Terry P.

VIMOOZ is for lovers of independent films + foreign film + documentary + film festivals. We love championing the little films.

“The King of New Orleans” “Romeo is Bleeding” “Friends and Romans” “Landfillharmonic” Among Winners of Napa Valley Film Festival

The 5th Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) held from November 11 to 15, 2015, announced this year’s juried and audience award winners. The Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature went to The King of New Orleans directed by Allen Frederic, and the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Romeo is Bleeding directed by Jason Zeldes. The Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Feature went to Friends and Romans directed by Christopher Kublan, and the Audience Award for Favorite Documentary Feature went to Landfillharmonic directed by Graham Townsley and Brad Allgood. THE FULL LIST OF JURIED AWARDS IS BELOW: Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature – The King of New Orleans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cInH2E-Dfac Jury Award for Best Screenplay – Tumbledown. Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast – Jane Wants a Boyfriend. Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature – Romeo is Bleeding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjdh-TmRQCQ Jury Award for Best Narrative Short – It’s Perfect Here. Honorable Mention – Birthday. Jury Award for Best Documentary Short – Elder. Honorable Mentions – Code Oakland, Une Passion d’or et de feu (A Passion of Gold and Fire), and Riding the Highline. Jury Award for Best Lounge Feature – Night Owls. Jury Award for Best Lounge Short – A Man Wakes Up. Honorable Mention – CI: A Tedd Talkumentary. Special Jury Award – Courage in Documentary Feature Filmmaking – Life Under Siege: Exploring Gaza’s Secret Tunnels. Special Jury Award – Authenticity in Narrative Feature Story-Telling – Life in Color. Special Jury Award – Acting in a Lounge Feature Film goes to sisters Aly Michalka and AJ Michalka for their work in the film Weepah Way For Now. A FULL LIST OF AUDIENCE AWARDS IS BELOW: Audience Award for Favorite Actor – David Jensen for his work in the film The King of New Orleans. Audience Award for Favorite Actress – Louisa Krause for her work in the film Jane Wants a Boyfriend. Audience Award for Favorite Documentary Feature – Landfillharmonic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCjbd21fYV8 Audience Award for Favorite Documentary Short – Ron Taylor: Dr. Baseball. Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Feature – Friends and Romans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10FUAIp-zyw Audience Award for Favorite Narrative Short – Sin Frontera. The Runner-Ups for Narrative Shorts – Playdate and Birthday. Audience Award for Favorite Short Feature – Sketch.
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“Cemetery of Splendor” Wins Top Prize – Best Feature Film at Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Cemetery of Splendour from Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul won the 2015 Asia Pacific Screen Award (APSA) for Best Feature Film, considered the region’s highest accolade in film. Cemetery of Splendour is set in and around a hospital ward full of comatose soldiers. Attached to glowing dream machines, and tended to by a kindly volunteer (Jenjira Pongpas Widner) and a young clairvoyant (Jarinpattra Rueangram), the men are said to be waging war in their sleep on behalf of long-dead feuding kings, and their mysterious slumber provides the rich central metaphor: sleep as safe haven, as escape mechanism, as ignorance, as bliss.

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Documentary VERY SEMI-SERIOUS: A PARTIALLY THOROUGH PORTRAIT OF NEW YORKER CARTOONISTS to Debut on HBO

The feature-length documentary VERY SEMI-SERIOUS: A PARTIALLY THOROUGH PORTRAIT OF NEW YORKER CARTOONISTS, directed by Leah Wolchok and produced by Davina Pardo will debut in December on HBO following a limited theatrical run. An offbeat meditation on humor, art and the genius of the single panel, debuts MONDAY, DEC. 7 14th 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) exclusively on HBO, following a limited theatrical run Nov. 20-Dec. 3) in New York at Lincoln Plaza, in San Francisco at the Roxie Theater, and in Los Angeles. Leah Wolchok’s light-hearted yet poignant debut film, which had its world premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, offers a window into The New Yorker, the undisputed standard bearer of the single-panel cartoon. Whether they leave readers amused, inspired or even a little baffled, the iconic cartoons have been an instantly recognizable cultural touchstone over the past 90 years. VERY SEMI-SERIOUS is an unprecedented glimpse into the process behind the cartoons. The film follows cartoon editor Bob Mankoff as he sifts through hundreds of submissions and pitches every week to bring readers a carefully curated selection of insightful and humorous work. In addition to interviews with New Yorker staffers, including editor David Remnick, VERY SEMI-SERIOUS includes interviews with legends Roz Chast and Mort Gerberg and young hopefuls like graphic novelist Liana Finck as they discuss their cartoons and go through the process of submitting them each week to the magazine. The documentary observes Mankoff as he strives to nurture new talent and represent the magazine’s old guard, while also considering how his industry must evolve to stay relevant. “We are thrilled VERY-SEMI SERIOUS has found a home at HBO,” says Wolchok. “The New Yorker cartoons bring insightful humor to the magazine weekly, and we hope the HBO audience enjoys meeting and spending some time with their creators.” Updated Premiere Date: VERY SEMI-SERIOUS Premieres on HBO on December 14th
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Don Juan Wins Best Feature-Length Documentary Award at 28th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

Jerzy Sladkowski’s Don Juan won the VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary and Ukrainian Sheriffs by Roman Bondarchuk won the IDFA Special Jury Award for Feature-Length Documentary at the 28th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam IDFA award ceremony. The prize for the best Dutch documentary went to Ester Gould for A Strange Love Affair with Ego. The festival’s opening film A Family Affair by Tom Fassaert was awarded the IDFA Special Jury Award for Dutch Documentary. A total of 16 prizes were awarded and three of the winners: Ukrainian Sheriffs, Roundabout in My Head and Sonita were made with financial support from the IDFA Bertha Fund. Jerzy Sladkowski won the VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary for Don Juan (Sweden/Finland). The film is a portrait of 22-year old Oleg, and his mother Marina’s attempts to cure him of his lethargy. From the jury’s report: “This tender, bittersweet tragicomedy about role-playing within both therapeutic theatre games and family dramas, and the interplay between them, is both subtle and aggressive, speaking volumes about the definitions of normality, abnormality and the dynamics of power and love.” Furthermore, the jury awarded the IDFA Special Jury Award for Feature-Length Documentary to Ukrainian Sheriffs (Ukraine/Latvia/Germany) by Roman Bondarchuk. The documentary, which was made with support from the IDFA Bertha Fund and was a 2014 IDFAcademy Summer School project, is a tragicomic portrait of two sheriffs in a remote Ukrainian village where, alongside all manner of commonplace situations, political developments also threaten to disturb the peace. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29qoEzqw5Mk The IDFA Award for First Appearance was awarded to Salome Machaidze, Tamuna Karumidze and David Meskhi for When the Earth Seems to Be Light (Georgia/Germany). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSQix_-g0fI The Special Jury Award for First Appearance – in memory of Peter Wintonick – went to Hassen Ferhani’s Roundabout in My Head (Algeria/France/Lebanon/Qatar). Roundabout in My Head was financially supported by the IDFA Bertha Fund. Andreas Koefoed won the IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary for At Home in the World (Denmark). Samir Mehanovic won the IDFA Special Jury Award for Mid-Length Documentary for The Fog of Srebrenica (Scotland/Bosnia and Herzegovina). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCHdvD7zD4A The IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling was presented to Jan Rothuizen and Sara Kolster for Drawing Room (the Netherlands). Ant Hampton received the IDFA DocLab Immersive Non-Fiction Award for Someone Else (Belgium). The Beeld en Geluid IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary was awarded to A Strange Love Affair with Ego made by Ester Gould. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDeqrlVLLrE Tom Fassaert received the IDFA Special Jury Award for Dutch Documentary for A Family Affair. The ARRI IDFA Award for Best Student Documentary went to My Aleppo (USA) by Melissa Langer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4lXDzur4Ts The Mute’s House (Israel) by Tamar Kay won the IDFA Special Jury Award for Student Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01CtMn48dgE This year, the IDFA Award for Best Children’s Documentary was awarded for the first time and went to Ninnoc by Niki Padidar (the Netherlands). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hn3GFvFWsM The jury decided to also award an honorable mention to Victor Kossakovsky’s Varicella (Norway/Denmark/Sweden/Russia). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOeKWKC2w5o IDFA DOC U Award for the youth jury’s favorite film was awarded to Sonita by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami (Iran). Sonita was made thanks to a financial contribution from the IDFA Bertha Fund. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B47MbpPuz7A The Oxfam Global Justice Award went to Pablo Iraburu and Migueltxo Molina for Walls (Spain). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl_kUNh9TpI Finally, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists’ EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Documentary was awarded to Motley’s Law by Nicole Nielsen Horanyi (Denmark). Motley’s Law was an IDFA Forum project in 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_hfsq5gL-o IDFA continues until Sunday November 29, 2015, when the winners of the BankGiro Loterij IDFA Audience Award and the IDFA Music Audience Award, for the music documentary will be announced.
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“Sand Dollars” “Honeytrap” “Second Coming” Among Films with Caribbean Flavor at African Diaspora International Film Festival

The 2015 African Diaspora International Film Festival taking place from November 27 through December 13, in Manhattan, will showcase a selection of films coming from the Caribbean and about Caribbean people out of the Caribbean. The Black British Film Program is comprised of a selection of four films about the presence of Black people in the UK with a very strong Caribbean flavor in front and behind the camera. Let The Music Talk by Yvonne Deutchmann is a 1981 musical documentary never screened in the USA before. It tells the story of black music in Britain, from the calypso of Lord Kitchener arriving on the SS Windrush in 1948, gospel choirs, griots from Grenada, steel pans in schools and at the Notting Hill Carnival, jazz, Afro-rock, soul-funk with the Real Thing, reggae with Misty in Roots and Eddy Grant. The Story of Lovers Rock by Menelik Shabazz – a favorite of ADIFF – tells the story of Lovers Rock as a musical genre and gives a voice to the Caribbean descendant people who created that music and culture in the UK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiJof_zx2Uk Honeytrap by Rebecca Johnson plays out as a tragedy. It tells a story of fifteen-year-old Layla (Jessica Sula – Skins), a beautiful and naive Trinidadian girl who, freshly arrived from her native land, quickly embarks on a journey of love, sex, hip hop and violence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTyYCB_OyL0 “Second Coming” by Debbie Tucker Green is an emotional and intimate drama about a woman in a London family who faces a dilemma with her husband (Idris Elba) and the tensions and communication issues associated with her situation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LdB5mYbGz8 Other films in the festival have a Caribbean flavor including NY Premiere and festival Centerpiece “Cu-Bop: Cuba – New York Music Documentary” by Japanese filmmaker Shinishi Takahashi. Separated by an ocean, two Cuban jazz musicians continue to perform in spite of the difficulties they face. César López is recognized as Cuba’s premier saxophonist, having founded his landmark jazz band, the Havana Ensemble, in his native country. The gifted young pianist Axel Tosca lives in New York City, the leader of (U)NITY, a band which fuses Afro-Cuban culture with modern jazz and hip-hop. With this documentary for all music lovers, first-time filmmaker Shinichi Takahashi explores the African roots of Cuban jazz and documents what happens when expats return to the source of their inspiration. The screening will be followed by a concert with Axel Tosca and his band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOO4ag_4EU Shot in Haiti and Bangladesh, “A Journey of a Thousand Miles” tells us a story of two countries that are embarked in a mutual discovery of sorts. A contingent of Muslim, Bangladeshi policewomen is deployed in Haiti to serve as UN Peacekeepers to maintain peace after the 2010 earthquake. We then learn, as the camera follows three of these Muslims women, about life in Haiti and Bangladesh and the challenges faced by the population in both countries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAR3SXSme6c “Black / Nwa,” a “Hood” film set in Montreal, Canada that chronicles the lives of four people – including several youths of Haitian descent – living in a neighborhood plagued by poverty and violence, aspiring to freedom and happiness. “Sand Dollars” (pictured in main image above) by Laura Amelia Guzman and Israel Cardenas is a film from the Dominican Republic submitted to the Oscar competition in the foreign film category. “Sand Dollars” is the story of Noeli (Yanet Mojica) whose love affair with Anne (Geraldine Chaplin) a woman double her age, is a rare subject in films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE
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CAROL Leads Nominations for 2016 Spirit Awards

Carol directed by Todd Haynes lead nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards with 6 nods including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead for both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, Best Sreenplay and Best Cinematography. The other nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Spotlight and Tangerine. Spotlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts. “Spotlight is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the Nominating Committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” said Welsh. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church.” Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 27, 2016. 2016 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.) Anomalisa Producers: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, Rosa Tran Beasts of No Nation Producers: Daniel Crown, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker Carol Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley Spotlight Producers: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar Tangerine Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou BEST FIRST FEATURE – Award given to the director and producer. The Diary of a Teenage Girl Director: Marielle Heller Producers: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit James White Director: Josh Mond Producers: Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz Manos Sucias Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka Producers: Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes Mediterranea Director: Jonas Carpignano Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, Ryan Zacarias Songs My Brothers Taught Me Director/Producer: Chloé Zhao Producers: Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded. Advantageous Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Phang Writer/Producer: Jacqueline Kim Producers: Robert Chang, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro Christmas, Again Writer/Director/Producer: Charles Poekel Heaven Knows What Directors: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie Writers: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie Producers: Oscar Boyson, Sebastian Bear McClard Krisha Writer/Director/Producer: Trey Edward Shults Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, Wilson Smith Out of My Hand Writer/Director: Takeshi Fukunaga Writer/Producer: Donari Braxton Producer: Mike Fox BEST DIRECTOR Sean Baker; Tangerine Cary Joji Fukunaga; Beasts of No Nation Todd Haynes; Carol Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman; Anomalisa; Tom McCarthy Spotlight; David Robert Mitchell It Follows BEST SCREENPLAY Charlie Kaufman; Anomalisa Donald Margulies; The End of the Tour Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer; Spotlight Phyllis Nagy; Carol S. Craig Zahler; Bone Tomahawk BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY Jesse Andrews; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Jonas Carpignano; Mediterranea Emma Donoghue; Room Marielle Heller; The Diary of a Teenage Girl John Magary, Story by Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph; The Mend BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Cary Joji Fukunaga; Beasts of No Nation Michael Gioulakis; It Follows Ed Lachman; Carol Reed Morano; Meadowland Joshua James Richards; Songs My Brothers Taught Me BEST EDITING Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie; Heaven Knows What Tom McArdle; Spotlight Nathan Nugent; Room Julio C. Perez IV; It Follows Kristan Sprague; Manos Sucias BEST FEMALE LEAD Cate Blanchett; Carol Brie Larson; Room Rooney Mara; Carol Bel Powley; The Diary of a Teenage Girl Kitana Kiki Rodriguez; Tangerine BEST MALE LEAD Christopher Abbott; James White Abraham Attah; Beasts of No Nation Ben Mendelsohn; Mississippi Grind Jason Segel; The End of the Tour Koudous Seihon; Mediterranea BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE Robin Bartlett; H. Marin Ireland; Glass Chin Jennifer Jason Leigh; Anomalisa Cynthia Nixon; James White Mya Taylor; Tangerine BEST SUPPORTING MALE Kevin Corrigan; Results Paul Dano; Love & Mercy Idris Elba; Beasts of No Nation Richard Jenkins; Bone Tomahawk Michael Shannon; 99 Homes ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Spotlight Director: Tom McCarthy Casting Directors:Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee Ensemble Cast: Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Neal Huff, Brian d’Arcy James, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci BEST DOCUMENTARY – Award given to the director and producer. (T)ERROR Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe Producer: Christopher St. John Best of Enemies Directors/Producers: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville Heart of a Dog Director/Producer: Laurie Anderson Producer: Dan Janvey The Look of Silence Director:Joshua Oppenheimer Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen Meru Directors/Producers: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi Producer: Shannon Ethridge The Russian Woodpecker Director/Producer: Chad Gracia Producers: Ram Devineni, Mike Lerner BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – Award given to the director. Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia); Director: Ciro Guerra Girlhood (France); Director: Céline Sciamma Mustang (France, Turkey); Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden); Director: Roy Andersson Son of Saul (Hungary); Director: László Nemes 19th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 19th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget. Darren Dean Mel Eslyn Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith 22nd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 22nd annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851. God Bless the Child; Directors: Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck King Jack; Director: Felix Thompson Songs My Brothers Taught Me; Director: Chloé Zhao 21st TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 21st annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. Among the Believers; Directors: Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi Incorruptible; Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi A Woman Like Me; Directors: Elizabeth Giamatti and Alex Sichel
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Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s “Mustang” Wins Audience Award at Stockholm International Film Festival

Mustang directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven has been voted winner of the Audience Award at the 2015 Stockholm International Film Festival. Mustang was also awarded with an Aluminium Horse for Best Script, written by Alice Winocour, director of Maryland, and Deniz Gamze Ergüven. Early summer in a village in Northern Turkey. Five free-spirited teenaged sisters splash about on the beach with their male classmates. Though their games are merely innocent fun, a neighbor passes by and reports what she considers to be illicit behavior to the girls’ family. The family overreacts, removing all “instruments of corruption,” like cell phones and computers, and essentially imprisoning the girls, subjecting them to endless lessons in housework in preparation for them to become brides. As the eldest sisters are married off, the younger ones bond together to avoid the same fate. The fierce love between them empowers them to rebel and chase a future where they can determine their own lives in Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s debut, a powerful portrait of female empowerment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5nyY8E6CPg Following films received the most votes: 1. Mustang 2. Wolfpack 3. Suffragette 4. Carol 5. Angry Indian Goddesses 6. Virgin Mountain 7. Mediterranea 8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl 9. Taxi Teheran 10. Louder than bombs
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Serial Killer Comedy ‘Barney Thomson’ Directed by Robert Carlyle Sets February 2016 Release Date | TRAILER

Barney Thomson, described as “a uniquely twisted comedic thriller” written by Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren and directed by “Once Upon a Time” star Robert Carlyle – his first feature film directorial effort, is headed to US theaters. Gravitas Ventures will release the film on demand on February 2, 2016, and in theaters on March 11, 2016. The film, which also stars Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks), Ray Winstone (Hugo), and Tom Courtenay (The Golden Compass), premiered earlier this year at the opening night of Edinburgh Film Festival and has gone on to be a commercial and critical success in the UK. The film recently won “Beast Feature Film” from BAFTA Scotland, while Emma Thompson won the BAFTA Scotland award for “Best Actress.” Deemed “deliciously macabre” by the UK’s Daily Telegraph, the film tells the titular tale of Barney Thomson (Carlyle), an awkward, shy Glasgow barber, living a life of desperate mediocrity. His mother (Thompson) offers little encouragement, as she is far too self-absorbed, chain-smoking between absurd social outings in her animal print wardrobe. Little does Barney know how his stale and stagnant life is about to go from 0 to 60 in mere seconds when he accidentally enters the dark, grotesque, and comically absurd life of a serial killer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADcvH4B_LbA The film was adapted by Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren from the first book in “The Barbershop Seven” series by Douglas Lindsay. Cowan also served as a producer on Barney Thomson along with Holly Brydson, Brian Coffey, Kaleena Kiff, and John G. Lenic. Doug Apatow and Kirk D’Amico are the executive producers.
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2015 Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival Unveils Lineup; Opens with “A Ballerina’s Tale”

The 2015 Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival (HT2FF) kicks off Thursday, December 3, and runs for four days, through Sunday, December 6, 2015, all at the Bay Street Theater and Arts Center in Sag Harbor, featuring award-winning films and directors.

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“Liza, the Fox-Fairy” “Landfill Harmonic” Win Audience Awards at 2015 Leeds International Film Festival

The dark Hungarian black comedy Liza, the Fox-Fairy is the winner of the 2015 Leeds International Film Festival Audience Award for New Narrative Feature, and Landfill Harmonic directed Graham Townsley, Brad Allgood is the winner of the Audience Award for New Documentary Feature. Liza, the Fox-Fairy is about a 30 year old nurse whose only friend is Tomy Tani, the ghost of a Japanese pop singer from the 1950s that only she can see, and who comes to believe she may be a Fox-Fairy from Japanese mythology. LIFF29’s audience have described the film as ‘exceptionally funny, sweet and charming’ and a ‘beautiful, hilarious, touching love story’ with a brilliant Japanese pop soundtrack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWxLLyr9aOU New Narrative Feature 1. Liza, the Fox-Fairy 2. In The Crosswind 3. Assassination Classroom 4. Brooklyn 5. Embrace of the Serpent 6. Victoria 7. Green Room 8. Crow’s Egg 9. Taxi Tehran 10. Carol Landfill Harmonic is described as a testament to the transformative power of music and the resilience of the human spirit. In Paraguay there is a children’s orchestra living next to one of South America’s largest landfills. A music teacher and a rubbish picker scavenge materials from the dump to make instruments for the local children; flutes from pipes, guitars from packing crates and violins from oil drums. When their story goes viral the ensemble are propelled into the global spotlight, touring with some of their favourite heavy metal bands. However, when a natural disaster devastates their community, the orchestra provides an instinctive source of hope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCjbd21fYV8 New Documentary Feature 1. Landfill Harmonic 2. The Wanted 18 3. Warriors 4. Do You Own the Dancefloor? 5. Black Roses: The Killing of Sophie Lancaster
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“Son of Saul” Wins Top Award at 2015 Zagreb Film Festival

The 2015 Zagreb Film Festival Golden Pram Award went to the Hungarian film Son of Saul by Lászlo Nemes. Son Of Saul, the winner of Grand Prix at the Cannes, Film Festival is the directorial debut of Lászlo Nemes. October 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of Sonderkommando – the Jewish prisoners’ unit isolated from the rest of the camp. They are in charge of taking other prisoners to gas chambers and burning corpses. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul finds the body of a boy and is convinced it is his son. Shaking off his lethargy, he decides to secretly arrange a real Jewish funeral for the boy. While other members of Sonderkommando are planning to rebel and escape, Saul takes upon himself the impossible mission of saving the boy’s body from the flames. To this end, he makes his way through the concentration camp in search of a rabi who would perform the ritual https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwC9DsWyxQc The Golden Pram for Best Short Film went to the French film A Few Seconds by Nora El Hourch, and the Best Checkers Film is The Beast by Daina O. Pusić. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0k3EJYdF6U Special mentions were awarded in each of the categories, as well. The Best PLUS Film is the Dutch entry Prince, directed by Sam de Jong, and the HT Audience Award went to the French film The New Kid by Rudi Rosenberg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgXbuIcGInA Special mentions in the feature competition went to the Danish film A War (Krigen), directed by Tobias Lindholm and the Australian film Tanna, directed by Bentley Dean and Martin Butler. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMmpaj3K7dY
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First 9 Films in Midnight Section Revealed for 2016 Sundance Film Festival

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival announced the nine feature films that will screen in its Midnight section, which has launched films including The Blair Witch Project, SAW, Super Troopers, The Babadook, Black Dynamite, What We Do In The Shadows, Dead/Alive, Delicatessen, The Descent and Hard Candy. The 2016 Sundance Film Festival takes place January 21 to 31, 2016, in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. MIDNIGHT From horror flicks to comedies to works that defy any genre, these unruly films will keep you on the edge of your seat and wide awake. 31 / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rob Zombie) — Five friends are kidnapped on the day before Halloween and are held hostage in a terrifying place named Murder World. While trapped, they must play a violent game called 31, in which the mission is to survive 12 hours against a gang of evil clowns. Cast: Sheri Moon Zombie, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Brake, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Meg Foster. World Premiere Antibirth / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Danny Perez) — In a desolate community full of drug-addled marines and rumors of kidnapping, a wild-eyed stoner named Lou wakes up after a crazy night of partying with symptoms of a strange illness and recurring visions. As she struggles to get a grip on reality, the stories of conspiracy spread. Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Mark Webber, Meg Tilly, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos. World Premiere The Blackout Experiments / U.S.A. (Director: Rich Fox) — A group of friends discover the dark underworld of the ultra-scary, psychosexual horror experience called Blackout. But what starts as a thrill ride through the unknown becomes deeply personal, developing into an obsession that hijacks their lives and blurs the line between reality and paranoid fantasy. World Premiere Carnage Park / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Mickey Keating) — The year is 1978. A team of wannabe crooks botch a small-town bank heist and flee with their hostage deep into the California desert, where they inexplicably find themselves in a harrowing fight for survival against a psychotic ex-military sniper. Cast: Ashley Bell, Pat Healy, Alan Ruck, Darby Stanchfield, James Landry Hébert, Larry Fessenden. World Premiere The Greasy Strangler / U.S.A. (Director: Jim Hosking, Screenwriters: Jim Hosking, Toby Harvard) — When Big Ronnie and his son Brayden meet lone female tourist Janet on Big Ronnie’s Disco Walking Tour—the best and only disco walking tour in the city—a fight for Janet’s heart erupts between father and son, and the infamous Greasy Strangler is unleashed. Cast: Michael St. Michaels, Sky Elobar, Elizabeth De Razzo, Gil Gex, Jesse Keen, Joe David Walters. World Premiere Outlaws and Angels / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: JT Mollner) — With a notorious bounty hunter closing in on their trail, a gang of cold-blooded outlaws invades the home of a seemingly innocent frontier family, where an unexpected game of cat and mouse ensues throughout the night, leading to seduction, role reversal, and ultimately bloody revenge. Cast: Chad Michael Murray, Francesca Eastwood, Luke Wilson, Teri Polo, Madisen Beaty, Nathan Russell. World Premiere Trash Fire / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Richard Bates Jr.) — When Owen is forced to confront the past he’s been running from his whole adult life, he and his girlfriend, Isabel, become entangled in a horrifying web of lies, deceit, and murder. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll be scarred for life. Cast: Adrian Grenier, Angela Trimbur, AnnaLynne McCord, Fionnula Flanagan, Matthew Gray Gubler, Ray Santiago. World Premiere Under the Shadow / United Kingdom, Jordan (Director and screenwriter: Babak Anvari) — Tehran, 1988: As the Iran-Iraq War rumbles into its eighth year, a mother and daughter are slowly torn apart by the bombing campaigns on the city coupled with the country’s bloody revolution. As they struggle to stay together amidst these terrors, a mysterious evil stalks through their apartment. Cast: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, Arash Marandi. World Premiere Yoga Hosers / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kevin Smith) — Colleen Collette and Colleen McKenzie are teenage besties from Winnipeg who love yoga and live on their smartphones. But when these sophomores get invited to a senior party by the school hottie, the Colleens accidentally uncover an ancient evil buried beneath their Canadian convenience store. Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp, Justin Long, Austin Butler, Tyler Posey. World Premiere (pictured above)
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