Terry P.

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2017 Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival Reveals Lineup; Opens with ON THE MAP

[caption id="attachment_17236" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] MK MOSHE DAYAN SHAKING HANDS WITH MACABBI TEL AVIV BASKETBALL PLAYER MOTTI AROESTI, AS AULCI PERRY & MIKY BERKOVITZ LOOK ON AT THE YAD ELIYAHI STADIUM. (ON THE MAP)[/caption] The 16th annual Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival will take place January 14 to 29, 2017 and will open with “On the Map,” the true story of the 1977 Israeli Maccabi Basketball team that made history by beating the Soviet Red Army team and winning their first European title. ” Highlights of the 2017 Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival include a tribute to Kirk Douglas in honor of his 100th birthday and lifetime achievement in cinema and Jewish philanthropy. His 1953 film “The Juggler” about a Holocaust Survivor who immigrates to Israel. Other films include “The Women’s Balcony,” and “And When I Die, I Won’t Stay Dead,” a new documentary film by Billy Woodberry about black, Jewish Beat poet Bob Kaufman (1925-1986). 2017 LAS VEGAS JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM SCHEDULE: “On the Map” 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, Brenden Theatres in the Palms Casino Resort “The Juggler” 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, Adelson Educational Campus “The Women’s Balcony” 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, Cinemark Theatres in the South Point Hotel and Casino “And When I Die, I Won’t Stay Dead” 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, Nevada State College 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, Adelson Educational Campus “Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did For Love” 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22, Adelson Educational Campus “Rock in the Red Zone” 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, UNLV, Alpha Epsilon Pi House “Aida’s Secrets” 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, Adelson Educational Campus “Wrestling Jerusalem” 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, Adelson Educational Campus
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Eve Ensler, Patricia Riggen, Regina K. Scully and David Oyelowo to be Honored at Athena Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_19173" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Eve Ensler, Patricia Riggen, Regina K. Scully and David Oyelowo[/caption] Eve Ensler, Patricia Riggen, Regina K. Scully and David Oyelowo will be honored at the 2017 Athena Film Festival (AFF), set to run February 9 to 12, 2017, at Barnard College in New York City. Eve Ensler is a Tony Award®-winning playwright, activist, performer and author; Patricia Riggen is a director, producer and screenwriter ; and Regina K. Scully is an Emmy Award®-winning producer, media activist and social entrepreneur. Actor and producer David Oyelowo will receive the Athena Leading Man Award. The Athena Film Festival celebrates the leadership and creative accomplishments of trailblazers in the entertainment industry who continue to break boundaries. The festival showcases films about powerful and courageous women leaders in real life and the fictional world; it is a weekend dedicated to elevating female voices and stories to inspire and empower a new generation of filmmakers and individuals. Previous Athena Film Festival awardees include Jodie Foster, Ava DuVernay, Mira Nair, Diablo Cody, Kasi Lemmons, Karyn Kusama, Callie Khouri, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Sheila Nevins, Julie Taymor, Sherry Lansing and Gale Anne Hurd, among others. “Our 2017 Athena Film Festival honorees celebrate an incredible group of people whose work promotes the advancement of women in film,” said Kathryn Kolbert, co-founder of the Athena Film Festival and the Constance Hess Williams ‘66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College. “We are grateful to be giving our second Athena Leading Man Award to David Oyelowo. We feel it is crucial to highlight the men who support women in the industry.” “We are thrilled to highlight four individuals who are shining examples of empowering women in the industry and are role models in their fields,” said Melissa Silverstein, Athena Film Festival artistic director co-founder and and founder of Women and Hollywood. “We are delighted to add these names to the festival’s prestigious list of honorees, which shines a spotlight on the remarkable progress, and the ongoing battles of women in the entertainment industry.”
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Animated Film SGT. STUBBY: AN AMERICAN HERO Sets April 2018 Release Date

[caption id="attachment_19168" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero[/caption] Fun Academy™ Motion Pictures, an innovator in educational entertainment for digital cinemas, has set an April 13, 2018 U.S. release date for “Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero,” a new animated feature based on the life and times of the United States Army’s most decorated dog. The film is produced by Labyrinth Media & Publishing, Ltd. with animation by Mikros Image, a Technicolor company, from their studios in Paris and Montreal. Fun Academy will distribute the film throughout North America. Academy Award® nominees Helena Bonham Carter (“The King’s Speech,” “Harry Potter” franchise) and Gérard Depardieu (“The Life of Pi”) will star, with more voice cast to be announced. The film will also feature a score by award-winning composer Patrick Doyle (“Brave,” “Cinderella”). Production of “Sgt. Stubby” is led by Laurent Rodon and Richard Lanni, who co-wrote the original screenplay with Mike Stokey. César Award-nominated filmmaker Bibo Bergeron (“Shark Tale”) will serve as director of story and 2016 Annie Award nominee Céline Desrumaux (“The Little Prince”) as production designer. “Sgt. Stubby” tells the incredible true story of a stray dog and the bond he forged with the doughboys of the 26th “Yankee” Division at the onset of America’s entry into World War I. As writer and executive producer Richard Lanni explains, “2018 marks the 100th anniversary of American involvement in the WWI, leading up to the armistice in November. Our film will be part of the global conversation about the Great War and remembering those who served.” After being adopted off the streets by Private Robert Conroy, Stubby saved hundreds of lives by sounding the alarm for incoming attacks and catching an enemy spy in the trenches. For his valorous actions, Stubby was the first dog to be promoted in U.S. Army history.
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First Wave of Films Announced for 2017 Atlanta Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_19166" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] No Light and No Land Anywhere[/caption] The first slate of programming, comprising feature length and short films, narratives, documentaries, pilot episodes, music videos, animation, puppetry, experimental and virtual reality has been revealed for the upcoming 41st Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF). “We are really excited to release a first wave of films that represents every category of our festival programming,” said ATLFS Executive Director Christopher Escobar. “ATLFF isn’t just one thing, and by including short films, pilots and virtual reality alongside features, we are presenting a greater picture of what to expect this year.” This group of fourteen films represents the first selections out of a new ATLFF record of 6,085 submissions. Hailing from Austria, Brazil, China, France, Iran, Japan, Lebanon, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia and USA, these films showcase a tremendously diverse swath of work, both artistically and geographically. Among the feature films represented, themes range from Iranian transgender rights in “Cold Breath” to poverty-stricken Beyoncé super-fans from Brazil in “Waiting for B.” The Tunisian documentary short “El Hara” was co-directed by ATLFF ‘15 alum Mo Scarpelli, who saw great success with her debut film “Frame by Frame.” Famed Japanese animator Keiichi Tanaami created “The Laughing Spider” using inspiration from his childhood memories of air-raids. Virtual reality short film “Traces” explores memory loss and reconstruction by placing the viewer inside the mind of a woman with Alzheimer’s. These films will be joined by over 150 others for the 2017 Atlanta Film Festival, taking place March 24 through April 2, 2017. Narrative Feature Cold Breath (دم سرد) — directed by Abbas Raziji Iran, 2016, Persian, 83 minutes Maryam has just turned 30-years-old. She was born as a girl but she passed through puberty like a boy. In the way of love and subsistence, she has tried hard everyday to live just like a normal man. No Light and No Land Anywhere — directed by Amber Sealey USA, 2016, English, 75 minutes Grieving her mother’s death and her own failing marriage, Lexi boards a plane from London to Los Angeles in search of the estranged father who abandoned her when she was three-years-old. Based out of a seedy Hollywood motel, she follows a tenuous trail of breadcrumbs, beginning with his aging former in-laws, collecting numbers and addresses in the hopes that one will lead to her father. Along the way, she establishes other unexpected connections: her father’s ailing former second wife, her bitter half-sister Tanya and her caregiver girlfriend, and two local barflies. Documentary Feature Black Memorabilia — directed by Chico Colvard USA/China, 2017, English/Chinese, 62 minutes At the intersection of international commerce, racial identity, and historical narrative, BLACK MEMORABILIA follows the propagation of demeaning representations of African Americans. From industrial China to the rural American south to contemporary Brooklyn, the viewer observes people and places that reproduce, consume and reclaim black memorabilia. This feature documentary takes us on a journey into the material culture of racialized artifacts and confronts us with the incendiary features of these objects. Waiting for B. — directed by Paulo Cesar Toledo, Abigail Spindel Brazil, 2016, Portuguese, 72 minutes WAITING FOR B. takes the viewer on a journey with young Beyoncé super-fans who, lacking the money to buy their way to the front, camped out for two months in order to be closer to the front of the stage. A story about victims of hype, a community of hope, and the contradictions of humility and vanity at the heart of diva worship. Narrative Short Submarine — directed by Mounia Akl Lebanon, 2016, Arabic, 21 minutes Under the imminent threat of Lebanon’s garbage crisis, Hala—a wild child inside of a woman—is the only one to refuse evacuation, clinging to whatever remains of home. They Charge For the Sun — directed by Terence Nance USA, 2016, English, 17 minutes In a dystopian future where people live nocturnally to avoid the harmful rays of the sun, a young black girl unravels the lie that has kept her and her sister in the dark. Documentary Short El Hara — directed by Margaux Fitoussi, Mo Scarpelli Tunisia/France, 2016, French, 16 minutes EL HARA poetically explores how the places we grow up in haunt who we become, forever. Se Shin Sa — directed by Eunhye Hong Kim USA, 2016, Korean, 11 minutes A hybrid of fiction and documentary, SE SHIN SA follows an undocumented woman living and working as a masseuse in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Animated Short The Laughing Spider — directed by Keiichi Tanaami Japan, 2016, Japanese, 7 minutes A psychedelic fantasmagoria from Japan’s greatest veteran animator, based on childhood memories of air-raids. Virtual Reality Short Traces — directed by Gabriela Arp USA, 2016, English, 8 minutes TRACES is a cinematic virtual reality film exploring the meaning of memory for one woman living with Alzheimer’s disease. Puppetry Short Good Night (Gute Nacht) — directed by Henning Backhaus Austria, 2016, German, 7 minutes A sock puppet strolls through niveous winter worlds; the dark, expressionist black-and-white imagery oscillating between comedy and tragedy. Soon the protagonist will choose to end his life, while the lonesome journey by Schubert has only just begun. Experimental Short Forged From the Love of Liberty — directed by Vashti Harrison Trinidad and Tobago/USA, 2016, English, 5 minutes A visual poem about a family’s curse, and two superstitions surround it. Pilot Episode The Benefits of Gusbandry — directed by Alicia J. Rose USA, 2016, English, 9 minutes One woman, one man, a lot of weed, a little crying and NO sexual attraction whatsoever. Love is so gay. Music Video “Left & Right” by Pazes — directed by Camila Lima Brazil, 2016, 3 minutes Left and right. Fire and water. Night and day. Heavy and light. Masculine and feminine. From a divided individual in search of its whole.
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Southeastern Film Critics Association Named MOONLIGHT the Best Movie of 2016

[caption id="attachment_18907" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] MOONLIGHT[/caption] The Southeastern Film Critics Association has named “Moonlight” the best film of 2016. The film was also the winner or runner-up in seven of the nine other categories in which it was eligible. The Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA) represents print, broadcast and online journalists in nine Southern states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Virginia and North and South Carolina. The organization’s Gene Wyatt Award, dedicated to the film that best represents “the spirit of the South,” went to Arkansas-born writer-director Jeff Nichols’ “Loving,” a drama based on the true-life story of the Virginia couple whose interracial marriage led to the Supreme Court’s ruling against “miscegenation” laws. Nichols — the brother of Ben Nichols, frontman of the Memphis rock band Lucero — previously won the Wyatt for “Mud” (2012) and his debut feature, “Shotgun Stories” (2007). “Moonlight,” set mostly in Florida, was the Wyatt runner-up. The complete results of 2016 Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards: Top 10 Films 1. “Moonlight.” 2.”Manchester by the Sea.” 3. “La La Land.” 4. “Hell or High Water.” 5. “Loving.” 6. “Arrival.” 7. “Fences” and “Jackie” (tie). 8. “Nocturnal Animals.” 9. “Hidden Figures.” Best Actor: Winner — Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea.” Runner-up — Denzel Washington, “Fences.” Best Actress: Winner — Natalie Portman, “Jackie.” Runner-up — Ruth Negga, “Loving.” Best Supporting Actor: Winner — Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight.” Runner-up — Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water.” Best Supporting Actress: Winner – Viola Davis, “Fences.” Runner-up – Naomie Harris, “Moonlight.” Best Ensemble: Winner — “Moonlight.” Runner-up — “Manchester by the Sea.” Best Director: Winner (tie) — Damien Chazelle, “La La Land,” and Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight.” Best Original Screenplay: Winner — Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea. Runner-up — “Hell or High Water.” Best Adapted Screenplay: Winner — Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight” (from the play by Tarell Alvin McCraney). Runner-up — Eric Heisserer, “Arrival” (from the short story by Ted Chiang). Best Documentary: Winner — “I Am Not Your Negro.” Runner-up — “OJ: Made in America.” Best Foreign Language Film: Winner — “The Handmaiden” (South Korea). Runner-up — “Elle” (France). Best Animated Film: Winner — “Zootopia.” Runner-up — “Kubo and the Two Strings.” Best Cinematography: Winner — Linus Sandgren, “La La Land.” Runner-up — James Laxton, “Moonlight.” The Gene Wyatt Award: Winner — “Loving.” Runner-up — “Moonlight.”
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Mia Spengler’s BACK FOR GOOD to Open Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2017 at Berlin Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_19143" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Angie (Kim Riedle) in Back for Good von / by Mia Spengler © Zum Goldenen Lamm[/caption] The first seven films have been invited to participate in Perspektive Deutsches Kino program at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival, and Back for Good, Mia Spengler’s graduation film will open the program. “More so than ever it’s worth going to the Perspektive’s opening film and then making yourself comfortable in Berlinale cinemas for the subsequent nine days. Coming and staying guarantees you’ll feel lucky ten times over,” section head Linda Söffker says in anticipation of these ten fiery days in icy February. Mia Spengler’s graduation film, Back for Good (prod: Zum Goldenen Lamm Filmproduktion, co-prod: Filmakademie Ludwigsburg) will open the Perspektive with the story of Angie, a former trash-TV starlet (Kim Riedle), her despised mother (Juliane Köhler), and her pubescent sister (Leonie Wesselow). By returning to the hick town of her childhood, Angie wreaks havoc on their relationships, so that all three have to redefine their roles in life. Back for Good is an ode to humanity – softly hummed while an auto-tuned pop song blares from the radio. The fiction film Ein Weg (Paths, dir: Chris Miera, co-prod: Miera Film, Hildebrandt Film) was made while studying at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and is the cautious exploration of a long love relationship that ends in separation. Over 15 years, as son Max gradually grows up, we accompany Andreas (Mike Hoffmann) and Martin (Mathis Reinhardt) through the highs and lows in the daily life of a partnership. Shot like a documentary, with a small team and budget at real locations, Ein Weg develops with great intensity and flexibility – and through the process of editing finds its special form of telling a story over time. Director Tian Dong grew up in China and attended the KHM in Cologne. He has now completed his studies with the documentary Eisenkopf (Ironhead), about a young soccer team skilled in Shaolin kung fu. Tian Dong visits its young members at their sports school, and talks to them about their everyday lives and dreams. In doing so he paints an unsettling picture of China’s political situation. In Julian Radlmaier’s new film, Selbstkritik eines bürgerlichen Hundes (Self-criticism of a Bourgeois Dog, prod: Faktura Film, co-prod: dffb), a bourgeois dog confesses how he has gone through multiple transformations, from a love-struck filmmaker, to an apple picker, a traitor of the revolution, and, last but not least, a four-legged creature. In a political comedy full of burlesque escapades, we meet Camille, a young Canadian (Deragh Campbell); Hong and Sancho, a pair of proletarians who believe in miracles; a mute monk with magical powers; and a bunch of strange field labourers who indulge in idealistic visions. All three of the medium-long works contemplate Europe and its future in quite similar yet different ways. What would happen if one day people in Europe had to flee, director Felicitas Sonvilla asks in her poetic science fiction film, Tara (prod: MOTEL Film Kollektiv; co-prod: HFF Munich). A young woman called Mira (Sasha Davydova) tells of her flight from Paris. In search of a different life she takes a train heading east to the utopianesque town of Tara. Kontener (Container) was the first medium-long fiction film that Sebastian Lang made at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf. In it he portrays “two Polish ladies” who work at a dairy in Brandenburg. From the perspective of Maryna (Joanna Drozda), who narrates the story, the film depicts the last night before Tava (Anka Graczyk) disappears. The third film, titled Mikel, is about a young refugee who has left Nigeria for Berlin in search of a decent life with a properly paid job. It is the first medium-long film by Cavo Kernich, who with this work has completed his studies in “narrative film” under Thomas Arslan at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. The following films have been invited so far: Back for Good By Mia Spengler With Kim Riedle, Juliane Köhler, Leonie Wesselow Feature film World premiere Eisenkopf (Ironhead) By Tian Dong Documentary film World premiere Kontener (Container) By Sebastian Lang With Joanna Drozda, Anka Graczyk Medium-long feature film World premiere Mikel By Cavo Kernich With Jonathan Aikins Medium-long feature film World premiere Selbstkritik eines bürgerlichen Hundes (Self-criticism of a Bourgeois Dog) By Julian Radlmaier With Julian Radlmaier, Deragh Campbell, Beniamin Forti, Kyung-Taek Lie, Ilia Korkashvili Feature film German premiere Tara By Felicitas Sonvilla With Sasha Davydova, Leo van Kann, Lena Lauzemis Medium-long feature film World premiere Ein Weg (Paths) By Chris Miera With Mike Hoffmann, Mathis Reinhardt Feature film World premiere
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MOONLIGHT is Big Winner with Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Wins 7 Awards Incl. Best Film

[caption id="attachment_18892" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Moonlight[/caption] Moonlight is the big winner in this year’s 10th Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Awards, winning awards in seven categories. AWFJ voters show love for director/activist Ava DuVernay with three EDAs, followed by Manchester By The Sea won two. In the ‘Best Of’ section, this year’s big winner is Moonlight, garnering EDA Awards in seven categories, including Best Film, Best Director for Barry Jenkins, Best Screenplay (Adapted) for Jenkins, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Mahershala Ali, Best Ensemble Cast for Casting Director Yesi Ramirez, Best Cinematography for James Laxton and Best Editing for Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders. Manchester By the Sea won EDA Awards for Best Actor for Casey Affleck and Best Screenplay (Original) for Kenneth Lonergan. Filmmaker Ava DuVernay won three EDAs for Best Documentary for 13th, Best Female Director for 13th and Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry for 13th and for raising awareness about the need for diversity and gender equality in Hollywood The 2016 AWFJ EDA Awards reflect the organizations commitment to greater gender parity and diversity in the movie industry. AWFJ EDA BEST OF AWARDS These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration. Best Film: Moonlight Best Director: Barry Jenkins – Moonlight Best Screenplay, Original: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan Best Screenplay, Adapted: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins Best Documentary: 13th – Ava DuVernay Best Animated Film: Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush Best Actress: Ruth Negga – Loving Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis – Fences Best Actor: Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali – Moonlight Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director: Moonlight – Yesi Ramirez Best Cinematography: Moonlight – James Laxton Best Editing: Moonlight – Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders Best Non-English-Language Film: The Handmaiden – Park Chan-Wook, South Korea EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS These awards honor WOMEN only. Best Woman Director: Ava DuVernay – 13th Best Woman Screenwriter: Kelly Reichardt – Certain Women Best Animated Female (tie): Judy in Zootopia – Ginnifer Goodwin; and Moana in Moana – Auli’i Cravalho Best Breakthrough Performance: Ruth Negga – Loving Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry: Ava DuVernay – For 13th and raising awareness about the need for diversity and gender equality in Hollywood EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS Actress Defying Age and Ageism (tie): Annette Bening – 20th Century Women; and Isabelle Huppert – Elle and Things to Come Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award: Rules Don’t Apply – Warren Beatty (b. 1937) and Lily Collins (b. 1989) Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent: Jennifer Aniston – Mother’s Day and Office Christmas Party Bravest Performance: Isabelle Huppert – Elle Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t have been Made: Ben Hur AWFJ Hall of Shame Award: Sharon Maguire and Renee Zellwegger for Bridget Jones’s Baby
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Jeff Bridges to Receive SBIFF’s 2017 American Riviera Award for Role in HELL OR HIGH WATER

[caption id="attachment_19152" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water[/caption] Jeff Bridges will be honored with the American Riviera Award at the 2017 Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF). Bridges will be fêted with a Tribute, moderated by Scott Feinberg, celebrating his illustrious career, culminating with his captivating performance in David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water, a CBS Films release. The film opened in August to critical acclaim. For his role in Hell or High Water, Bridges has received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, as well as the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor. Bridges’ renowned career includes celebrated roles in films such as The Big Lebowski, Fearless, The Contender, The Mirror Has Two Faces, The Fabulous Baker Boys, The Door in the Floor, True Grit, Starman, The Morning After, Jagged Edge, The Last Picture Show, Against All Odds, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Fisher King, Seabiscuit, and Crazy Heart (for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor). “Jeff Bridges shows us in Hell or High Water that an already great artist can continue his growth. I may go as far as saying that this is his best performance,” stated SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. “It’s truly special to be able to celebrate Jeff – for he’s not only a dear friend of SBIFF – but he is a timeless legend in our industry.” The American Riviera Award was established to recognize actors who have made a significant contribution to American Cinema. Bridges will join a prestigious group of past recipients, including last year’s honorees Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Ruffalo (2016), Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke (2015), Robert Redford (2014), Quentin Tarantino (2013) and Martin Scorsese (2012), Annette Bening (2011), Sandra Bullock (2010), Mickey Rourke (2009), Tommy Lee Jones (2008), Forrest Whitaker (2007), Philip Seymour Hoffman (2006), Kevin Bacon (2005) and Diane Lane (2004).
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MOONLIGHT and LOVE & FRIENDSHIP Lead Nominations for London’s Critics’ Circle Film Awards

[caption id="attachment_12014" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Love & Friendship[/caption] Barry Jenkins’ drama Moonlight and Whit Stillman’s comedy Love & Friendship lead the nominations for the 37th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, garnering seven nominations each. Both are up for Film of the Year, as well as multiple acting honors. The gala ceremony will be held on Sunday January 22nd, 2017, in London, at The May Fair Hotel. Following close behind is Maren Ade’s German comedy Toni Erdmann with six nominations, while La La Land, Manchester by the Sea and American Honey have five citations each. The winners will be voted on by 140 members of The Critics’ Circle Film Section. The nominations were announced at The May Fair today by actress Chloe Pirrie and actor-filmmaker Craig Roberts. The 22nd January ceremony will again be hosted by actor-filmmakers Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, who won the critics’ Breakthrough Filmmakers prize in 2012 for their screenplay for Sightseers and have gone on to write and direct Prevenge and Aaaaaaaah!, respectively. “Our critics nominated more than 160 titles for Film of the Year alone, representing the range of wide opinions and the sheer number of movies critics watch each year,” says Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Awards. “There was love for everything from Aferim to Zootropolis, including Captains America and Fantastic, plus acclaimed women from Jackie, Julieta, Moana, Christine, Krisha and Victoria to Miss Sloane and Florence Foster Jenkins. Making it onto that final list of nominees is never easy.” British actors Naomie Harris, Andrew Garfield, Kate Beckinsale and Tom Bennett each received nominations both for specific performances and for their body of work in 2016. Unusually, the writer-directors of four Film of the Year contenders are also nominated for both Screenwriter and Director: Moonlight’s Jenkins, Toni Erdmann’s Ade, La La Land’s Damien Chazelle and Manchester by the Sea’s Kenneth Lonergan. In addition to Film of the Year, Gianfranco Rosi’s immigration-themed film Fire at Sea is also nominated for both Foreign-Language Film and Documentary. Also contending for Film of the Year are Andrea Arnold’s American Honey, Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, László Nemes’ Son of Saul and Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake. Last year’s ceremony saw George Miller winning both Film and Director for Mad Max: Fury Road, with three awards going to Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years and the Dilys Powell Award presented to Kenneth Branagh. The full list of nominees for the 37th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards: FILM OF THE YEAR American Honey Fire at Sea I, Daniel Blake La La Land Love & Friendship Manchester by the Sea Moonlight Nocturnal Animals Son of Saul Toni Erdmann FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR Fire at Sea Son of Saul Things to Come Toni Erdmann Victoria DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years Cameraperson The Eagle Huntress Fire at Sea Life, Animated BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR American Honey High-Rise I, Daniel Blake Love & Friendship Sing Street ACTOR OF THE YEAR Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea Adam Driver – Paterson Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge Jake Gyllenhaal – Nocturnal Animals Peter Simonischek – Toni Erdmann ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Amy Adams – Arrival Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship Sandra Hüller – Toni Erdmann Isabelle Huppert – Things to Come Emma Stone – La La Land SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR Mahershala Ali – Moonlight Tom Bennett – Love & Friendship Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water Shia LaBeouf – American Honey Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Viola Davis – Fences Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women Naomie Harris – Moonlight Riley Keough – American Honey Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann Damien Chazelle – La La Land Barry Jenkins – Moonlight Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea László Nemes – Son of Saul SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann Damien Chazelle – La La Land Barry Jenkins – Moonlight Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea Whit Stillman – Love & Friendship BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR Tom Bennett – Love & Friendship, Life on the Road Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge, Silence Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins Dave Johns – I, Daniel Blake David Oyelowo – A United Kingdom, Queen of Katwe BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship Rebecca Hall – Christine Naomie Harris – Moonlight, Our Kind of Traitor, Collateral Beauty Ruth Negga – Loving, Iona Hayley Squires – I, Daniel Blake YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER Ruby Barnhill – The BFG Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls Sennia Nanua – The Girl With All the Gifts Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch, Morgan Ferdia Walsh-Peelo – Sing Street BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER Babak Anvari – Under the Shadow Mike Carey – The Girl With All the Gifts Guy Hibbert – Eye in the Sky, A United Kingdom Peter Middleton & James Spinney – Notes on Blindness Rachel Tunnard – Adult Life Skills BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM Isabella – Duncan Cowles & Ross Hogg Jacked – Rene Pannevis Sweet Maddie Stone – Brady Hood Tamara – Sofia Safonova Terminal – Natasha Waugh TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT American Honey – Robbie Ryan, cinematography Arrival – Sylvain Bellemare, sound design High-Rise – Mark Tildesley, production design Jackie – Mica Levi, music Jason Bourne – Gary Powell, stunts La La Land – Justin Hurwitz, music Moonlight – Nat Sanders & Joi McMillon, editing Sing Street – Gary Clark & John Carney, music Rogue One – Neal Scanlan, visual effects Victoria – Sturla Brandth Grovlen, cinematography
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Sean Ellis’ World War II drama, ANTHROPOID Sets US Release Date

[caption id="attachment_14085" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Anthropoid[/caption] Sean Ellis’ World War II drama, ANTHROPOID, will be released in the US via Bleecker Street on Friday, August 12, 2016, after its World Premiere as opening night film of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. The film is based on the extraordinary true story of “Operation Anthropoid,” the code name for the Czech operatives’ mission to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich, the main architect behind the Final Solution, was the Reich’s third in command behind Hitler and Himmler and the leader of Nazi forces in Czechoslovakia. The film follows two soldiers from the Czech army-in-exile, Josef Gabčík (Cillian Murphy) and Jan Kubiš (Jamie Dornan), who are parachuted into their occupied homeland in December 1941. With limited intelligence and little equipment in a city under lock down, they must find a way to assassinate Heydrich, an operation that would change the face of Europe forever. Directed by Sean Ellis (Metro Manila, Cashback) from a screenplay by Ellis and Anthony Frewin, the film also stars Charlotte Le Bon, Ana Geislerová, Harry Lloyd, Bill Milner and Toby Jones. Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon and Sean Ellis produced. Andrew Karpen, CEO of Bleecker Street commented, “Sean Ellis’ film drops you right into the center of resistance in WWII and takes viewers on an emotional ride all the way through its heart-stopping finale. We’re proud to partner with Mickey and Pete on this film which we feel will resonate with adult audiences this summer.”
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Watch TRAILER for Todd Solondz’s Hilarious WEINER-DOG Starring Danny DeVito

[caption id="attachment_14136" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] WEINER-DOG[/caption] IFC Films has released the official trailer for Wiener-Dog, directed by Todd Solondz, about a dog and her life as she passes from owner to owner. The film opens in theaters on June 24. Wiener-Dog, starring an all-star cast that includes Greta Gerwig, Julie Delpy, Danny DeVito, Ellen Burstyn, and Zosia Mamet, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Wiener-Dog tells several stories featuring people who find their life inspired or changed by one particular dachshund, who seems to be spreading a certain kind of comfort and joy. Man’s best friend starts out teaching a young boy some contorted life lessons before being taken in by a compassionate vet tech named Dawn Wiener. Dawn reunites with someone from her past and sets off on a road trip picking up some depressed mariachis along the way. Wiener-Dog then encounters a floundering film professor, as well as an embittered elderly woman and her needy granddaughter—all longing for something more. Twenty years ago, Todd Solondz took the Sundance Film Festival by storm when Welcome to the Dollhouse won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1996 Festival. Since then he has gone on to establish himself as one of the most uncompromising voices working in film. Wiener-Dog is vintage Solondz, brimming with brilliantly caustic and truthful observations about the human condition. He has a unique ability to find humor in the darkest of subject matter, allowing an empathetic light to shine on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C7OewoxnKI
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Watch TRAILER for Basketball Doc MANCHILD: THE SCHEA COTTON STORY

[caption id="attachment_14133" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Manchild: The Schea Cotton Story[/caption] Check out the trailer for the documentary film Manchild: The Schea Cotton Story, about a Los Angeles basketball legend by the name of Schea Cotton, described as “the Lebron before Lebron”. Manchild will World Premiere at the upcoming 2016 LA Film Festival. In Manchild, directed by Eric “Ptah” Herbert, Baron Davis, Tyson Chandler, Elton Brand, Paul Pierce, Randy Moss and others share their tales about Cotton. Schea Cotton is the subject of one of the biggest mysteries in basketball’s history. Described as “the Lebron before Lebron,” Inglewood-native Cotton dominated the likes of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce and was one of the most highly touted high school athletes of a pre-social media era. Yet he never made it to the NBA. What happened? NBA players, journalists, coaches and Cotton’s family recount with an almost pained nostalgia Cotton’s unmatched prowess as a player and the out-of-bounds emotions behind his story. First-time director Eric “Ptah” Herbert delivers a cautionary tale about the harsh reality of unfulfilled expectations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S05f_MF2Dx0
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