology.

Q: Do you think some movies have vulgar scenes and abuses which are not required?

Miloš Petričić – A: Yes.

Q: As an eminent filmmaker, what is your responsibility toward your audience?

Miloš Petričić – A: Ethics and aesthetics always go together and in that order.

Q: Do you make films to entertain the audience?

Miloš Petričić – A: No.

Q: Do you think movies can bring a good change in the society?

Miloš Petričić – A: Movies could be a powerfull tool in making impact to the society and public opinion.

Q: Which actor, according to you, is all-time best actor?

Miloš Petričić – A: Charles Chaplin.

Q: Who is your favorite actor among the current lot?

Miloš Petričić – A: Sean Penn.

Miloš Petričić – Links: IMDB – MY GENERATION Z

Q&A with Serbian Screenwriter and Journalist Ivan Makragić

hello@cinesomnia.com (Cinesomnia) — Sun, 10 May 2026 18:28:25 GMT

My wish is to have more and more co-productions in all former Yugoslavia countries, and also to spread all over the Balkan. I am "yugonostalgic" person, I was born during Yugoslavia and it was very difficult to me that all that collapsed and crushed like house of cards.

Q &A

Q: Please tell us what inspired you to enter into the world of films, music and journalism?

Ivan Makragić – A: Well, this is indeed interesting question, because often I ask myself the same question. First of all, my basic wish is to became a filmmaker, director or screen writer, to work at the other side of the screen, never in front of it, because I am too shy to manage that pressure. The first association in that time was watching too many movies all the time on from cartoon on television in early childhood until feature full length movies on big screen. During that period, I started to imagine things, stories, plots, maybe because I did not want to be just a observer, beholder, but to participate in future as a creative person. So, later on, during Gramar school I went to some classes of film directing, as a preparation for Academy.

Nevertheless, writing was much more closer to me, so I change the department, and I applied for Dramaturgy, to become a playwrights.

My plan B, if I failed at this exam on the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, was Journalism at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Science.

Those two skills in some strange way are connected, I mean, it is writing we are talking about, but creative things such as writing plays or screenplays long time ago were my primary goal, target.

First of all, I become a film lover, after that theater fan, so I love to write for both medias. Love for music came much later. I have no talent for music in order to become a musician, but at the other side, really like going to concerts of my favorite artist domestic or foreign.

So I loved music during some period and later become music journalist for online magazine called Music Pocket www.musicpocket.org, before that for another portal Glas.ba.

When I do not have a job as a writer, then I am journalist, which is fine in some way.

My greatest wish is to have a chance be only freelance writer for big and small screen, also for stage, but in Serbia, specially in Belgrade, this is not easy at all, because of many circumstances. Currently I am working as a journalist in National news agency Tanjug, in Culture section, writing reports of all kinds of heppenings - film, music, literature, painting, television, theater.

And of course, still waiting for the real life time chance.

Q: Where do you see the Serbian and Balkan film industry going in the next 3 years?

Ivan Makragić – A: Besides movies for cinema distribution or festivals, in Serbia last 4 years developed the real explosion of TV series which has never happened before in the history of film making in Serbia and all countries of former Yugoslavia.

I am afraid that television will dominate over cinema, in Serbia also, but, that is the story for some other time, very big thing.

Last several years in Serbian movies there were some progress, a little bit, we have some new authors with unique ideas, so things in that direction changed. But, according to audience, box office results, films with lots of brutal violence like "South Wind" by Miloš Avramović, have a big success, around million viewers in cinemas, which is outstanding for small country like Serbia. I prefer crime stories, but not in that way like previous mentioned action movie, which is too much of dominate mindless killings, so I would rather watch something closer to opus of director Srdan Golubović ("Absolute Hundred", "The Trap", "Circles", "The Father").

Also, as I can see, contemporary Serbian cinematography in last several years, maybe a whole decade, is dedicated to historical stories, epic dramas, it seems that modern themes in scripts are no longer interesting or in any way attractive.

Veteran of film making Zdravko Šotra during whole career directed movies with a past as the main subject.

Famous actor in Serbia and successful director and producer Dragan Bjelogrlić also directs movies and TV series with history in the center. He is one of the perspective authors in mainstream production, big numbers, indeed high results in cinemas, but also on television series.

Major problem maybe in Serbian film is that we do not have so much universal projects which can correspond in the world with every audience, no matter what. Our films are very much local, with no ambitious to become much more.

Besides Emir Kusturica, or unfortunately suddenly departed Goran Paskaljević, we do not have big directors who can won major prizes in Kan, Berlin, Venice.

Of course, there are some exceptions, like Stefan Arsenijević, who triumphed with his film "Banović Strahinja" (As Far As i Can Walk), at Film festival at Karlovy Vary 2021, as best director and best film.

So, in short terms, in the next 3 years, Serbian cinematography will or could be developed in the course of historical topics, only with stories deep in the past, because all contemporary screenplays most of them are very shallow and not authentic.

Like one of the best and the most beautiful actress in Serbia Sloboda Mićalović said to me in one interview - "Historical movies are more often shooting because people have some idealistic and romantic point of view about the past, according to the present which is very cruel and dark today". I could not agree more with her.

Q: How do you think the film industry is changing in Balkan region?

Ivan Makragić – A: There are some successful movie projects like co-productions between Serbia and Croatia, or with Slovenia, Macedonia, but it needs to be much more and visible, with major changes in pre-production. According to me, we need a lot of new projects with all equal opportunities for actors, directors, screenwriters all the way SFRJ, like that was before. So, in one film we can have same numbers of actors from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And we really do not need to have boundaries, because we can make it happen co-productions with our fellow artists from Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary. For me that will be the perfect world, to connect each other, to share ideas, creativity, casting, and to manage the same success on many international world wide film festivals.

Q: Who are your favorite filmmakers?

Ivan Makragić – A: Definitely Italian-American directors, which movies raised me in some way, who marked my childhood in every possible way – first of all maestro Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, Francis Ford Coppola. They are holly group of three magic authors. All of them created master pieces in their collection, so I grew up with those universal stories in "Taxi Driver", "Raging Bull", "The Untouchables", "The Godfather" 1-2-3, "Apocalypse Now", "Scarface".

Of course, there are plenty others movie makers I admire, especially mister Michael Mann, author of my almost favorite film "Heat", or Michael Cimino, director of my favorite movie of all time - epic anti-war saga "The Deer Hunter".

New directors who showed authentic and unique style which blown me away are Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder.

Q: Which actor, according to you, is all-time best actor?

Ivan Makragić – A: Definitely ROBERT DE NIRO. One and only. Magnificent in every possible way. I loved him as a kid, watching numerous movies with him as a leading star, he was outstanding in every role.

I like about him that in older age, now, he still works a lot, shootings movies all the time, very hiper productive, maybe workaholic, but I admire that.

Besides De Niro, my heroes in American, world acting are brilliant Dustin Hoffman, fantastic Al Pacino, or immortal forever Marlon Brando.

Also, some others which movies I admired during my growing up - Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, Richard Gere, Paul Newman, and many more.

But, Robert De Niro is the very best ever and forever.

Q: Please tell us about your upcoming projects?

Ivan Makragić – A: This is always hard question in Serbia, where nothing is certain, and when artists like me have many promises, but with no guaranteed projects to proceed.

So far, my experience was based as a screenwriter for television, several quiz show programes, game shows, also reality and feature documentary series.

Well known projects with high ratings on Serbian Tv I have written based on other authors ideas were - "The House of Hearts" (construction real life drama reality), "All For Love" (reality game show), "Are you Smarter then a Fifth Grader?" (licensed quiz game show), "The Moment from a Dream" (drama reality), "The Best Serbian Garden" (fun documentary series), "The Room of Happiness (game quiz show), "The Couples" (reality), "Maldivi" (music Tv show), "Belgrade like any other city" (fun show documentary).

I expect opening night soon of one drama in theatre which I wrote recently and according to plan and the director's words, that project should be realized several months ago.

Well, I am still waiting, which is the same situation for two more plays in some theatres alongside Belgrade.

Also, if I get lucky, maybe, just maybe, I could be one of the writers or showrunner for several TV series.

But, all that things, plans, situations, unfortunately never depends on me, only on faith, destiny, and how all pieces will come together.

Ivan Makragić Links: Music Pocket