Men Don’t Cry[/caption]
The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival (BHFF) in New York City announced the winners of the Golden Apple Awards for the 15th edition of the festival, and presented the BHFF 2018 Jury Special Mention, as well as the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Audience Award for Best Picture to MEN DON’T CRY by director Alen Drljević. In MEN DON’T CRY, twenty years after the conclusion of the Bosnian War, a group of Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian men meet to discuss their experiences and process the events that shaped their lives decades ago. MEN DON’T CRY embraces moral uncertainty and examines the effects of time on painful memories. It explores themes of ethnic conflict and the impact, both physical and emotional, that war leaves on its participants.
BHFF 2018 jury statement: “There is a part of social life around us that we have to make visible and which is difficult to make visible. The crisis of masculinity in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina is a topic that has only begun to be addressed and discussed, especially concerning veterans’ trauma and its war implications. MEN DON’T CRY makes a giant step in this direction.”
THE FROG, directed by Elmir Jukić, produced by Ademir Kenović, and starring Emir Hadžihafizbegović, won the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Jury Award for Best Feature. In THE FROG, Zeko, a barber and a war veteran, attempts to reassemble the pieces of his life by reaching out to his brother Braco, who has been grappling with addiction, and his friend Švabo, a cab driver who spent the war years in Germany and is struggling with his own demons.
BHFF 2018 Jury statement: “The energy this film exudes and enthralls us with is masterfully nuanced in the rhythm of its narration, as well as in the subtle unfolding of characters that capture the spectator and trasfigure her through their life drama. Watching THE FROG engages the audience in a way that has a redemptive effect and results in deep affective bonds with the story and its protagonists.”
Emir Hadžihafizbegović won the BHFF 2018 Jury Award for Best Acting Performance for his role as Zeko in Elmir Jukić’s THE FROG.
BHFF 2018 jury statement: “The unanimously reached decision by the jury on this award is certainly a telltale sign of the force of Emir Hadžihafizbegović’s acting talent and his mastery of the acting craft. Emir Hadžihafizbegović in the role of Zeko in the film THE FROG brings us a luminously moving, darkly troubling and truly loveable character who makes us empathize with his life-story, predicaments, and uncompromising, even if unsettling, humanity.”
Samira Kameli and Sajra Subašić’s TO BE FAR won the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Jury Award for Best Documentary. In TO BE FAR, the filmmakers attempt to document a refugee center in Bosnia. Denied entry, they instead film the center from afar, reflecting upon the lives of its residents, the services provided to them, and the painful circumstances that brought them to this place.
BHFF 2018 Jury statement: “Through an intriguing and novel anti-documentary perspective, TO BE FAR leaves us thinking ethically and politically about the lines of exclusion and segregation of refugees. It also poses the question of the brutalization of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian society that, despite its recent history of war and mass exile, no longer identifies with the plight of those who lost everything.”
Aleksandra Odić’s GREAT WALL OF CHINA won the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Jury Award for Best Short Film. In GREAT WALL OF CHINA, the legacy of the conflicts of the 1990s lurks in the background of a family gathering in the Bosnian countryside, as experienced by Maja, a young girl. Maja’s life is upended by the arrival of Aunt Lilija, an impassioned young woman with artistic ambitions.
BHFF 2018 Jury statement: “GREAT WALL OF CHINA makes a deep impression with its poetry of the everyday, and its lyrical images of the lives of women of different generations. The gazes between the main protagonists reveal their complex, untold feelings in a way that is truly remarkable in a cinematic language.”
Terry P.
VIMOOZ is for lovers of independent films + foreign film + documentary + film festivals. We love championing the little films.
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MEN DON’T CRY, THE FROG, TO BE FAR Win at 2018 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival [Complete List of Winners]
[caption id="attachment_25619" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Men Don’t Cry[/caption]
The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival (BHFF) in New York City announced the winners of the Golden Apple Awards for the 15th edition of the festival, and presented the BHFF 2018 Jury Special Mention, as well as the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Audience Award for Best Picture to MEN DON’T CRY by director Alen Drljević. In MEN DON’T CRY, twenty years after the conclusion of the Bosnian War, a group of Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian men meet to discuss their experiences and process the events that shaped their lives decades ago. MEN DON’T CRY embraces moral uncertainty and examines the effects of time on painful memories. It explores themes of ethnic conflict and the impact, both physical and emotional, that war leaves on its participants.
BHFF 2018 jury statement: “There is a part of social life around us that we have to make visible and which is difficult to make visible. The crisis of masculinity in postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina is a topic that has only begun to be addressed and discussed, especially concerning veterans’ trauma and its war implications. MEN DON’T CRY makes a giant step in this direction.”
THE FROG, directed by Elmir Jukić, produced by Ademir Kenović, and starring Emir Hadžihafizbegović, won the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Jury Award for Best Feature. In THE FROG, Zeko, a barber and a war veteran, attempts to reassemble the pieces of his life by reaching out to his brother Braco, who has been grappling with addiction, and his friend Švabo, a cab driver who spent the war years in Germany and is struggling with his own demons.
BHFF 2018 Jury statement: “The energy this film exudes and enthralls us with is masterfully nuanced in the rhythm of its narration, as well as in the subtle unfolding of characters that capture the spectator and trasfigure her through their life drama. Watching THE FROG engages the audience in a way that has a redemptive effect and results in deep affective bonds with the story and its protagonists.”
Emir Hadžihafizbegović won the BHFF 2018 Jury Award for Best Acting Performance for his role as Zeko in Elmir Jukić’s THE FROG.
BHFF 2018 jury statement: “The unanimously reached decision by the jury on this award is certainly a telltale sign of the force of Emir Hadžihafizbegović’s acting talent and his mastery of the acting craft. Emir Hadžihafizbegović in the role of Zeko in the film THE FROG brings us a luminously moving, darkly troubling and truly loveable character who makes us empathize with his life-story, predicaments, and uncompromising, even if unsettling, humanity.”
Samira Kameli and Sajra Subašić’s TO BE FAR won the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Jury Award for Best Documentary. In TO BE FAR, the filmmakers attempt to document a refugee center in Bosnia. Denied entry, they instead film the center from afar, reflecting upon the lives of its residents, the services provided to them, and the painful circumstances that brought them to this place.
BHFF 2018 Jury statement: “Through an intriguing and novel anti-documentary perspective, TO BE FAR leaves us thinking ethically and politically about the lines of exclusion and segregation of refugees. It also poses the question of the brutalization of the Bosnian and Herzegovinian society that, despite its recent history of war and mass exile, no longer identifies with the plight of those who lost everything.”
Aleksandra Odić’s GREAT WALL OF CHINA won the BHFF 2018 Golden Apple Jury Award for Best Short Film. In GREAT WALL OF CHINA, the legacy of the conflicts of the 1990s lurks in the background of a family gathering in the Bosnian countryside, as experienced by Maja, a young girl. Maja’s life is upended by the arrival of Aunt Lilija, an impassioned young woman with artistic ambitions.
BHFF 2018 Jury statement: “GREAT WALL OF CHINA makes a deep impression with its poetry of the everyday, and its lyrical images of the lives of women of different generations. The gazes between the main protagonists reveal their complex, untold feelings in a way that is truly remarkable in a cinematic language.”
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THE DRUMMER AND THE KEEPER Wins Top Award at 2018 Cleveland International Film Festival [ Complete List of Winners]
[caption id="attachment_27286" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
THE DRUMMER AND THE KEEPER[/caption]
After hosting crowds topping 100,000, the 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) announced the winners of the competitions and awards at the Closing Night Ceremony on Sunday, April 15, 2018. The Drummer and the Keeper, directed by Nick Kelly was awarded the top prize – the Audience Choice Award for Best Film.
The Drummer and the Keeper begins with a pantless man dragging a couch onto a beach. He douses it with gasoline and casually sets it on fire. His name is Gabriel, and he is a drummer for an up-and-coming rock band. His bandmates have had enough of his out-of-control antics, though. He’s constantly drunk, and the couch incident is just one of many. When Gabriel agrees to get help, it’s revealed he’s bipolar. His therapist prescribes medicine and enrolls him in treatment, which includes joining a soccer team with other mental health patients. He reluctantly shows up to practice, where the coach pushes him to befriend Christopher, a teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome. Soon Gabriel can’t seem to get rid of Christopher. But as time goes by, Gabriel will discover Christopher is not just the only friend he really has, but also exactly the kind he needs. This funny, moving film examines an anomalous union that seems doomed from the start. However, their unlikely but beautiful friendship will give them both the pieces they’ve been missing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ExhyLIdEHs
The 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival will take place March 27 to April 7, 2019 at Tower City Cinemas.
Winners of 42nd Cleveland International Film Festival
Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film Sponsored by the Callahan Foundation THE DRUMMER AND THE KEEPER, directed by Nick Kelly (Ireland) $15,000 cash prize ReelWomenDirect Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman Presented with generous support from Deborah Bachman Ratner Dana Nachman (for PICK OF THE LITTER; USA) $10,000 cash prize George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Competition Presented with generous support from The George Gund Foundation MEN DON’T CRY, directed by Alen Drljević (Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany) $10,000 cash prize Nesnadny + Schwartz Portrait Documentary Competition MAY THE SCHWARTZ BE WITH YOU Director’s Award Presented with generous support from Nesnadny + Schwartz LOVE MEANS ZERO, directed by Jason Kohn (USA) $10,000 cash prize New Direction Competition Presented with generous support from CoverMyMeds QUALITY TIME, directed by Daan Bakker (Netherlands, Norway) $10,000 cash prize Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition Presented with generous support from The George Gund Foundation 6 WEEKS TO MOTHER’S DAY, directed by Marvin Blunte (USA, Thailand) $7,500 cash prize Global Health Competition Presented by: Cleveland Clinic Global Patient Services Cleveland Clinic Mikati Center for Liver Diseases Cleveland Clinic R.J. Fasenmyer Center for Clinical Immunology BURDEN OF GENIUS, directed by Tjardus Greidanus (USA) $7,500 cash prize American Independents Competition Presented with generous support from Mike and Nicki Cancelliere LIFE HACK, directed by Sloan Copeland (USA) $7,500 cash prize Local Heroes Competition Presented with generous support from Lauren Rich Fine and Gries Financial MANRY AT SEA ~ IN THE WAKE OF A DREAM, directed by Steve Wystrach (USA) $7,500 cash prize Music Movies Competition Presented with generous support from Jules and Fran Belkin IF I LEAVE HERE TOMORROW: A FILM ABOUT LYNYRD SKYNYRD, directed by Stephen Kijak (USA) $7,500 cash prize Ad Hoc Docs Competition Presented with generous support from Anne E. Bloomberg BREAKING THE BEE, directed by Sam Rega (USA) $7,500 cash prize International Narrative Competition Presented with generous support from Tom Piraino and Barbara McWilliams EDIE, directed by Simon Hunter (United Kingdom) $7,500 cash prize FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Feature Film Presented with generous support from OverDrive SCIENCE FAIR, directed by Cristina Maria Costantini and Darren Foster (USA) $2,000 Cash Prize Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film Overall Sponsored by Jive City Recordings BAGHEERA, directed by Christopher Watson (India, United Kingdom) $1,000 Cash Prize Best Animated Short Award* Sponsored by Reminger Co., L.P.A. THE DRIVER IS RED, directed by Randall Christopher (USA) $1,000 cash prize Best Documentary Short Award* Sponsored by Jules and Fran Belkin PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE., directed by Rayka Zehtabchi (USA) $1,000 cash prize Best Live Action Short Award* Sponsored by Anne Bloomberg and Alan Gordon Lipson & Judy Harris SACRED HAIR, directed by Mario Morin (Canada) $1,000 cash prize FilmSlam Student Choice Award for Best Short Film Presented with generous support from OverDrive JOINT CUSTODY, directed by Carlus Fábrega (Spain) $1,000 Cash Prize *These award winners will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards®.
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SCARY MOTHER Wins Top Golden Gate Prize at 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival | Complete List of Winners
[caption id="attachment_24318" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Scary Mother[/caption]
This afternoon the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival announced the winners of the juried Golden Gate Award (GGA) competitions and awarded nearly $40,000 in prizes to emerging and established filmmakers. The jury awarded the Golden Gate prize and $10,000 cash prize to Ana Urushadze for Scary Mother “for its confident tone and unquestioning commitment to its fearless protagonist, a complicated artist caught between motherhood and the wilds of her own imagination.”
The SFFILM Golden Gate Awards have honored deserving filmmakers and their projects for over 60 years, bringing recognition for unique and innovative filmmaking to the Bay Area’s local and international audiences. Among the most significant awards for emerging global film artists in the United States, the Golden Gate Awards embody SFFILM’s commitment to global storytelling and independent filmmaking.
GOLDEN GATE NEW DIRECTORS AWARD (FICTION FEATURE)
The New Directors award is given to a debut feature by an international filmmaker whose work exhibits unique artistic sensibility or vision.
GGA New Directors Award winner: Scary Mother, Ana Urushadze (Georgia/Estonia)
MCBAINE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE AWARD
Special Jury Mention, McBaine Documentary Feature: City of the Sun, Rati Oneli (Georgia/USA/Qatar/Netherlands)
The jury granted this mention to Oneli’s film “for its stunning use of cinematography and sound design that immerses us in a place that is at once stark and stirring.”
McBaine Documentary Feature Award Winner: The Distant Barking of Dogs, Simon Lereng Wilmont (Denmark/Sweden/Finland) – Receives $10,000 cash prize
The jury described the Feature Award winner as “Remarkable, exquisite and unforgettable.”
McBaine Bay Area Documentary Feature Award: The Judge, Erika Cohn (USA/Palestine) – Receives $5,000 cash prize
The jury applauded The Judge for “turning a lens on a charismatic and influential woman who is fighting for equality against all odds, and for its nuanced portrayal of a culture that is often misunderstood.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS
Special Jury Mention, Narrative Short: Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month, Carlo Francisco Manatad (Philippines)
The jury noted: “Carlo Francisco Manatad’s impressive and rebellious movie, from the opening credits until the very end, explodes with the energy of a Molotov.”
Narrative Short Winner: Shadow Animals, Jerry Carlsson (Sweden) – Receives $2,000 cash prize
In a statement, the jury applauded Shadow Animals for “its masterful control of tone and pacing. Shot from the perspective of a young girl at a dinner party, Jerry Carlsson’s short strikes a delicate balance of dread and intrigue, delightfully incorporating surreal, beautiful dance while exploring group mentality anxieties and the potential of one outsider.”
Documentary Short Winner: Crisanto Street, Paloma Martinez (USA) – Receives $2,000 cash prize
The jury awarded this prize to Paloma Martinez’s film with a statement: “So often overlooked and avoided, the issue of the affordable home crisis gets a front row seat from an unexpected view. With a bold choice to arm an 8-year-old boy with a camera, Crisanto Street skillfully renders a touching and powerful portrait of a family trying to survive on the edges. Never sentimental, Martinez captures the family’s struggle with dignity and the ephemeral possibility of hope.”
Special Jury Mention, New Visions Short: Fair Grounds, Ameer Kazmi (USA/France/Germany)
The jury recognized the film for its “tenacious yet elegant abstract critique and exploration of youthful masculinity.”
New Visions Short Winner: .TV, G. Anthony Svatek (USA/Tuvalu/New Zealand/France) – Receives $2,000 cash prize
The Best New Visions Short Prize was awarded to G. Anthony Svatek’s consideration of Tuvalu’s highly desired national domain suffix. .TV for being “an illuminating and surprising account of the hidden economies of technology and the island nation’s eminent risk of extinction due to climate-change.”
Animated Short Winner: Icebergs, Elrini Vianelli (USA/Greece) – Receives $2,000 cash prize
The jury found Icebergs to be “like looking through the windows of a high-rise—Elrini Vianelli’s short weaves together the small, funny, mundane, and most important moments of its characters’ lives, presenting only snippets of what are full, complex people: the human condition in 10 minutes.”
Bay Area Short First Prize Winner: Weekends, Trevor Jimenez (USA) – Receives $2,000 cash prize
The jury acknowledged that “It is rare that a short film, let alone an animated short with no dialogue, has the depth and narrative arc of a feature. The back and forth travels of a young child between his divorced parents’ dwellings reminds us all of what constitutes family, and what makes a place, something we call home. Perhaps it is somewhere in between.”
Bay Area Short Second Prize Winner: 49 Mile Scenic Drive, Bradley Smith, Tyler McPherron (USA) – Receives $1,500 cash prize
In a statement, the jury noted that “Through thoughtful and captivating use of archival footage and humor, this charming short film tells the history of San Francisco’s iconic 49 Mile Scenic Drive signs and the journey to restore them to their perfectly designed glory.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR YOUTH WORK
Special Jury Mention: Elle, Florence Winter Hill (UK)
The jury granted this special mention to Florence Winter Hill’s short for “striking an emotional chord for all of us who had to face growing up and letting go of childhood dreams.”
Youth Works Prize: Goodbye Sam, Theo Taplitz (USA) – Receives $1,000 cash prize
The jury lauded “the playful quirkiness of Goodbye Sam for emotionally embracing the power of friendship, making us laugh and cry and wanting to see more of the oddball story of a boy and his pet bird.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR FAMILY FILM
Special Jury Mention: Bird Karma, William Salazar (USA)
The jury praised Bird Karma for “taking on astonishing depth with playfulness, simplicity, humor, and beauty.”
Family Film Prize Winner: Crisanto Street, Paloma Martinez (USA) – Receives $1,500 cash prize
The jury noted: “One of the rare films that truly shows us the world through a child’s eyes, this multilayered short doesn’t shy away from life’s struggles, but it demonstrates that joy and home can be found everywhere.”
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ROLL RED ROLL, Nancy Scwartzman’s Docu on Stubenville Sexual Assault Case, to World Premiere at 2018 Tribeca Film Fest [Trailer]
Nancy Schwartzman’s debut documentary feature Roll Red Roll, following a notorious high school sexual assault case in Steubenville, Ohio, will world premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.
Roll Red Roll unpacks toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, sports culture, and the larger systems of complicity at play. With a fast-paced narrative, the storytelling unfolds like a true-crime mystery.
Go behind the headlines of notorious high school sexual assault to witness the social media-fueled “boys will be boys” culture that let it happen. In small-town Ohio, at a pre-season football party, a horrible incident took place. What transpired would garner national attention and result in the sentencing of two key offenders. As amateur crime blogger Alex Goddard uncovers disturbing evidence on Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, documenting the assault of a teenage girl by members of the beloved high school football team, questions linger around the collusion of teen and adult bystanders. Roll Red Roll explores the complex motivations of both perpetrators and bystanders in this story, to unearth the attitudes at the core of their behavior. It is a cautionary tale of what can happen when adults look the other way and deny that rape culture exists. With unprecedented access to police documents, exhibits and evidence, the documentary feature unflinchingly asks: “why didn’t anyone stop it?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJze9-ZNIeU
TRIBECA SCREENINGS
Sun. 4/22, 8 p.m., Cinepolis Chelsea 7 – World Premiere Mon. 4/23, 8:30 p.m., Cinepolis Chelsea 3 Tues. 4/24, 6:15 p.m., Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-1 Sat. 4/28, 5:30 p.m., Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-4 Sun. 4/29, 5:30 p.m., Regal Cinemas Battery Park 11-4
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2nd SPECTRUM (LGBTQ+)Film Festival Returns to Martha’s Vineyard, Opens with Documentary THE LAVENDER SCARE | Complete Lineup
[caption id="attachment_28028" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
THE LAVENDER SCARE[/caption]
The SPECTRUM (LGBTQ+) Film Festival returns for the 2nd year at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, from Thursday April 26 through Sunday, April 29, 2018. This year’s Opening Night Event features the new documentary THE LAVENDER SCARE which describes the federal witch hunt for gays and lesbians within all branches of the U.S. government during the McCarthy Era of the 1950s and 1960s. With little regard for its impact on people’s lives, the finger-pointing at gays and lesbians led to ruined careers, shattered families and even death by suicide. Producer/director Josh Howard is scheduled to appear and conduct a post-screening discussion about his film, followed in the Film Center lobby by a wine and dessert reception (sponsored by Tilton Rental).
In a major coup, this year’s festival will conclude on Sunday, April 29 with the full-day event, ANGELS IN AMERICA, The National Theatre’s production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama recorded last summer in London. Running over seven hours in two parts, this production is the same currently running on Broadway, starring Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane. Scheduled with a dinner break, patrons from the Cape will have the ability to watch the entire production and still make the last ferry to Woods Hole.
New this year are All-Access Passes as well as SPECTRUM festival t-shirts (for which all proceeds benefit MVRHS’s Gay-Straight Alliance to help fund the students’ trip to the Boston Youth Pride Event held at Boston City Hall on May 19). Also, this year, any student age 13 to 21 will receive free admission to any SPECTRUM event.
Live music will also be added to this year’s offering as part of the post-show reception following the Friday, April 27 screening of the feature BECKS. Local musicians Siren Mayhew and Sean McMahon will play original music while filmgoers participate in the beer and wine reception (sponsored by MVY Radio).
In an effort to help establish a new memorial scholarship for the late Tony Lombardi (who championed the first SPECTRUM Film Festival in 2017), all ticket purchases (both at the door and online) will include an additional one-dollar surcharge per ticket.
On Saturday, April 28 at 4:30pm, past and present members of the U.S. Military will receive free admission to TRANSMILITARY at the door (pending availability).
This year’s full schedule of events:
THURSDAY, APRIL 26
A MILLION HAPPY NOWS (2017) * PG-13
Making its Massachusetts premiere, A MILLION HAPPY NOWS, winner of multiple film festival awards for “Best First Narrative Feature,” tells the story of a veteran soap opera star who retires early in her career to a beach house with her partner/publicist. Her soon-revealed Early Onset Alzheimer’s strains her ability to interact with the public as well as the couple’s relationship – until they find the strength to redefine what they mean to each other.
BELIEVER (2018) * not rated
In one of its first screenings since this year’s Sundance Film Festival, BELIEVER, a new film by Don Argott, follows Dan Reynolds, lead singer of the American rock band Imagine Dragons, who grew up in the Mormon Church. When he noticed the suicide rate spiking amongst teens in his home state of Utah, Reynolds decided to take on the mission to explore how the Church treated its LGBTQ members.
THE LAVENDER SCARE (2017) * not rated
In its Massachusetts premiere, THE LAVENDER SCARE, narrated by Glenn Close, details the fear of gays and lesbians in the government during the time of the Cold War, delving into the careers ruined, the families torn apart and the brave few who rose to create the first Gay Rights movement in America.
FRIDAY, APRIL 27
LOVE, SIMON (2018) * PG-13
In the first Hollywood studio film centered on a gay teen protagonist, LOVE, SIMON is based on a best-selling YA novel, in which a high school boy keeps a huge secret from his family, his friends, and all of his classmates: he’s gay. When that secret is threatened, Simon must face everyone and come to terms with his identity.
BECKS (2017) * PG-13
After a breakup with her girlfriend, a Brooklyn musician (Tony Award-winner Lena Hall) moves back with her Midwestern mother (Oscar-winner Christine Lahti). As she navigates her hometown, playing for tips in a friend’s bar, an unexpected relationship begins to take shape.
SATURDAY, APRIL 28
TRANSMILITARY (2018) * not rated
Currently, over active 15,000 service members in the U.S Armed Forces identify themselves as transgendered. In one of its first screenings since its premiere at last month’s SXSW Festival, the award-winning documentary TRANSMILITARY follows the story of four outstanding soldiers as they contend with a bureaucracy of ignorance and rules that defy their understanding of Self.
DISOBEDIENCE (2018) * R
Directed by Sebastián Lelio (director of the Oscar-winning A FANTASTIC WOMAN) and based on the best-selling novel, DISOBEDIENCE follows a rabbi’s non-practicing, lesbian daughter (Rachel Weisz) as she returns to the world of the Orthodox Jewish community in London, only to find her former lover (Rachel McAdams) married to her cousin.
SUNDAY, APRIL 29
ANGELS IN AMERICA (2017) * not rated
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and considered to be one of the most important plays of the last hundred years, ANGELS IN AMERICA was captured live in performance on the London stage last summer.
Starring Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane, ANGELS IN AMERICA is a complex, symbolic look at homosexuality and AIDS in America in the 1980s.
Over seven-hours long, this epic event is performed in two parts and is the same production that is simultaneously playing on Broadway:
Part One: Millennium Approaches has a running time of 3 hours and 30 minutes (including two intermissions) and begins at 12:30pm.
There will be a 75-minute break for dinner from 4:00pm to 5:15pm.
Part Two: Perestroika has a running time of four hours (including two intermissions) and begins at 5:15pm, ending at 9:15pm – in time to allow Cape patrons to take the 9:30pm ferry from Vineyard Haven to Woods Hole.
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Films by Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard, Nandita Das Among 2018 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection Lineup | Complete List [ VIDEO ]
The Cannes Film Festival yesterday announced the Official Selections of the 71st edition of the festival. The titles include the feature films in Competition, at Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition, in Midnight Screenings and in Special Screenings.
The 71st Cannes Film Festival will take place May 8 to 19, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0swRBkl11rI
In Competition
Opening Film Asghar FARHADI TODOS LO SABEN (EVERYBODY KNOWS)
Stéphane BRIZÉ AT WAR Matteo GARRONE DOGMAN Jean-Luc GODARD THE IMAGE BOOK (LE LIVRE D’IMAGE) Ryusuke HAMAGUCHI NETEMO SAMETEMO (ASAKO I & II) (ASAKO I & II) Christophe HONORÉ SORRY ANGEL Eva HUSSON GIRLS OF THE SUN JIA Zhang-Ke ASH IS PUREST WHITE KORE-EDA Hirokazu SHOPLIFTERS Nadine LABAKI CAPERNAUM LEE Chang-Dong BUH-NING (BURNING) Spike LEE BLACKKKLANSMAN David Robert MITCHELL UNDER THE SILVER LAKE Jafar PANAHI THREE FACES Pawel PAWLIKOWSKI ZIMNA WOJNA (COLD WAR) Alice ROHRWACHER LAZZARO FELICE Kirill SEREBRENNIKOV LETO A.B SHAWKY YOMEDDINEUn Certain Regard
Ali ABBASI GRÄNS (BORDER) Meryem BENM’BAREK SOFIA Andréa BESCOND, Eric METAYER LITTLE TICKLES BI Gan LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT Nandita DAS MANTO Antoine DESROSIÈRES SEXTAPE Lukas DHONT GIRL Vanessa FILHO ANGEL FACE Valeria GOLINO EUPHORIA Gaya JIJI MY FAVORITE FABRIC Wanuri KAHIU RAFIKI (FRIEND) Etienne KALLOS DIE STROPERS (THE HARVESTERS) Ulrich KÖHLER IN MY ROOM Luis ORTEGA EL ANGEL Adilkhan YERZHANOV THE GENTLE INDIFFERENCE OF THE WORLDOut of Competition
Ron HOWARD SOLO A STAR WARS STORY Gilles LELLOUCHE LE GRAND BAINMidnight Screenings
Joe PENNA ARCTIC YOON Jong-Bin GONGJAK (THE SPY GONE NORTH)Special Screenings
Aditya ASSARAT, Wisit SASANATIENG, Chulayarnon SRIPHOL, Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL 10 YEARS IN THAILAND Nicolas CHAMPEAUX, Gilles PORTE THE STATE AGAINST MANDELA AND THE OTHERS Carlos DIEGUES O GRANDE CIRCO MÍSTICO (THE GREAT MYSTICAL CIRCUS) Romain GOUPIL LA TRAVERSÉE Michel TOESCA TO THE FOUR WINDS WANG Bing DEAD SOULS Wim WENDERS POPE FRANCIS – A MAN OF HIS WORD
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Films by Boots Riley and Gus Van Sant Selected as Closing Night and Centerpiece Films of Seattle International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_28016" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot[/caption]
Sorry to Bother You, the new film from debut director and musician Boots Riley that pulls no punches in its portrayal of racial dynamics in the workplace, has been selected as the Centerpiece film of the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival. Closing Night sees the return of Seattle favorite Gus Van Sant with his latest film Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot, a bitingly sharp yet tender portrait of Portland-based cartoonist John Callahan, starring Joaquin Phoenix.
“We are constantly looking for dynamic, diverse stories, and we certainly found them with these two unforgettable films,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “With these two Galas we’re thrilled to spotlight both an established filmmaker and a bold new voice, each with vision and strong storytelling powers.”
Centerpiece Film & Gala
Saturday, June 2
Sorry to Bother You | Director Boots Riley
Screening at SIFF Cinema Egyptian | Centerpiece Party at DAR Rainier Chapter House
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthLQZWIshQ
Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Armie Hammer star in the exhilarating directorial debut of musician Boots Riley, a biting and bonkers satire that follows a black telemarketer who discovers an unknown skill which gives him magical selling powers that shoot him up the corporate ladder. An Annapurna Pictures release.
Closing Night Film & Gala
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot | Director Gus Van Sant
Screening at SIFF Cinema Egyptian | Closing Party at MOHAI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjYJ-YI5AXU
Joaquin Phoenix gives a transformative performance in Gus Van Sant’s sensitive and caustically funny portrait of Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him confined to a wheelchair, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. The outstanding supporting cast includes Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, and musician Beth Ditto in her impressive film debut. An Amazon Studios release.
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Watch Trailer for MERCURY 13 – Remarkable Story of 13 Women Tested for Spaceflight in 1961
The Netflix documentary “Mercury 13” directed by David Sington and Heather Walsh is a remarkable story of the women who were tested for spaceflight in 1961 before their dreams were dashed in being the first to make the trip beyond Earth. An Official Selection of the 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival and the 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Mercury 13 will premiere on Netflix on April 20, 2018.
On April 9, 1959, NASA introduced their first astronaut class of all men, Mercury 7, to the world.
This is the story of the 13 women who were just as deserving of their place in space.
Mercury 13 is a remarkable story of the women who were tested for spaceflight in 1961 before their dreams were dashed in being the first to make the trip beyond Earth. NASA’s ‘man in space’ program, dubbed ‘Project Mercury’ began in 1958. The men chosen – all military test pilots – became known as The Mercury 7. But away from the glare of the media, behind firmly closed doors, female pilots were also screened. Thirteen of them passed and, in some cases, performed better than the men. They were called the Mercury 13 and had the ‘right stuff’ but were, unfortunately, the wrong gender. Underneath the obsession of the space race that gripped America, the women were aviation pioneers who emerged thirsty for a new frontier, but whose time would have to wait. The film tells the definitive story of thirteen truly remarkable women who reached for the stars but were ahead of their time. A Netflix original documentary directed by David Sington (The Fear of 13) and Heather Walsh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpiVx2mQhKI
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First 12 Films Revealed for 12th Dallas International Film Festival
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?[/caption]
In honor of its 12th anniversary, Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) released a preview of 12 features and shorts screening up the upcoming festival in Dallas taking place from Thursday, May 3 to Thursday, May 10, 2018.
This year, for the first time ever, all competition feature and short film screenings at the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) will take place at The Magnolia in Uptown’s West Village shopping center.
The 2018 Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) will screen over 110 films from 25 countries and will include the 12 films listed below and a series of Special Events including a 25th anniversary event for Steven Spielberg’s three-time Academy Award®-winning blockbuster Jurassic Park.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor – A film focused on the legacy of Mister Rogers by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom)
McQueen – The fashion motion picture, directed by Ian Bonhôte, offers a personal look at the extraordinary life, career and artistry of fashion designer Alexander McQueen
First Reformed – A film directed by Paul Schrader following Reverend Ernst Toller (Ethan Hawke), a solitary, middle-aged parish pastor at a small Dutch Reform church in upstate New York on the cusp of celebrating its 250th anniversary
Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me – Directed by Samuel D. Pollard, the film is the first major film documentary to examine Davis’ vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America
1985 – Inspired by the award-winning short film of the same name by director Yen Tan, the film follows a young man during the wave of the AIDS crisis
Eighth Grade –Bo Burnham directs this film about 13-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school
Loud Crazy Love (Texas Premiere) – Trey Hill and Scott Mayo direct this music documentary focused on Brian Welch’s (Korn) vicious battle with crystal meth, ultimately finding solace in one place he never thought he could belong: church
The Iron Orchard (World Premiere) – The story of Jim McNeely, a young man thrust into the vibrant and brutal West Texas oil fields circa 1939 who works his way through the ranks to ultimately become a formidable wildcatter, directed by Ty Roberts
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (Texas Premiere) – A reimagining of the Charles Band classic, from Dallas-Based, Cinestate. This Horror Comedy will headline DIFF’s “Almost Midnight” category.
Sons of St. Clair – A music documentary directed by Tim Newfang following Krayzie and Bizzy of iconic R&B group Bone Thugs N Harmony into the recording studio as the duo sets out to prove to the younger generation that they can still create relevant music today
Tejano (World Premiere) - Desperate for cash to pay his grandfather’s medical bills, a young man resorts to smuggling drugs across the Texas – Mexico border in this film directed by David Garcia
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7 Documentaries incl. the World Premiere of James Keach’s TURNING POINT on Tap for Nashville Film Festival
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One Vote[/caption]
Seven documentary Special Presentations including the World Premiere of James Keach’s Turning Point will screen at the upcoming 49th Annual Nashville Film Festival. Music journeys will also be depicted in The King, starring Alec Baldwin, Tony Brown, Chuck D, Emmylou Harris, Ethan Hawke and Radney Foster, It All Begins with a Song and Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Got To Be Me, starring Sammy Davis Jr., Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, Billy Crystal and Quincy Jones.
The 2018 Documentary Special Presentations will also include the Tennessee Premiere of Hal, starring Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Jon Voight, Judd Apatow and Rosanna Arquette and the Southeast US Premiere of One Vote starring Warren Buffett.
“The selection of these seven films represents the impact of music in documentaries and the collective storytelling prowess of both entertainment genres as well as the enormous talent featured in documentaries,” said Artistic Director Brian Owen. “For seven films to include the incredible music talent as well as such icons as Warren Buffett, Dan Rather, Jane Fonda, Jon Voight, Rosanna Arquette and Quincy Jones is an absolute dream for the festival, particularly in bringing them to Tennessee for the first time.”
Below are the 2018 selections in the category:
Documentary Special Presentations
Fail State (Southeast US Premiere) – In an expansive political exposé, FAIL STATE uncovers the dark story behind the rise of predatory for-profit colleges and how a cabal of politicians and unscrupulous business tycoons sold out the dream of American higher education. Director: Alexander Shebanow, Producers: Julia Glausi, Terrence Crawford, Tyler Comes, Dan Rather (USA) Hal (Tennessee Premiere) – Hal Ashby’s obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Harold and Maude, Shampoo and Being There. But as contemporaries Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg rose to blockbuster stardom in the 1980s, Ashby’s uncompromising nature played out as a cautionary tale of art versus commerce. Cast: Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Jon Voight, Judd Apatow, Rosanna Arquette, Director: Amy Scott, Producer: Christine Beebe, Lisa Janssen, Jonathan Lynch, Brian Morrow (USA). It All Begins with a Song: The Story of the Nashville Songwriter (World Premiere) – Their melodies stick in your head. Their words hook into your soul. And while their work deeply affects millions, few know their names. This is a celebration of one of music’s most important forces: the Nashville songwriter. Director: Chusy, P roducer: Butch Spyridon, John Godsey, Deana Ivey, Kellie Shannon (USA) The King (Tennessee Premiere) – Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki takes a musical road trip across the U.S. in Elvis Presley’s 1963 Rolls Royce during the 2016 presidential election, comparing Elvis’s transition from country boy to “The King” to America’s transformation into an empire. Cast: Alec Baldwin, Tony Brown, Chuck D, Emmylou Harris, Ethan Hawke, Radney Foster, Director: Eugene Jarecki, Producers: Christophe r Frierson, Georgina Hill, Eugene Jarecki, David Kuhn (USA). One Vote (Southeast US Premiere) – Filmed in five locations on a single day, ONE VOTE captures the compelling stories of diverse American voters on Election Day 2016. Cast: Warren Buffett, Brenda Williams, Michael Hiser, Jennifer Bondy, Claude Bondy, James Higgins, Director: Christine Woodhouse, Producer: Emily Wachtel (USA) Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Got to Be Me (Tennessee Premiere) – SAMMY DAVIS JR.: I’VE GOT TO BE ME is the first major film documentary to examine Davis’ vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America. Cast: Sammy Davis Jr., Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, Billy Crystal, Quincy Jones, Director: Samuel D. Pollard, Producer: Sally Rosenthal (USA) Turning Point (World Premiere) – It’s been called the final frontier of medicine, the real health care moonshot, the holy grail of science. Alzheimer’s disease — the most feared of all maladies, with no way to cure, stop or even slow its insidious progression. But now, after decades of perseverance in the lab, researchers are on the cusp of a scientific breakthrough that could be the first step toward making Alzheimer’s itself a distant memory. Director: James Keach, Producer: James Keach (USA)
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RIP: Yaser Murtaja, Photojournalist/Cameraman Killed Wearing ‘PRESS’ Vest Covering Gaza Protest
Yaser Murtaja, a 31-year-old Gaza photojournalist, who worked as a cameraman for Ai Weiwei’s documentary, Human Flow, which covered the global refugee crisis, was shot by the Israeli military during demonstrations on the Israeli-Gazan border and died in hospital on Friday, April 6th, 2018.
The Washington Post reports:
The young journalist shot drone images and video for Ain Media, a small Gaza-based news agency he started five years ago.
Murtaja, who was married and had a 2-year-old son, died Saturday after being shot the day before while covering protests at the edge of the Gaza Strip.
Murtaja was laid to rest Saturday in the land he never left. His body was carried through the streets of Gaza City draped in a Palestinian flag and the blue-and-white vest marked “PRESS” that he was wearing when he was shot.
Ai Weiwei posted photos of Murtaja on his Instagram account over the weekend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhRWZ-5gxhN/?hl=en&taken-by=aiww
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhR24QFABNn/?hl=en&taken-by=aiww
Image via Facebook
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See New Trailer + Poster for Miguel Arteta’s DUCK BUTTER – Modern Romance Packed Into an Intense 24 Hours
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Alia Shawkat as Alia and Laia Costa as Laia in DUCK BUTTER. Photo credit: Hillary Spera.[/caption]
The trailer and poster debuted for Duck Butter, the latest film from Miguel Arteta, the director behind Beatriz at Dinner, The Good Girl and Chuck & Buck, set to World Premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. The Orchard will release Duck Butter in New York and Los Angeles on April 27th and on digital platforms nationwide on May 1st.
When Naima (Alia Shawkat, “Search Party”) and Sergio (Laia Costa, Victoria ) meet at a club, they hit it off instantly, connecting over their disdain for the dishonesty they have experienced in their respective romantic relationships. High on their fast chemistry, the two women concoct a romantic experiment: They plan to spend the next 24 hours together, having sex on the hour. Above all, they commit to perfect honesty with each other, a theoretical remedy to the deceit they believe to be an element of modern relationships. But their relationship in a vacuum doesn’t go as planned, and soon the weight of their commitment begins to close in, threatening the ideals of the daylong experiment and their chances for a romantic future tomorrow.
The latest film from Miguel Arteta, the director behind Beatriz at Dinner, The Good Girl and Chuck & Buck, Duck Butter is a blistering look at intimacy in a pressure cooker. Co-written by Shawkat and executive produced by the Duplass Brothers, the film offers a searing interrogation of modern romance, with all its dizzying highs and heartbreaking betrayals, all packed into an intense 24 hours.
Tribeca Film Festival Screenings
World Premiere: Friday, April 20th at 8:30pm (SVA Theater 1)
Public Screening #2: Saturday, April 21st at 9:30pm (Cinepolis Chelsea 8)
Public Screening #3: Sunday, April 22nd at 7:45pm (Cinepolis Chelsea 1)
Public Screening #4: Thursday, April 26th at 9:00pm (Regal Battery Park 11 – 10)