The Square[/caption]
The Square written and directed by Ruben Östlund is the big winner at this year’s 2017 European Film Awards held today in Berlin, winning 6 major awards including Best Film, Best Comedy, Best Director and Best Director for Ruben Östlund; and Best Actor for Claes Bang.
Terry P.
VIMOOZ is for lovers of independent films + foreign film + documentary + film festivals. We love championing the little films.
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THE SQUARE Sweeps 2017 European Film Awards, Wins Best Film, Best Director
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The Square[/caption]
The Square written and directed by Ruben Östlund is the big winner at this year’s 2017 European Film Awards held today in Berlin, winning 6 major awards including Best Film, Best Comedy, Best Director and Best Director for Ruben Östlund; and Best Actor for Claes Bang.
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Milwaukee Film Festival Announces 2018 Festival Dates
Celebrating a decade in the community, Milwaukee Film today announced that the 2018 Milwaukee Film Festival will take place from October 18 to November 1, 2018. The annual 15-day festival will include feature films, shorts programs, education screenings, post-film conversations, panels, and parties.
“We couldn’t have reached this incredible milestone without the warm embrace of the Milwaukee community,” states Jonathan Jackson, Executive and Artistic Director of Milwaukee Film. “Over the past ten years, we have strived to bring the best independent and international cinema to the city, and our amazing audience, members, donors, and sponsors have repaid us in kind, allowing for this period of unprecedented growth. We look forward to bringing the best in film to you for decades to come.”
Festival organizers hope the later dates will expand programming opportunities to gain access to premieres from such renowned festivals as the Toronto International Film Festival, Festival de Cannes, and Telluride Film Festival.
The Call for Entries for the 2018 Milwaukee Film Festival will open in January 2018.
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American Film Institute Announces AFI AWARDS 2017 – Top 10 Films of 2017
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The Florida Project[/caption]
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the Official Selections of AFI AWARDS 2017, celebrating the year’s most outstanding 10 films and 10 television programsdeemed culturally and artistically significant.
In addition to the 20 honorees, AFI also recognizes THE VIETNAM WAR with an AFI Special Award.
AFI AWARDS is a coveted honor for its noncompetitive celebration of collaboration. Honorees are selected based on works that advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form, inspire audiences and artists alike and make a mark on American society.
“At a time when the world seems defined by division, storytellers bring us together as one,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “AFI AWARDS is honored to celebrate this community of artists who challenge and inspire us, entertain and enlighten us — ultimately reminding us of our common heartbeat.”
Honorees will gather on January 5, 2018, for recognition at the annual AFI AWARDS private luncheon in Los Angeles, CA.
AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR
THE BIG SICK CALL ME BY YOUR NAME DUNKIRK THE FLORIDA PROJECT GET OUT LADY BIRD THE POST THE SHAPE OF WATER THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI WONDER WOMANAFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
BIG LITTLE LIES THE CROWN FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN GAME OF THRONES THE GOOD PLACE THE HANDMAID’S TALE INSECURE MASTER OF NONE STRANGER THINGS 2 THIS IS USAFI SPECIAL AWARD
THE VIETNAM WAR
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15 Documentary Feature Films Advance in Oscar Race
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Human Flow[/caption]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected 15 films in the Documentary Feature category that will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards. One hundred seventy films were originally submitted in the category.
The Academy’s Documentary Branch will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles.
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Educational Films
and WGBH/FRONTLINE
“Chasing Coral,” Exposure Labs in partnership with The Ocean Agency & View Into the Blue
in association with Argent Pictures & The Kendeda Fund
“City of Ghosts,” Our Time Projects and Jigsaw Productions
“Ex Libris – The New York Public Library,” Ex Libris Films
“Faces Places,” Ciné Tamaris
“Human Flow,” Participant Media and AC Films
“Icarus,” Netflix Documentary in association with Impact Partners, Diamond Docs, Chicago
Media Project and Alex Productions
“An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” Paramount Pictures and Participant Media
“Jane,” National Geographic Studios in association with Public Road Productions
“LA 92,” Lightbox
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Larm Film
“Long Strange Trip,” Double E Pictures, AOMA Sunshine Films and Sikelia
“One of Us,” Loki Films
“Strong Island,” Yanceville Films and Louverture Films
“Unrest,” Shella Films and Little by Little Films
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TIFF Unveils Top Ten Canadian Films of 2017 + Top Ten Film Festival Lineup
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Adventures in Public School[/caption]
TIFF is toasting the end of Canada’s sesquicentennial with its list of 2017’s best Canadian films for the 17th Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival. The stellar lineup champions emerging directors, including Sadaf Foroughi for her award-winning, Tehran-set drama Ava; Wayne Wapeemukwa’s City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film at TIFF, Luk’Luk’I; Kathleen Hepburn’s heartbreaking Never Steady, Never Still; Simon Lavoie’s striking The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond Of Matches; Kyle Rideout’s charming comedy Adventures in Public School; and, in another example Canada’s genre chops, Les Affamés, Robin Aubert’s unique take on the zombie allegory, which won the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at TIFF. Social issues are also dealt with directly in Charles Officer’s lyrical documentary Unarmed Verses, winner of Hot Docs’ Best Canadian Feature Documentary prize, and Catherine Bainbridge’s electrifying crowd-pleaser RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World.
The festival’s popular In Conversation With… series will feature intimate onstage discussions with remarkable talent, including master filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, who is also part of this year’s lineup with her latest feature, Our People Will Be Healed, a luminous, hopeful ode to the power of action-driven decolonization. The revered filmmaker, musician, and revolutionary artist has been a tireless advocate for Indigenous resistance and she continues to reinvigorate Canada’s Indigenous identities while advocating for truth and reconciliation in her latest feature. In Conversation With… Alanis Obomsawin is co-presented by The Directors Guild of Canada.
In addition, award-winning actor Evan Rachel Wood will discuss her career and role in the psychological thriller Allure, the highly anticipated feature debut from Montreal-based photographers Carlos and Jason Sanchez. Wood began her career as a child in the 1990s and went on to give acclaimed performances in Thirteen (2003) and The Wrestler (2008), before reaching new heights with HBO’s hit series Westworld (2016– ). She is a leading voice in the drive to create lasting change in the film industry, and her brilliant work in such Canadian independent features as Patricia Rozema’s Into the Forest (Canada’s Top Ten 2015) and this year’s Canada’s Top Ten selection Allure has cemented her status as one of the most versatile and adventurous actors working today.
The festival also offers audiences two special screenings: Phillip Borsos’ 1990 political saga Bethune: The Making of a Hero — starring Donald Sutherland as beloved Canadian hero Dr. Norman Bethune — as well as a Canadian Open Vault free screening of Daniel Cockburn’s TFCA Jay Scott Prize winner You Are Here (2010).
Filmgoers in Toronto will once again vote to crown the People’s Choice Award winner.
The Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival is complemented by the 2018 TIFF Industry Forum, a full day of programming on Friday, January 12 tailored exclusively for film professionals. The Forum opens with a special edition of Breakfast at TIFF that explores
programming ethics. In light of recent harassment allegations against prominent industry creatives, panellists will debate whether the art can ever truly be separated from the artist. Another session will celebrate the outstanding work of break-out feature directors and examine how the industry can best support them as they develop their second and third features. The Forum closes with a live onstage recording of the award-winning podcast TIFF Long Take, featuring Canadian film and television director Jeremy Podeswa. He is best known for directing the films The Five Senses (1999) and Fugitive Pieces (2007), and for his Emmy-nominated work on the HBO series Game of Thrones.
Established in 2001, the festival is one of the largest and longest-running showcases of Canadian film. From January 12 to 21, 2018 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, the 10-day event boasts a rich offering of public screenings, Q&A sessions and a special Industry Forum, followed by a nationwide tour stopping in Vancouver, Montreal, Regina, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Saskatoon.
The festival will tour select films to major cities across the country including stops at Vancouver’s The Cinematheque (January 12 to 21), Montreal’s PHI Centre (January 12 to 21), Winnipeg Film Group’s Cinematheque (January 12 to February 24), Edmonton’s Metro Cinema (January 26 to February 4), Ottawa’s National Gallery of Canada (March 15 to 17), Regina’s RPL Film Theatre (April 12 to 15) and Saskatoon’s PAVED Arts in collaboration with the Roxy Theatre (dates TBC).
Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival features
Adventures in Public School, Kyle Rideout* .Opening Night Film. Allure Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez Ava Sadaf Foroughi Les Affamés Robin Aubert The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches Simon Lavoie Luk’Luk’I Wayne Wapeemukwa Never Steady, Never Still Kathleen Hepburn Our People Will Be Healed Alanis Obomsawin RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World Catherine Bainbridge Unarmed Verses Charles OfficerCanada’s Top Ten Film Festival shorts
The Argument (with annotations) Daniel Cockburn The Botanist Maude Plante-Husaruk, Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis The Crying Conch Vincent Toi The Drop In Naledi Jackson Flood Amanda Strong Milk Heather Young Pre-Drink Marc-Antoine Lemire Rupture Yassmina Karajah The Tesla World Light Matthew Rankin Threads Torill KoveCanada’s Top Ten Film Festival student shorts
Away Home Jana Stackhouse (Ryerson) Blindsided Flytrap Productions (Sheridan College) Hold My Hand Alexandre Lefebvre (Cinéma à l’Université du Québec à Montréal) If You Fall Tisha Deb Pillai (Emily Carr University of Art + Design: Animation) Leila Aziz Zoromba (Concordia University) Meddy Ted Sakowsky (York University) Mustard Seed Lina Roessler (York University) Nana Ali Kellner (Sheridan College) Quarters FIG House (Sheridan College) Waiting for Lou Katerine Martineau (Concordia University)
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“CALL ME BY YOUR NAME,” “FACES PLACES,” “BPM,” “LOVELESS” Win 2017 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Honors
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Call Me By Your Name[/caption]
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) voted Call Me By Your Name the Best Picture of 2017, along with Best Actor for Timothée Chalamet, and Best Director for Luca Guadagnino – a tie win with Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water. Best Documentary went to the Faces Places, and Best Foreign-Language Film was a tie win for BPM AND Loveless.
2017 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
BEST PICTURE
“CALL ME BY YOUR NAME” RUNNER-UP: “THE FLORIDA PROJECT”BEST DIRECTOR
GUILLERMO DEL TORO, “THE SHAPE OF WATER” AND LUCA GUADAGNINO, “CALL ME BY YOUR NAME” (TIE)BEST ACTOR
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET “CALL ME BY YOUR NAME” RUNNER-UP: JAMES FRANCO (“THE DISASTER ARTIST“)BEST ACTRESS
SALLY HAWKINS “THE SHAPE OF WATER” RUNNER-UP: FRANCES MCDORMAND (“THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI“)BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
WILLEM DAFOE “THE FLORIDA PROJECT” RUNNER-UP: SAM ROCKWELL (“THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI “)BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
LAURIE METCALF “LADY BIRD” RUNNER-UP: MARY J. BLIGE (” MUDBOUND“)BEST SCREENPLAY
JORDAN PEELE “GET OUT” RUNNER-UP: MARTIN MCDONAGH (“THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI“)BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
DENNIS GASSNER “BLADE RUNNER” RUNNER-UP: PAUL D. AUSTERBERRY (“THE SHAPE OF WATER“)BEST EDITING
LEE SMITH “DUNKIRK” RUNNER-UP: TATIANA S. RIEGEL (“I TONYA“)BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
DAN LAUSTSEN “THE SHAPE OF WATER” RUNNER-UP: ROGER DEAKINS (“BLADE RUNNER“)BEST MUSIC SCORE
JONNY GREENWOOD “PHANTOM THREAD” RUNNER-UP: ALEXANDRE DESPLAT (“THE SHAPE OF WATER“)BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
“BPM” AND “LOVELESS” (TIE)BEST DOCUMENTARY / NON-FICTION FILM
“FACES PLACES” RUNNER-UP: “JANE”BEST ANIMATION
“THE BREADWINNER” RUNNER-UP: “COCO”NEW GENERATION
GRETA GERWIGDOUGLAS EDWARDS INDEPENDENT / EXPERIMENTAL FILM / VIDEO
LEE ANNE SCHMITT “PURGE THIS LAND”CAREER ACHIEVEMENT
MAX VON SYDOW
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2017 Whistler Film Festival Awards: ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA and WORTHY COMPANION Tie for Best Canadian Film
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All You Can Eat Buddha[/caption]
Ian Lagarde’s first feature ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA, and Jason and Carlos Sanchez’s A WORTHY COMPANION tied to win the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2017 Whistler Film Festival. The jury states “each in their own way convey unique visions and creative storytelling the jury believes have made and will make powerful contributions to the world of cinema.”
A WORTHY COMPANION takes a fresh and new perspective that explores the complexity and humanity within the predator, victim relationship. This film questions how we perpetuate manipulative power dynamics between adult and child through the inner struggle of our female protagonists. ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA is a movie that pushes the boundaries of image and sound and proposes an unusual, and assured cinematic narrative that juxtaposes dream and reality in a lost paradise.
In addition, the jury awarded Ian Lagarde with the Best Borsos Director Award presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia.
Evan Rachel Wood, star of the Canadian film A WORTHY COMPANION, was the recipient of this year’s Best Performance in a Borsos Competition Film Award. The jury noted that “Evan gives a brave, raw nuance performance that explores the grey areas between predator and victim”.
The Borsos Award for Best Screenplay went to Grayson Moore, writer and co-director of CARDINALS, which presents a fresh take on the psychological drama that unfolds with the unpredictability of a great novel.
Best Cinematography in a Borsos Film went to cinematographer Sara Mishara for A WORTHY COMPANION, with an honorable mention to Nicolas Bolduc for HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS. The jury wanted to acknowledge the work of a director of photography that managed to create a rich and detailed visual universe through a very subtle crafting of the light.
The World Documentary Award was presented to THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ directed by Kate Novack. The jury stated: “The winner of the world documentary award delivers a fascinating portrait of a larger-than-life personality, but admirably escapes the trappings of simple biography by revealing how a towering, influential figure still thrives in an imperfect world.”
The jury also gave an honourable mention to Alan Zweig, director of THERE IS A HOUSE HERE, which is a film that explores the harsh realities of a fractured community and yet it discovers, in fact, that society can gather together and create a strong and supportive community for those in perpetual need.
The Best Mountain Culture Film Award went to DEPTH PERCEPTION directed by Chip Taylor and Chris Murphy. The jury stated that “DEPTH PERCEPTION was a clever and awesome representation of mountain culture, pure entertainment. It was able to tie in the full ‘story’ with a simple well thought out concept. Beautifully shot with exceptional snowboarding. The writing had the perfect balance of edge, accessibility, and meaning. It was able to transport the judges to a place of imagination just outside of realism but staying grounded in themes of the sport, environmentalism, and spiritualism.”
The $1,000 Canadian ShortWork Award went to WE FORGOT TO BREAK UP, directed by Chandler Levack. The jury stated that “this cinematically stunning short film delivers at every turn. It’s beautifully written with wonderfully naturalistic dialogue, it’s poetic, stylish and superbly performed, most notably by our lead. Captivating from start to finish, this first time director is extremely deserving of this recognition.” The jury has given an honorable mention to CYPHER by Lawrence Le Lam.
The International ShortWork Award went to FEAR US WOMEN directed by David Darg. The jury stated: “Compelling from the opening minute, this honest and raw documentary is an unflinching look at the fearless women on the battle front in Syria. It’s a gritty and honest story with an amazing message – one that needs to be told.”
The $500 ShortWork Student Award went to FLOATING LIGHT, directed by Natalie Murao. The jury stated: “The future of BC filmmaking is in very good hands. This was a very impressive lineup of student shorts, so to standout amongst this group is a major accomplishment. For its impressive performances, dreamy aesthetic, and for the assuredness and subtly in its directorial vision, the jury is pleased to give this award to a stunningly accomplished and inventive film that uses a quiet voice to speak loudly. This is a filmmaker with an extremely bright future.”
The MPPIA Short Film Award was awarded to Veronika Kurz for 20 Minutes to Life. The award consists of a $15,000 cash award plus up to $100,000 in services. The completed project will have its world premiere screening at the 2018 Whistler Film Festival.
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists presented this year’s EDA Award for Best Female-directed Feature to Eisha Marjara’s VENUS, a film that tells the tale of a woman in transition. The jury stated: “VENUS is both a touching drama about the hardship of transition and how it affects family, friendships, and relationships but it’s also a really lovely and reaffirming story of love and the strength of friends and family. And we enthusiastically applaud the brilliant performance from Debargo Sanyal, who moved us to new understanding. Brava Majara and Sanyal.”
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists presented the EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Short Film to Sharren Lee’s THE THINGS YOU THINK I’M THINKING. The jury stated: “At its center is a person you don’t often get to see on the screen: Sean, a burn survivor and amputee who re-enters the world of dating. In a bar, he meets with Caleb, an able-bodied and appealing man who appears to take a romantic interest in him. And while, despite having no hands, Sean has managed to master getting around with great agility and some panache, his next roadblock is himself and being able to overcome his fears, insecurities, and trust issues — something that’s probably familiar to all of us. Ultimately, at the heart of the film are two people looking to make a human connection. And we found that we connect with them, too.”
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists presented a Special Jury EDA Award to Kyra Sedgwick for her directorial debut STORY OF A GIRL. The jury stated: “A well balanced, timely and beautifully crafted film about a teenage girl dealing with the fallout of modern-day bullying. Anchored by a wonderful lead performance from Ryann Shane and memorable turns from Kevin Bacon and Sosie. We take special pleasure and pride in presenting the EDA Award to Kyra because as a young actress she actually played the granddaughter of the Eda for whom the awards are named, activist actress Eda Reiss Merin, the mother of AWFJ president, Jennifer Merin. We look forward to seeing more from Kyra!”
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2018 London Short Film Festival Unveils Lineup, Spotlights Early Films from Francis Lee, Alice Lowe and More
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BRADFORD HALIFAX LONDON, Francis Lee[/caption]
London Short Film Festival (LSFF) unveiled its full 2018 program of over 500 UK and international short films, screening over 10 days, from January 12 to 21, 2018.
The 15th anniversary content includes We Dare To Fail, a strand that screens the early LSFF entries from uncompromising auteur filmmakers. There will be shorts shown from Francis Lee (God’s Own Country), Hope Dickson-Leach (The Levelling), and Alice Lowe (Prevenge). The celebratory retrospective will also feature shorts from the directors behind The Greasy Strangler, Berberian Sound Studio, Couple in a Hole, Spaceship, Gone Too Far, True West, and Nina Forever. There are also early-career cameos from the likes of Michael Fassbender and Danny Dyer when their stars were rising.
Brexit Shorts: Dramas From A Divided Nation marks the one year anniversary of the divisive decision to leave the EU, with new short films from notable scriptwriters and actors in response to the referendum.
Other highlights from the program include trailblazing films from Iranian poet Forough Farrokhzad (in partnership with MUBI), video artist William E Jones’ reclaiming of police surveillance footage of the gay community in 60s Ohio, and LSFF’s own With Teeth artists premiering newly commissioned experimental AV work. Ngozi Onwurah is the first Black British woman to have a feature film released in UK cinemas (Welcome II The Terrordome,1995), and there will be a legacy screening of her rare works, for which Ngozi will be in attendance. Pioneering lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer will be answering questions following a screening of her films.
There will also be a retrospective of Dawn Shadforth’s music video back catalogue, looking at the work of pop doyennes Kylie Minogue, Bjork, Sugababes, and Peaches. Other music video events include a new visual project from Domino, in celebration of their long association with LSFF.
A brand new competition strand to celebrate the 15th anniversary is made up of six programs, all of which exemplify the Festival’s commitment to diversity and continual audience development. The 36 selected films take in migration, prejudice, survival and the darker side of family life, and dissect everything from the entertainment industry to reality itself. The esteemed international short film jury includes French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović, international short film festival curator Lili Hartwig, and Fish Tank actress Katie Jarvis. Each LSFF 2018 Competition program will screen twice, at Curzon Soho and Rich Mix.
As always, the core of LSFF is the New Shorts section; programs of short films selected from 2500 open submissions into the Festival, with popular, returning slots from Funny Shit to Leftfield & Luscious, from Lo-Budget Mayhem to A Winter’s Matinee of Romantic Films, alongside new themes around identity, visibility and relationships.
LSFF will screen films at important cultural landmarks in London’s film community, including the ICA, which has hosted LSFF every year since it began. New venues for 2018 includethe Rich Mix in Shoreditch; Regent Street Cinema Curzon Soho, the Rio Cinema in Dalston and the BFI Southbank. The industry program will take place entirely at its new home at MOTH Club in Hackney.
2018 will also showcase new With Teeth projects. LSFF’s long-term short film commissioning fund, aims to become a solid support base for the most exciting emerging cinematic voices and auteurs, supported by Arts Council England National Lottery Funding. Tash Tung, Kim Noce and Zoe Aiano, will premiere newly commissioned experimental work that uses a range of unconventional AV techniques to enhance and communicate beautiful and nuanced stories.
As a champion of diverse and inclusive film, LSFF continues to see a huge contribution from women, LGBT and BAME filmmakers, and in a Festival first will introduce a program led by and for the D/deaf community.
With an established network of sponsors and supporters who help champion the Festival, LSFF strives to become more accessible and inclusive with the support of the BFI and Arts Council England, both awarding funds from the National Lottery. LSFF is also proud to have been awarded the Screen Diversity mark of good practice for meeting the BFI Diversity Standard, which recognises the Festival’s commitment in this endeavour.
LONDON SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 15TH ANNIVERSARY
The festival celebrates its 15th year in 2018 with a retrospective of the early works of auteur directors who all showcased short films at the festival at the beginning of their careers. With films like God’s Own Country, The Greasy Strangler, Berberian Sound Studio, The Levelling, Prevenge, Couple in a Hole, Spaceship, Gone Too Far, True West, Nina Forever representing great British films from the last few years, by uncompromising auteurs, who have all screened early works at London Short Film Festival. We Dare To Fail: 15 Years of LSFF looks at pieces by the directors of films including Francis Lee (God’s Own Country) and Alice Lowe (Prevenge), amongst many others. Filmmakers will be in attendance, and the event will be hosted on stage by LSFF co-founders Philip Ilson and Kate Taylor. Alongside BAFTA winners Simon Ellis and Joe Lawlor & Christine Molloy (The Desperate Optimists), we bring an incredible selection of shorts back to this very special 15th anniversary screening. This impressive collection of shorts come from: FREE SPEECH The Blaine Brothers 2004, 6 mins LITTLE CLUMPS OF HAIR Jim Hosking 2003, 12 mins WHAT THE Simon Ellis 2004, 7 mins WHO KILLED BROWN OWL? The Desperate Optimists 2004, 10 mins A METAPHYSICAL EDUCATION Peter Strickland 2004, 3 mins SHAME Tom Geens 2006, 4 mins LADIES IN WAITING Hope Dickson Leach 2005, 7 mins STICKS AND BALLS Alice Lowe / Jacqueline Wright 2007, 4 mins TIGHT JEANS Destiny Ekaragha 2008, 9 mins KIDS MIGHT FLY Alex Taylor 2009, 7 mins MAN ON A MOTORCYCLE John McClean 2009, 12 mins BRADFORD HALIFAX LONDON Francis Lee 2013, 9 minsPOLITICAL
The Guardian and Headlong Theatre have teamed up to mark the one-year anniversary of the controversial decision to leave the EU, with Brexit Shorts: Dramas From A Divided Nation. A raft of prominent scriptwriters and well-known actors from each region were commissioned to highlight the nation’s growing divisions in their area at a moment of seismic political change. A mix of noteworthy names across screenwriting and acting are involved in the shorts, with scripts and stories from Maxine Peake and Abi Morgan, playwrights David Hare and Gary Owen, and actors including Kristen Scott Thomas, Meera Syal, and Penelope Wilton amongst many others. The screenings will be followed by a panel discussion with Jess Gormley and Noah Payne-Frank from The Guardian, Amy Hodge from Headlong Theatre and a live performance from one of the actors in the films.MUSIC
Dawn Shadforth: Spinning Around takes a look at one of the most quietly prolific music video auteurs of the 90s, Dawn Shadforth, who has created visuals for the likes of Kylie Minogue, Björk, Sugababes, and Peaches. A Q&A with Dawn and special guests follows. This year there’s a celebration of 15 years of LSFF and Domino, working together, It’s All Good!, is an evening of music videos, DJs, giveaways and surprises. Domino have created and curated music videos from a wealth of directors since LSFF’s inception, and this event will see the introduction of new visual projects. To celebrate the legacy of of women in British rap and MC-ing, Home Girls: Live sees LSFF team up with contemporary performers who are currently raising the bar in a scene dominated by men. The closing night party will feature a special guest appearance from Hackney-based Paigey Cakey, and special guests TBA, in a homegrown London-centric talent event. Home Girls: From Cookie Crew to Now, takes stock of the representation of female hip-hop artists over the decades, from the swim-suited video vixen to the in control and hyper sexualized. Cookie Crew, Wee Papa Girl Rappers and She Rockers burst onto the scene in the 80s and 90s with a self-defined, powerful onscreen image. A panel discussion with members of the bands, and key industry figures will follow.LGBTQ
LGBTQ content this year is led by long time LSFF collaborators New Queer Visions. The first film program, Don’t Look Back In Anger, looks at the nature of hate and positivity, with touching stories about queer characters dealing with ups, downs, and everything in between. This is accompanied by Medium Rare, a program of medium length shorts exploring the mixed-up mind of an impressionable young man. In partnership with MUBI, Radical Softness Through A Haptic Lens is a retrospective of the works of Barbara Hammer, feminist filmmaker and one of the pioneers of lesbian film, and Chick Strand, avant-garde documentary filmmaker. The films examine the idea of ‘radical softness’, the power that can be found in in being both abrasively feminine and openly vulnerable, through a soft and kinesthetic style of filmmaking. Following incredibly rare screenings of Superdyke and Soft Fictions, there will be a Skype Q&A with the legendary Barbara Hammer. Also in association with MUBI is Cruelty and Crime, a showcase of the key works of American writer Chris Kraus. From feminist readings of Antonin Artaud to Cold War sleeper agents, via dominatrices and New York City crime scenes, these films are filled with humour, sexuality, abjection, metaphor, allusion, an insatiable curiosity and a Dadaist sense of provocation and absurdity. A collection of 1962 police footage documenting men cruising in a public toilet, was reworked and re-presented by William E Jones as a separate work, Tearoom* in 2007. The experimental video art project shows how surveillance is used as a blunt tool of oppression. The footage shown was eventually used as evidence to prosecute the men of sodomy and public deviancy. Prior to the screening LSFF will also be showcasing Robert Yang’s game The Tearoom, a cruising simulation made in direct response to the film. On release the game ran afoul of the censors and so in a bold piece of satirical provocation Yang replaced all the penises with guns. The game was then successfully passed uncut. Additionally we also welcome filmmaker Sam Ashby, who will present a newly commissioned work in response to Tearoom, and artist Prem Sahib for a post screening discussion of the themes highlighted in the work. *18 – contains scenes of real sexual activity.BAME
When director Julie Dash created the groundbreaking Daughters of the Dust in 1991, a multigenerational tale of black women from the Gullah sea islands struggling to hold on to their culture, little did she know that 25 years later her work would be held up on the world stage thanks to one of the music industry’s most influential artists: Beyoncé. Given the subject matter and the detail paid to the cinematography, Dash’s film provided an obvious touchstone to inspire Beyoncé’s vision in Lemonade. 2009’s Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam refers respectively to ‘taqwa’ and ‘core’, a synthesis of an awe-inspiring consciousness of Allah, and a hard-core punk music style, and a fusion of Muslim and American culture. A panel discussion, Muslim Punk and the New Subculture, hosted by filmmaker Hammad Khan asks what happened to Taqwacore, and questions how class, race, and gender are tied to Muslim resistance to Trump and Brexit. Hammad Khan’s Anima State is arguably the most important film to come out of Pakistan in decades. As we approach the 70th anniversary of the country’s independence from British India, it is an uncomfortable, in-your-face examination of the country’s violence, to its apathy, to its refusal to recognize its moral corruption, in every single facet of Pakistani society. Pioneer of Black British cinema Ngozi Onwurah’s body of work weaves autobiographical narrative with astute socio-political observation. As the first Black British woman filmmaker to have a feature film released in UK cinemas we celebrate Ngozi’s legacy with a screening of early works and panel discussion in Ngozi Onwurah: Shorts. A rare 35mm screening of Welcome II The Terrordome will also show at the festival. The House is Black, a screening of the only known film by one of Iran’s greatest 20th century poets Farough Farrokazad, depicts an isolated community of lepers living in Northwestern Iran, and is soundtracked by a reading from the poet herself. There will be a reading of her work, translated into English, and The Oberhausen Archive have kindly donated a 35mm print of the film.CULTURE
The festival will open with Adrena Adrena’s Movements of A Nebulous Dawn, supported by Arts Council England. This is a one-off audiovisual collaboration, with a 360-degree nebulous orb defying the conventions of theatrical presentation, as musicians perform in-the-round beneath multiple circular projections created by Daisy Dickinson. An improvised live set will see a constantly changing and evolving set of guest musicians from Faust, Wire, Boredoms and other experimental, electronic and progressive bands. Julian Hand, who directed the 2018 LSFF trailer, will be projecting psychedelic visuals using coloured liquids and slides. This year’s festival sees a first for LSFF, with a premiere screening exclusively for D/deaf audiences, curated by LSFF’s Deaf Young programr Zoe McWhinney. Save The Date, a selection of archive and contemporary short films, brings stories about D/deaf culture and experience to the screen. The screening, at BFI Southbank, will be fully supported by BSL interpreters, and films will include BSL dialogue, and/or subtitles. The Final Girls Present: The Witching Hour is a screening of two of the original 1970s documentaries that showcase the continuing, cultural obsession with witchcraft and the occult. Secret Rites is a pseudo documentary illustrating a series of initiation rites for a novice witch, while The Power of the Witch is a rarely-seen documentary featuring interviews with the King and Queen of the witch craze, Alex and Maxine Sanders. The Final Girls will host a panel discussion following the screenings. An in-conversation event around the works of the cult sci-fi author, JG Ballard: This Is The Way, Step Inside, explores the writer’s 20th century preoccupation with the machine vs. the 21st century obsession with the digital towards an anthropological take on disembodiment, honing in on how Ballard perceives both the body, and the human condition. The panel is made up of filmmakers Jason Wood, Simon Barker and Harley Cokeliss, with Ballard scholar Dr. Jeanette Baxter. Radio Atlas: Risk is an award-winning platform for subtitled audio from around the world. A place to hear inventive documentaries and aural art works that have been made in languages you don’t necessarily speak. This intimate event premieres documentaries which explore the thin line between freedom and risk, taking the listener to unexpected places, with a Q&A discussion with Radio Atlas founder Eleanor McDowall.INTERNATIONAL
As the international film strand enters its fourth year, a program of four screenings brings together some of the most unique voices in fiction, documentary and experimental filmmaking. LSFF have shorts from all over the world, with entries from China, Cuba, Slovenia, and Mozambique, to name a fraction. The festival is becoming a key player on the festival circuit when it comes to showing high quality and well-curated international short film.WITH TEETH
With Teeth is a bi-annual commissioning award from LSFF, supported by Arts Council England, aimed at embodying LSFF’s core principle of championing contemporary artists moving image works, diverging from more traditional avenues of funding to nurture diverse and unconventional independent short filmmaking. Following the second round of awards from the commissioning fund, the With Teeth Premiere will showcase the works of the three recipients of this year’s grant, Kim Noce, Zoe Aiano, and Tash Tung. Their films use experimental methods, including Your Mothers Are Mine! a projected live animation by Kim Noce observing the complexities of the mother daughter relationship. A multi-screen fiction explores the multiplicities of the image and female domesticity by Tash Tung in Unknown Pleasure. Zoe Aiano presents a wild and delicate documentary of a life spent communicating with the dead, in Imam Pesnu.INDUSTRY EVENTS
This year’s industry program sees experts from across the industry offering their words of wisdom on everything from getting your film funded, to engaging audiences. There’ll be contributions from Channel 4 Random Acts, BBC3, Noisey, and Bechdel Test Fest; Director of VR and New Media at Raindance Mária Rakušanová, will be sharing her expertise in ‘AR You Feeling It?’ and Alexander Karotsch of Fringe! Film Festival will be there to discuss ethical responsibility in ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’. All LSFF 2018 Industry events take place at MOTH Club, which has been turned into the festival’s day time Industry hub. As well as tips on funding, and what commissioners are looking for, the talks and discussions cover everything from driving feminist change in cinema, depicting sex on screen, how to manage the relationship between filmmakers and progamers, and an insight into how new AR technologies are being used to drive stories and emotional responses.
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Biopic OLIVER TAMBO: HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG to World Premiere on AfriDocs on BET
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Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg[/caption]
This month, AfriDocs on BET will present a powerful broadcast event, the World Premiere of the just completed biopic: Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg on the man who freed Nelson Mandela and engineered the fall of Apartheid.
This unique film comes at a critical time in South Africa’s history as the current ANC heads into its elective conference. Through this powerful film viewers are given the rare opportunity for insights into the life, ethos, and politics of Oliver Tambo, the leader of the ANC who was instrumental in bringing an end to apartheid.
The broadcast of the film, just recently been completed in this the 100th year of Oliver Tambo’s birth, could not come at a more opportune moment with the entire southern-African region focused on political upheaval and the toppling of established leaders and norms.
Albie Sachs, the Executive Producer of the film, has this to say of its upcoming screening, “The Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation would like to express its support for the upcoming screening of Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg on AfriDocs on BET on December 10th. This is a spirited, lively and eminently watchable film that brings Oliver Tambo to life on-screen, with moving and poignant interviews from Chris Hani, Kenneth Kaunda and members of the Tambo family. The film shows not just the politics of the man, but also shines a light on a life lived on principles of ethics, compassion, inclusion, social justice and equality. We hope this film is seen by as many people as possible and we are actively supporting efforts to make it as accessible as possible.”
The film will be broadcast at a special time on December 10th, at 9:30pm CAT and re-broadcast on December 15th at 1:25pm, The film will also be available on #AFRIDOCSANYTIME, www.afridocs.net for a LIMITED run Dec 11th -20th.
Additionally, December will also see the re-broadcast of the classic, Finding Fela, and Omar Sosa: Out of Africa, an intimate musical trip through East Africa with the multiple Grammy nominated Cuban composer, pianist, and bandleader.
3 December
When Paul Came Over the Sea | Jakob Preuss | Germany | 2017 | 97 min
Paul has made his way from his home in Cameroon across the Sahara to the Moroccan coast where he now lives in a forest waiting for the right moment to cross the Mediterranean. This is where he meets Jakob, a filmmaker from Berlin, who is filming along Europe’s borders. Soon afterwards, Paul manages to cross over to Spain on a rubber boat. He survives – but half of his companions die on this tragic 50-hour odyssey. When Paul decides to continue on to Germany, Jakob has to make a choice: will he become an active part of Paul’s pursuit of a better life or remain a detached documentary filmmaker?
Golden Goblet for Best Documentary, Shanghai International Film Festival, 2017
10 December
SPECIAL TIME 9:30pm CAT
Oliver Tambo: Have You Heard from Johannesburg | Connie Field | South Africa | 2017 | 90 min
Political comrades and law partners, Mandela and Tambo shared a political destiny. Nelson Mandela is a household name. Oliver Tambo is virtually unknown. Banned in South Africa, Tambo led the liberation struggle in exile from 1960-1990 while Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island. During those 30 years he not only kept the African National Congress (ANC) unified, led his movement both inside and outside South Africa in a successful battle against apartheid, his calls to the international community to isolate and sanction the South African regime created the most globalised human rights struggle of the 20th century. In the end, his actions released Nelson Mandela and laid the foundation for a new South Africa. Suffering a stroke on the eve of success, OR would not live to see his livelong friend become the first black president of a democratic South Africa.
AVAILABLE FREE TO STREAM ON CATCH-UP www.afridocs.net from Dec 11th – 20th
17 December
Omar Sosa: Out of Africa | Olivier Taieb | Cuba/ Africa | 2010 | 52 min
An intimate musical trip with the multiple Grammy nominated Cuban composer, pianist and bandleader through East Africa. Omar Sosa, influenced by traditional Afro-Cuban music, records a song with a local musician in each country in this epic road movie.
24 December
Finding Fela | Alex Gibney | Nigeria | 2014 | 120 min
Finding Fela tells the story of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s life, his music, his social and political importance. He created a new musical movement, Afrobeat, using that forum to express his revolutionary political opinions against the dictatorial Nigerian government of the 1970s and 1980s. His influence helped bring a change towards democracy in Nigeria and promoted Pan Africanist politics to the world. The power and potency of Fela’s message is completely current today and is expressed in the political movements of oppressed people, embracing Fela’s music and message in their struggle for freedom.
Sundance Film Festival, 2014
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“OH, RICK!”, “THE STRANGER”, “ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970” Win 2017 DOC NYC Awards
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Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco[/caption]
Earlier this month three juries selected films from each of the 2017 DOC NYC festival’s Viewfinders, Metropolis and Shorts sections to recognize for their outstanding achievements. Festival audiences voted for the DOC NYC Audience Award, and a panel of industry professionals voted to select the winner of this year’s DOC NYC PRO Pitch Perfect Award, given to a work-in-progress. The winner of last year’s DOC NYC PRO Pitch Perfect Award, Naila and the Uprising from director Julia Bacha, had its World Premiere at the 2017 festival with a sold out screening in the festival’s largest venue, the SVA Theatre.
Viewfinders Competition
Films chosen for their distinct directorial visions. Grand Jury Prize Winner: The Stranger, directed by Nicole N. Horanyi, follows a 25-year-old single mother who meets the man of her dreams on Facebook, but she soon discovers that the charming, worldly man has secrets. Jurors’ statement: “For its multilayered approach to storytelling and challenge to the definition of nonfiction the Viewfinders jury awards The Stranger by filmmaker Nicole N. Horanyi.”Metropolis Competition
Films that exemplify the diverse range of stories in New York City. Grand Jury Prize Winner: Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco, directed by James Crump, is a portrait of the most influential fashion illustrator of 1970s New York and Paris, known for discovering talents such as Pat Cleveland and Grace Jones. Jurors’ statement: “For rescuing a vital figure in the fashion industry from the background of New York in the 1970s, when the joy and diversity of a new creative vision helped the city emerge from darkness, the Metropolis jury awards Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco by filmmaker James Crump.”Shorts Competition
Grand Jury Prize Winner: Traffic Stop, directed by Kate Davis, exposes a problematic police force using dashcam footage as a forensic recounting of a routine traffic stop turned brutal assault of Breaion King. Jurors’ statement: “For its powerful portrait of a woman at the center of one of America’s most important current issues, the Shorts jury awards Traffic Stop by filmmaker Kate Davis.” Special Mention: Winter’s Watch, directed by Brian Bolster, about a hotel caretaker embracing the solitude of the off-season. The 2017 winning Short film qualifies for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.Audience Award
Winner: Oh, Rick!, directed by Dustin Sussman and Aaron Rosenbloom, profiles comedian Rick Crom, the long-running emcee at Greenwich Village’s Comedy Cellar, and features Ray Romano, Colin Quinn, Sarah Silverman and Wanda Sykes.DOC NYC PRO Pitch Perfect Award
Recognizes the best pitch given during DOC NYC PRO’s Pitch Perfect Day, based on the pitch itself, as well as the viability of the project, and is determined by industry professionals taking part in the daylong pitch event. Winner: Blue Code of Silence, directed by Magnus Skatvold and Gregory Mallozzi, tells the forty-year-old story of when policeman Bob Leuci brought down New York City’s most corrupt police unit, but at a grave personal cost.

Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption]
“The Shape of Water” leads the nominations for the 23rd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards with 14 nods including Best Picture, and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. The winners will be revealed live at the star-studded Critics’ Choice Awards gala on Thursday, January 11, 2018 on the CW Network .
“Call Me By Your Name,” “Dunkirk,” “Lady Bird,” and “The Post” impressed with eight nominations each, and are all in the running for Best Picture and Best Director, among others. “Blade Runner 2049” earned seven nominations, followed by “The Big Sick” and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” each with six, and “Get Out” and “I, Tonya” with five.
The Kindergarten Teacher[/caption]
The 2018 Sundance Film Festival returns to Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 18 to 28, and today announced the feature films lineup showcasing bold, independent storytelling.
For the 2018 Festival, 110 feature-length films were selected, representing 29 countries and 47 first-time filmmakers, including 30 in competition.These films were selected from 13,468 submissions including 3,901 feature-length films and 8,740 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,799 were from the U.S. and 2,102 were international. One-hundred feature films at the Festival will be world premieres
Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “The work of independent storytellers can challenge and possibly change culture, illuminating our world’s imperfections and possibilities. This year’s Festival is full of artfully-told stories that provoke thought, drive empathy and allow the audience to connect, in deeply personal ways, to the universal human experience.”