Coming to My Senses[/caption]
Miami Film Festival (MFF) unveiled seven new films nominated for the Festival’s second annual Zeno Mountain Award, and also featured in the Festival’s upcoming 35th anniversary edition to be held March 9 to 18, 2018.
The Zeno Mountain Award is a $5,000 cash prize established at Miami Film Festival’s 2017 edition and is funded by Miami-based Fringe Partners. The jury-selected award celebrates the diversity of abilities and disabilities, and seeks to reward a film of any length or genre in the Festival’s Official Selection which helps break down barriers to our understanding of people living with disabilities. The award is named after the non-profit Zeno Mountain Farm in Lincoln, Vermont and is inspired by the actors and filmmakers in the acclaimed 2016 documentary Becoming Bulletproof.
“The universal distinction of the three features and four short films that make up this year’s Zeno Mountain Award candidates is that they are all illuminating, wonderful films,’” said Festival director Jaie Laplante. “And all of them showcase unique characters who surprise and delight us with their zest for life.”
The seven films competing for this year’s Zeno Mountain Award are:
“Carry That Weight: A Rockumentary” (USA, directed by Brian J. Leitten). Documentary Short. Miami Beach Senior High professor Doug Burris lived with multiple sclerosis for 46 years and created the school’s renowned Rock Ensemble, which rocks on to this day.
Coming to My Senses (USA, directed by Dominic Gill). Documentary Feature. In 1999, Aaron Baker broke his neck in a motocross accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down, but now fights against the odds for some mobility as he pursues a dream of returning to some of the athletic endeavors that he has loved all his life.
High Expectations (Brazil, directed by Alvaro Campos and Pedro Antonio). Narrative Feature. Decio, a horse trainer at the Rio de Janeiro Jockey Club, falls in love with Lena, a café owner/artist. Decio’s dwarfism may work to his advantage as a jockey, but his no-limits romantic expectations create a more challenging situation. A hilarious romantic comedy, loosely based on the real life story of Brazilian stand-up comedian Gigante Leo, who plays Decio.
September (Guatemala/Mexico, directed by Kenneth Müller). Narrative Feature. Josue’s family was ripped apart by Guatemala’s brutal civil war when a terrorist attack on September 5, 1980 left his wife dead and his 3-month-old daughter Theresa deaf for life. As Theresa grows up and faces the challenges of connecting with the world around her while dealing with her adolescent hormones, she finds strength in her father’s unwavering love.
“Sexual Being” (Canada, directed by Paul Stavropoulos). Documentary Short. Two young adults with cerebral palsy reject societal notions of sexual desirability that exclude them. Toronto college business student Chandler stars in adult movies, and Los Angeles empath Meaghan makes experimental art films.
“Share The Same Madness” (USA, directed by Tim Richardson). Documentary Short. Dennis Hudson, an autistic Detroit teenager home-schooled in an orthodox Catholic household, discovers electronic dance music. EDM provides Dennis with a means to transcend isolation and find the community he needs to survive.
“Spoon Fed” (UK, directed by Nick Hatton Jones). Narrative Short. Restaurant critic Ellie (played by Lesley Sharp) joins a support group after she’s diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As her condition worsens, hope arrives from an unexpected place.Terry P.
VIMOOZ is for lovers of independent films + foreign film + documentary + film festivals. We love championing the little films.
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7 Films Nominated for Zeno Mountain Award at 2018 Miami Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_25474" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Coming to My Senses[/caption]
Miami Film Festival (MFF) unveiled seven new films nominated for the Festival’s second annual Zeno Mountain Award, and also featured in the Festival’s upcoming 35th anniversary edition to be held March 9 to 18, 2018.
The Zeno Mountain Award is a $5,000 cash prize established at Miami Film Festival’s 2017 edition and is funded by Miami-based Fringe Partners. The jury-selected award celebrates the diversity of abilities and disabilities, and seeks to reward a film of any length or genre in the Festival’s Official Selection which helps break down barriers to our understanding of people living with disabilities. The award is named after the non-profit Zeno Mountain Farm in Lincoln, Vermont and is inspired by the actors and filmmakers in the acclaimed 2016 documentary Becoming Bulletproof.
“The universal distinction of the three features and four short films that make up this year’s Zeno Mountain Award candidates is that they are all illuminating, wonderful films,’” said Festival director Jaie Laplante. “And all of them showcase unique characters who surprise and delight us with their zest for life.”
The seven films competing for this year’s Zeno Mountain Award are:
“Carry That Weight: A Rockumentary” (USA, directed by Brian J. Leitten). Documentary Short. Miami Beach Senior High professor Doug Burris lived with multiple sclerosis for 46 years and created the school’s renowned Rock Ensemble, which rocks on to this day.
Coming to My Senses (USA, directed by Dominic Gill). Documentary Feature. In 1999, Aaron Baker broke his neck in a motocross accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down, but now fights against the odds for some mobility as he pursues a dream of returning to some of the athletic endeavors that he has loved all his life.
High Expectations (Brazil, directed by Alvaro Campos and Pedro Antonio). Narrative Feature. Decio, a horse trainer at the Rio de Janeiro Jockey Club, falls in love with Lena, a café owner/artist. Decio’s dwarfism may work to his advantage as a jockey, but his no-limits romantic expectations create a more challenging situation. A hilarious romantic comedy, loosely based on the real life story of Brazilian stand-up comedian Gigante Leo, who plays Decio.
September (Guatemala/Mexico, directed by Kenneth Müller). Narrative Feature. Josue’s family was ripped apart by Guatemala’s brutal civil war when a terrorist attack on September 5, 1980 left his wife dead and his 3-month-old daughter Theresa deaf for life. As Theresa grows up and faces the challenges of connecting with the world around her while dealing with her adolescent hormones, she finds strength in her father’s unwavering love.
“Sexual Being” (Canada, directed by Paul Stavropoulos). Documentary Short. Two young adults with cerebral palsy reject societal notions of sexual desirability that exclude them. Toronto college business student Chandler stars in adult movies, and Los Angeles empath Meaghan makes experimental art films.
“Share The Same Madness” (USA, directed by Tim Richardson). Documentary Short. Dennis Hudson, an autistic Detroit teenager home-schooled in an orthodox Catholic household, discovers electronic dance music. EDM provides Dennis with a means to transcend isolation and find the community he needs to survive.
“Spoon Fed” (UK, directed by Nick Hatton Jones). Narrative Short. Restaurant critic Ellie (played by Lesley Sharp) joins a support group after she’s diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As her condition worsens, hope arrives from an unexpected place.
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2018 Portland International Film Festival Reveals First Wave of Films + Trailers, to Open with THE DEATH OF STALIN
[caption id="attachment_23440" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
The Death of Stalin[/caption]
The Portland International Film Festival revealed the first wave of film titles for the upcoming 41st edition which begins on Thursday, February 15th and will run through Thursday, March 1, 2018. The Opening Night selection is writer/director Armando Iannucci’s (In the Loop, Veep) new comedy The Death of Stalin, starring Steve Buscemi, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Palin. The film, which premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, is an adaptation of the audacious, historical graphic novel by Fabien Nury.
FIRST WAVE TITLES include:
PIFF 41 Opening Night selection: The Death of Stalin Dir. Armando Iannucci United Kingdom, 2017 The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci. Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl, and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast. https://youtu.be/ukJ5dMYx2no Let the Sunshine In Dir. Claire Denis France/Belgium, 2017 Living alone in Paris, Isabelle (Juliette Binoche), a divorced artist in her 50s, is optimistic that romantic hope springs eternal – or maybe she does. But as she auditions, not unpleasantly, but with increasing exasperation, a steady succession of prospective men, she ponders just what she’s seeking, and whether sex and companionship are really the keys to fulfillment. Featuring an ensemble cast of stellar French actors including Gerard Depardieu, Denis offers a complex, feminist take on love and the quest to find Mr. Right while not being trapped by need, convention, or expectation. “An elegant, eccentric relationship comedy of ideas, highly rarified and possessed of an almost inscrutable sophistication.” – The Guardian https://youtu.be/h-haop2Ini0 Zama Dir. Lucrecia Martel Argentina/Spain/France, 2017 “Martel ventures into the realm of historical fiction and makes the genre entirely her own in this adaptation of Antonio di Bendetto’s classic of Argentinean literature. In the late 18th century, in a far-flung corner of what seems to be Paraguay, an officer of the Spanish crown, born in the Americas, waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. Martel renders Zama’s world – his daily regimen of small humiliations and petty politicking – as both absurd and mysterious, and as he increasingly succumbs to lust and paranoia, subject to a creeping disorientation. Precise yet dreamlike, and thick with atmosphere, Zama is a singular and intoxicating experience from one of cinema’s truly brilliant minds.” – New York Film Festival. https://youtu.be/K8dW6YHINAA 24 Frames Dir. Abbas Kiarostami Iran/France, 2017 Three years in the making and Kiarostami’s final film before his death in 2016, each segment in 24 Frames offers a view of a photograph or painting and what he imagined might have occurred before and after the image was frozen in time. Employing multiple cinematic devices while shifting between fiction and documentary, he wistfully attempts to decipher the essence of cinema and its ability to capture reality. “Repetition-with-variations and a sly wit are hallmarks of many Kiarostami works, and these 24 mini-films abound with his visual acuity and dry authorial humor, all of it in accessible and pleasurable form.” – Film Comment. Won’t You Be My Neighbor Dir. Morgan Neville United States, 2017 “With his gentle voice and heartfelt words of wisdom, Fred Rogers served as a compassionate surrogate father for generations of American children who tuned in to public television. He believed in love as the essential ingredient in life and was able to assist kids through difficult situations armed merely with handmade puppets suggesting tolerance and acceptance. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Mr. Rogers made speaking directly and openly to children his life’s work, both on and off his long-running show. Animated sequences are peppered between archival footage of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and interviews with Fred Rogers’s family friends, and colleagues, offering a deliberate and beautiful tribute to an authentic human being and providing a much-needed salve for these often-fraught times.” – Sundance Film Festival. https://youtu.be/ocElSTC9S1U On the Beach at Night Alone Dir. Hong Sang-soo South Korea, 2017 “Hong Sang-soo’s movies have always invited autobiographical readings, and this is perhaps his most achingly personal film yet, a steel-nerved clear-eyed response to the tabloid frenzy that erupted in South Korea over his relationship with actress Kim Min-hee. The film begins in Hamburg, where actress Young-hee (played by Kim herself, who won the Best Actress prize at Berlin for this role) is hiding out after the revelation of her affair with a married filmmaker. Back in Korea, a series of encounters shed light on Young-hee’s volatile state, as she slips in and out of melancholic reflection and dreams.” – New York Film Festival. “A drama of rare lyrical exaltation…a kaleidoscopic fusion of reality and fantasy.” – The New Yorker https://youtu.be/AkBJ9QGtvRA Lean on Pete Dir. Andrew Haight United Kingdom, 2017 Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) wants some stability: a home, food on the table, and a high school he can attend for more than part of the year. As the son of an itinerate single father (Travis Fimmel) working in warehouses across the Pacific Northwest, stability is hard to find. Hoping for a new start they move to Portland where Charley takes a summer job with a washed-up horse trainer (Steve Buscemi), and befriends an aging racehorse named Lean on Pete, ridden by the hard-nosed Bonnie (Chloe Sevigny). Based on Willy Vlautin’s novel and filmed in Burns and Portland, Lean on Pete chronicles a harsh coming of age in the American West. https://youtu.be/nzlazAyylw8 Jeannette, the Childhood of Joan of Arc Dir. Bruno Dumont France, 2017 France, 1425. In the midst of the Hundred Years’ War, the young Jeannette, still at the tender age of eight, looks after her sheep in the small village of Domremy. One day, she tells her friend Hauviette how she cannot bear to see the suffering caused by the English. Madame Gervaise, a nun, tries to reason with the young girl, but Jeannette is ready to take up arms for the salvation of souls and the liberation of the Kingdom of France. Carried by her faith, she will become Joan of Arc. “With his tenth feature, Bruno Dumont radically delves into Joan’s childhood with a category-defying period-cum-techno-head-banging musical, derived from two works by French writer Charles Péguy.” – Toronto International Film Festival. https://youtu.be/aLPW60Zo53w Foxtrot Dir. Samuel Moax Israel, 2017 Michael and Dafna experience gut-wrenching grief when army officials come to announce the death of their son. Unable to find any solace in the well-meaning condolences of family, or in the military’s patriotic platitudes, Michael spirals in to anger only to subsequently experience one of life’s unfathomable turns – a twist that can only be rivaled by the surreal military experiences of his son. Although terrible tragedy is at the heart of the film, Foxtrot contains moments laced with mordant humor, irony, and resonant emotion, as it explores the heartache of war and its far-reaching and unpredictable impacts. Winner of Israeli Ohphir Awards for Best Film and Best Director, the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and this year’s Israeli Oscar submission. https://youtu.be/wrBEDEmUceM I Am Not a Witch Dir. Rungano Nyoni United Kingdom/France/Zambia/Germany, 2017 Following an incident in her Zambian village, nine-year-old Shula is denounced as a witch and exiled to a state-run witch camp. While making every effort to adapt to her new life among much older women, Shula is both embraced and exploited by the camp officials. Now she must decide whether to accept the fate forced upon her or risk everything for freedom. Zambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni’s debut combines anthropology, social satire, and superstition in a fascinating and touching magic-realist fable. Best Director, British Independent Film Awards. https://youtu.be/jOtcU_-KuaQ Gemini Dir. Aaron Katz United States, 2017 A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss. As the assistant travels across Los Angeles to unravel the mystery, she must stay one step ahead of a determined policeman and confront her own understanding of friendship, truth, and celebrity. Former Portlander Katz, whose Cold Weather appeared in the PIFF 34 lineup, “delves into dreamy neo-noir territory with nods to films from auteurs like Hitchcock, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Brian De Palma, and David Lynch that tackle the “double” in cinema – and the potential, in the process of taking on an alternate identity, of subsuming the darkness of another’s soul.” – AFI Film Festival. https://youtu.be/ISjmjYU-kMI Five Fingers for Marseilles Dir. Michael Matthews South Africa, 2017 A recent parolee returns to his hometown, vowing to turn his back on his criminal ways. But it’s not long before he finds that some of the friends he grew up with in Apartheid era Marseilles have internalized and recreated the tyranny they struggled against for the present inhabitants of “New Marseilles.” “Director Michael Matthews and scripter Sean Drummond skillfully employ recycled genre elements to enhance the mythic qualities of their slow-burn narrative and reinforce the underlying sense that their archetypical characters are fulfilling destinies as inescapable as the fates that might befall major players in a conventional Wild West saga.” – Variety https://youtu.be/b5oVrZrbCr0 The Third Murder Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan, 2017 This moving story of a man struggling to find the truth while questioning his own faith in the law is a philosophical whodunnit, intelligently broaching questions of innocence and guilt. Star attorney Shigemori agrees to defend Misumi, accused of murder after a fatal holdup. A man with a long criminal record, Misumi narrowly escaped the death sentence for another murder thirty years earlier. Astonishingly laid-back, Misumi has already confessed to the murder, and all the evidence points to the fact that he is guilty. But the deeper Shigemori delves into this case, the more he begins to doubt his client. Soon, he is faced with a complicated family story and the plot thickens. https://youtu.be/Plr3V4TYBQE Spoor Dir. Agnieszka Holland Czech, 2017 Drawing inspiration from local fairy tales, Spoor dissects political corruption and environmental activism in a small Polish town. Janina Duszejko is a retired engineer, astrology lover, vegetarian, and defender of animal rights. Now, she lives alone in the Sudeten Mountains near the Czech border. One winter night, she finds the body of her neighbor, a poacher. The circumstances of the man’s death are unusally mysterious as the only footprints found around his house are the prints of deer hooves. Soon, other members of the local hunting club are mysteriously murdered. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the police, she starts her own, unconventional investigation. Holland’s genre-bending, ecologically-minded thriller is this year’s Polish submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. https://youtu.be/3JxYmGXAfXc Under the Tree Dir. Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson Iceland/France, 2017 Equal parts family drama, absurdist black comedy, and unconventional thriller, Under the Tree follows two warring households locked in a bitter dispute. One family adores their beautiful old tree, but the couple next door complain that blocks their sunlight, causing their garden to languish in its shadow. As the disagreement escalates into a passive-aggressive back-and-forth of nasty vibes, mysterious property damage, disappearing cats and dogs, the installation of security cameras, and more. Though set in Iceland, this humorous, but at times unsettling, story of suburban neighborhood warfare could be anywhere. https://youtu.be/qJghTR5y9U0
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“THE SHAPE OF WATER” “LADY BIRD” are Big Winners with Alliance of Women Film Journalists
[caption id="attachment_25167" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption]
The women have voted! The Alliance of Women Film Journalists announced the winners of the 2017 AWFJ EDA Awards, and in the ‘Best Of’ section, this year’s big winner is “THE SHAPE OF WATER“, garnering EDA Awards in two categories including Best Film, Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. The film’s lead actress, Sally Hawkins, was awarded an EDA Bravest Performance Award to make the film’s cume of three awards.
Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” was also honored with three awards that included Best Supporting Actress for Laurie Metcalf and two awards for Gerwig for Best Woman Director and Best Woman Screenwriter.
“The Florida Project” won two EDA Awards for Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe and Best Breakthrough Performance for Brooklynn Prince.
In the EDA Special Mention Categories, documentary filmmaker Agnes Varda was voted the Actress Defying Age and Ageism Award, while receiving the Best Documentary Award for her film “Faces, Places.”
The AWJF chose to honor Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd and all women who spoke out against sexual harassment with the EDA Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry.
The Annual AWFJ Hall of Shame Award was bestowed upon Sexual Tormentors: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, et al.
“This year was an important year for women to feel empowered to speak out and be heard,” states EDA AWARDS and AWFJ founder and film critic Jennifer Merin. “The need for gender parity and gender diversity in the movie industry is patently clear, and the time to stop sexual harassment in all industries is now. These goals are fundamental to AWFJ’s mission and it’s core values. I am thrilled that for this year’s awards, our AWFJ members voted to honor such a diverse array of talent and to recognize those who are leading with their voices to put an end to long time misconduct making the 2017 EDA Awards particularly relevant when art and film must be the vanguard of social progress.”
AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS
These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration. Best Film THE SHAPE OF WATER Best Director Guillermo del Toro – THE SHAPE OF WATER Best Screenplay, Original GET OUT – Jordan Peele Best Screenplay, Adapted CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Best Documentary FACES, PLACES Best Animated Film (Tie) COCO LOVING VINCENT Best Actress Frances McDormand — THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Best Actress in a Supporting Role Laurie Metcalf — LADY BIRD Best Actor Gary Oldman — DARKEST HOUR Best Actor in a Supporting Role Willem Dafoe — THE FLORIDA PROJECT Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director MUDBOUND – Billy Hopkins and Ashley Ingram Best Cinematography Roger Deakins — BLADE RUNNER 2049 Best Editing Lee Smith — DUNKIRK Best Non-English-Language Film THE SQUAREEDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
These awards honor WOMEN only. Best Woman Director Greta Gerwig — LADY BIRD Best Woman Screenwriter Greta Gerwig — LADY BIRD Best Animated Female Parvana — THE BREADWINNER Best Breakthrough Performance Brooklynn Prince — THE FLORIDA PROJECT Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd and all who spoke out against sexual harassmentEDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
Actress Defying Age and Ageism (name actress and film) AGNES VARDA — FACES,PLACES Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award I LOVE YOU DADDY — Chloe Grace Moretz and John Malkovich Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent (name actress and film) Kate Winslet for WONDER WHEEL and THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US Bravest Performance (name actress and film) (Tie) Sally Hawkins — THE SHAPE OF WATER Margot Robbie — I, TONYA Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t Have Been Made THE MUMMY AWFJ Hall of Shame Award Sexual Tormentors: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, et al
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Eight Films Selected for Hivos Tiger Competition at 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam
[caption id="attachment_26345" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Possessed[/caption]
Eight films have been selected for the Hivos Tiger Competition – seven world premieres and one international premiere, at the 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).
Three of the films to world premiere in the Hivos Tiger Competition 2018 were supported by the Hubert Bals Fund. Nervous Translation by Philippine filmmaker Shireen Seno (which was also selected for CineMart in 2014) is a sparkling and at times surreal film which quietly shows the politically unstable climate of the Philippines in 1987 as seen through the dreamy eyes of an eight-year-old girl.
The Reports on Sarah and Saleem by Muayad Alayan (also selected for BoostNL in 2016) is a story of the impossible affair between a Jewish woman and a Palestinian man which attracts the attention of security services, and was supported by the Hubert Bals Fund in 2017. And Sultry, Brazilian filmmaker Marina Meliande’s combination of social realist drama and body horror, recounts the struggle of a young lawyer in the oppressive heat of Rio de Janeiro against the all-encompassing influence of the Olympic Games on the city. This is the second time Meliande has been supported by the Hubert Bals Fund; in 2011 she co-directed Cannes entry The Joy (with Felipe Bragança).
The world premiere of the fascinating cinematic essay Possessed reflects on the ways humans obsessively search for connections in a digital age. For this film, the filmmakers from the Amsterdam-based Metahaven collaborated with Dutch graphic designer and documentary filmmaker Rob Schröder, who also has a connection to IFFR – his short films screened at IFFR in 1998 and 2000.
The Hivos Tiger Competition also includes Djon África, a first fiction by documentary filmmakers João Miller Guerra and Filipa Reis portraying the playful odyssey of a 25-year-old Portuguese Rastafarian in search of his father and his own identity; I Have a Date with Spring by South Korean director Baek Seungbin, a mysterious black comedy in which a filmmaker struggles with a script revolving around the hypothetical question of what to do on your last day on earth; andThe Widowed Witch by Chinese filmmaker Cai Chengjie, which is a complete re-edit of the -winning Chinese film Shaman and wryly details the life of an unfortunate woman who suddenly seems to possess magical powers. Finally, the competition includes the international premiere of the US film Piercing by Nicolas Pesce, a playful psycho thriller in which a sadomasochistic game of cat-and-mouse unfolds between a man and the call girl he planned to murder.
The prestigious Hivos Tiger Award includes a cash prize of €40,000, to be divided between filmmaker and producer. An international jury of five filmmakers and film professionals also chooses an exceptional artistic achievement within the Tiger selection to receive a Special Jury Award worth €10,000.
Festival Director Bero Beyer: “This year’s Tiger line-up features daring filmmakers who boldly venture into new territories. All of them combine relevant stories and themes – like Israeli/Palestinian relations as seen through the eyes of two lovers, the consequences of the Olympic Games in downtown Rio, or the concept of the imminent end of the world – with outspoken cinematic form.”
The jury for the Hivos Tiger Competition 2018 consists of British filmmaker Anthea Kennedy (The View from Our House), Mexican producer Paula Astorga(La caridad), Dutch editor Job ter Burg (Elle), German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach (Western), and South Korean filmmaker Kim Kyungmook (Stateless Things). Both the Hivos Tiger Award and the Special Jury Award will be presented on Friday, February 2, 2018 during the Awards Ceremony.
Hivos Tiger Competition 2018
Djon África, João Miller Guerra/Filipa Reis, 2018, Portugal/Brazil, world premiere I Have a Date with Spring, Baek Seungbin, 2018, South Korea, world premiere Nervous Translation, Shireen Seno, 2018, Philippines, world premiere Piercing, Nicolas Pesce, 2018, USA, international premiere Possessed, Metahaven/Rob Schröder, 2018, Netherlands/Croatia, world premiere The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, Muayad Alayan, 2018, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico, world premiere Sultry, Marina Meliande, 2018, Brazil, world premiere The Widowed Witch, Cai Chengjie, 2018, China, world premiere
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THE SHAPE OF WATER Leads Nominations for 2017 BAFTA Awards
[caption id="attachment_25167" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption]
The Shape of Water leads the nominations for 2017 BAFTA Awards (EE British Academy Film Awards) announced this morning by The British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
The Shape of Water is nominated in 12 categories, followed by Darkest Hour and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri both receive nine nominations.
The Shape of Water is nominated for Best Film, Original Music, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound, Editing and Special Visual Effects. Guillermo del Toro is nominated for both Director and Original Screenplay, Sally Hawkins for Leading Actress and Octavia Spencer for Supporting Actress.
Darkest Hour receives nominations for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Original Music, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, and Make Up & Hair, as well as Leading Actor for Gary Oldman and Supporting Actress for Kristin Scott Thomas for their roles as Winston and Clementine Churchill.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is nominated in Leading Actress for Frances McDormand. Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson are both nominated for Supporting Actor for their roles. The film is also nominated for Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Cinematography and Editing. Martin McDonagh is nominated for both Director and Original Screenplay.
The nominations for Film Not in the English Language are Elle, First They Killed My Father, The Handmaiden, Loveless and The Salesman. The nominations in the Documentary category are City of Ghosts, I Am Not Your Negro, Icarus, An Inconvenient Sequel, and Jane.
The British Short Animation nominees are Have Heart, Mamoon and Poles Apart. The five nominations for British Short Film are Aamir, Cowboy Dave, A Drowning Man, Work and Wren Boys.
The EE British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday February18th at the Royal Albert Hall, London, hosted by Joanna Lumley.
Nominations List for the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2018
2017 NOMINATIONS (presented in 2018) BEST FILM CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears DARKEST HOUR Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski DUNKIRK Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas THE SHAPE OF WATER Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM DARKEST HOUR Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski THE DEATH OF STALIN Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader, Laurent Zeitoun, Yann Zenou, Ian Martin, David Schneider GOD’S OWN COUNTRY Francis Lee, Manon Ardisson, Jack Tarling LADY MACBETH William Oldroyd, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Alice Birch PADDINGTON 2 Paul King, David Heyman, Simon Farnaby THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER THE GHOUL Gareth Tunley (Writer/Director/Producer), Jack Healy Guttman & Tom Meeten (Producers) I AM NOT A WITCH Rungano Nyoni (Writer/Director), Emily Morgan (Producer) JAWBONE Johnny Harris (Writer/Producer), Thomas Napper (Director) KINGDOM OF US Lucy Cohen (Director) LADY MACBETH Alice Birch (Writer), William Oldroyd (Director), Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (Producer) FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ELLE Paul Verhoeven, Saïd Ben Saïd FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER Angelina Jolie, Rithy Panh THE HANDMAIDEN Park Chan-wook, Syd Lim LOVELESS Andrey Zvyagintsev, Alexander Rodnyansky THE SALESMAN Asghar Farhadi, Alexandre Mallet-Guy DOCUMENTARY CITY OF GHOSTS Matthew Heineman I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO Raoul Peck ICARUS Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk JANE Brett Morgen ANIMATED FILM COCO Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson LOVING VINCENT Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Ivan Mactaggart MY LIFE AS A COURGETTE Claude Barras, Max Karli DIRECTOR BLADE RUNNER 2049 Denis Villeneuve CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Luca Guadagnino DUNKIRK Christopher Nolan THE SHAPE OF WATER Guillermo del Toro THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Martin McDonagh ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY GET OUT Jordan Peele I, TONYA Steven Rogers LADY BIRD Greta Gerwig THE SHAPE OF WATER Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Martin McDonagh ADAPTED SCREENPLAY CALL ME BY YOUR NAME James Ivory THE DEATH OF STALIN Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, David Schneider FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL Matt Greenhalgh MOLLY’S GAME Aaron Sorkin PADDINGTON 2 Simon Farnaby, Paul King LEADING ACTRESS ANNETTE BENING Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool FRANCES McDORMAND Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri MARGOT ROBBIE I, Tonya SALLY HAWKINS The Shape of Water SAOIRSE RONAN Lady Bird LEADING ACTOR DANIEL DAY-LEWIS Phantom Thread DANIEL KALUUYA Get Out GARY OLDMAN Darkest Hour JAMIE BELL Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET Call Me by Your Name SUPPORTING ACTRESS ALLISON JANNEY I, Tonya KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS Darkest Hour LAURIE METCALF Lady Bird LESLEY MANVILLE Phantom Thread OCTAVIA SPENCER The Shape of Water SUPPORTING ACTOR CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER All the Money in the World HUGH GRANT Paddington 2 SAM ROCKWELL Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri WILLEM DAFOE The Florida Project WOODY HARRELSON Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ORIGINAL MUSIC BLADE RUNNER 2049 Benjamin Wallfisch, Hans Zimmer DARKEST HOUR Dario Marianelli DUNKIRK Hans Zimmer PHANTOM THREAD Jonny Greenwood THE SHAPE OF WATER Alexandre Desplat CINEMATOGRAPHY BLADE RUNNER 2049 Roger Deakins DARKEST HOUR Bruno Delbonnel DUNKIRK Hoyte van Hoytema THE SHAPE OF WATER Dan Laustsen THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Ben Davis EDITING BABY DRIVER Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss BLADE RUNNER 2049 Joe Walker DUNKIRK Lee Smith THE SHAPE OF WATER Sidney Wolinsky THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Jon Gregory PRODUCTION DESIGN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer BLADE RUNNER 2049 Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola DARKEST HOUR Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer DUNKIRK Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis THE SHAPE OF WATER Paul Austerberry, Jeff Melvin, Shane Vieau COSTUME DESIGN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Jacqueline Durran DARKEST HOUR Jacqueline Durran I, TONYA Jennifer Johnson PHANTOM THREAD Mark Bridges THE SHAPE OF WATER Luis Sequeira MAKE UP & HAIR BLADE RUNNER 2049 Donald Mowat, Kerry Warn DARKEST HOUR David Malinowski, Ivana Primorac, Lucy Sibbick, Kazuhiro Tsuji I, TONYA Deborah La Mia Denaver, Adruitha Lee VICTORIA & ABDUL Daniel Phillips WONDER Naomi Bakstad, Robert A. Pandini, Arjen Tuiten SOUND BABY DRIVER Tim Cavagin, Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater BLADE RUNNER 2049 Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill, Mark Mangini, Mac Ruth DUNKIRK Richard King, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo, Mark Weingarten THE SHAPE OF WATER Christian Cooke, Glen Gauthier, Nathan Robitaille, Brad Zoern STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS BLADE RUNNER 2049 Gerd Nefzer, John Nelson DUNKIRK Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson THE SHAPE OF WATER Dennis Berardi, Trey Harrell, Kevin Scott STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Nominees tbc WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES Nominees tbc BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION HAVE HEART Will Anderson MAMOON Ben Steer POLES APART Paloma Baeza, Ser En Low BRITISH SHORT FILM AAMIR Vika Evdokimenko, Emma Stone, Oliver Shuster COWBOY DAVE Colin O’Toole, Jonas Mortensen A DROWNING MAN Mahdi Fleifel, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Patrick Campbell WORK Aneil Karia, Scott O’Donnell WREN BOYS Harry Lighton, Sorcha Bacon, John Fitzpatrick EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public) DANIEL KALUUYA FLORENCE PUGH JOSH O’CONNOR TESSA THOMPSON TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET
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MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS, Produced and Directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, sets HBO Premiere Date
The documentary “May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers,” an inside look at the North Carolina band, produced and directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, will debut Monday, January 29, 2018, on HBO.
Founded by Scott and Seth Avett and Bob Crawford in 2001, The Avett Brothers have gone from obscurity to critical acclaim and sold-out tours, experiencing profound heartbreak and exceptional joy along the way.
Filmed with extensive access over more than two years, May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers is an inside look at the North Carolina band, from its origins to a recent collaboration with legendary record producer Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Jay Z, Beastie Boys, Dixie Chicks) on the Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness.” The film depicts a lifelong bond and unique creative partnership, as band members experience marriage, divorce, parenthood, illness and the challenges of the music business, offering a meditation on family, love and the passage of time.
Featuring a wealth of original footage of the Avetts in the studio, on the road and at home, previously unseen family photographs and home movies, never-before-heard original songs and rousing concert performances, the intimate film includes revealing interviews with Scott (banjo, lead vocals) and Seth (guitar, lead vocals) Avett, band members Bob Crawford (bass), Joe Kwon (cello), Tania Elizabeth (fiddle), Paul Defiglia (keyboards) and Mike Marsh (drums), Rick Rubin and friends and family. MAY IT LAST shows how the ties between Scott and Seth help shape their creative process as musicians and songwriters.
In 2008, after several independent releases, the band signed with Rubin, who says he recognized something special about the Avetts at their very first encounter. “In the first 30 seconds of meeting them, I knew they were people that I wanted to work with, and it seemed like being around them would make life better,” he recalls, noting they differ from other sibling musical acts because “they actually like each other” and have the ability to collaborate on deeply personal lyrics. Between touring constantly and selling out arenas around the world, MAY IT LAST finds the brothers working on new songs at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC and Rubin’s Shangri La Studio in Malibu, Calif. for their latest album, “True Sadness.”
The grandsons of a minister, Scott and Seth live down the road from each other in their Concord, NC hometown, not far from their parents’ house. Four years Scott’s junior, Seth took up guitar as a kid to back up his brother, who showed an early enthusiasm for singing and performing. As teens, they rejected country music and the “country things” of their surroundings like cowboy boots and tractors, gravitating instead to artists like Hall & Oates, Prince and Nirvana.
Seth says he “came back to a rural-based country music” after meeting bluegrass legend Doc Watson. Still, the brothers’ first band, NEMO, was devoted to heavy rock. They soon started playing acoustic jams, and added stand-up bass player Bob Crawford, a New Jersey native, who had only recently taken up the instrument.
MAY IT LAST shows Scott returning from the road to spend time with his wife, Sarah, and two young children, admitting he dislikes being away from home more and more. But it’s this time at home with their parents, sister, Scott’s family and Seth’s girlfriend (actress Jennifer Carpenter) that fuels the brothers’ creativity. Soon, Scott and Seth travel to Malibu to record what will be the hit album “True Sadness,” marking the first time the full touring band has recorded together.
The band’s struggles with illness and divorce have strengthened their bond and greatly influenced their lyrics. When Crawford’s two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor, band members rallied around his family in support. Crawford discusses his daughter’s struggles with cancer, noting how the shared ordeal has pulled the band even closer together.
The recording of “True Sadness” reveals how the band’s personal lives are mined for their music, as Seth opens up about songs like “Divorce Separation Blues” (on the end of his first marriage), underscoring the honest vulnerability that has cemented their success. Five years after its release, “I and Love and You,” the Avetts’ major label debut (produced by Rubin), is certified gold, and “True Sadness,” released on American Recordings/Republic Records, receives critical raves, earning two Grammy nominations and fueling the band’s debut at Madison Square Garden.
The band is already working on songs for the next album. In a quiet moment with Scott, Bob and Rick Rubin, Seth debuts a song he’s been writing – “C-Sections and Railway Trestles” – about becoming a father for the first time.
MAY IT LAST had its world premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, where it received the 24 Beats Per Second Audience Award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4dcxt6DUM0
MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS is an Apatow Production in association with RadicalMedia; produced and directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio; executive producers, Jon Kamen, Dave O’Connor, Justin Wilkes; cinematographer, Jonathan Furmanski; additional photography, Michael Richard Martin; sound, Brad Bergbom; editor, Paul Little.
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“Lady Bird” “The Shape of Water” “A Ghost Story” Among Winners at Houston Film Critics Society Movie Awards
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A Ghost Story[/caption]
Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird was a hit with the Houston Film Critics Society winning three awards at the group’s 11th Annual Movie Awards, including best picture of 2017, along with Best Director and Best Screenplay for Greta Gerwig. Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water also won three awards including Best Actress for Sally Hawkins, Best Score, and Best Poster.
David Lowery’s A Ghost Story starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara which was filmed in the Dallas area, won the Texas Independent Film Award (TIFA).
2017 Houston Film Critics Society Movie Awards Winners
Picture Lady Bird Director Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird Actor James Franco, The Disaster Artist Actress Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water Supporting Actor Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Supporting Actress Allison Janney, I, Tonya Screenplay Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird Cinematography Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049 Animated Film Coco Original Score Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water Best Original Song Remember Me, Coco Foreign Language Film Thelma Documentary Feature Jane Visual Effects Blade Runner 2049 Poster The Shape of Water Texas Independent Film Award A Ghost Story
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15th Oxford Film Festival Announces Lineup of 204 Films, Opens with THE LAST MOVIE STAR, Starring Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter
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Vic Edwards (Burt Reynolds) and Ariel Winter (Lil) in THE LAST MOVIE STAR[/caption]
A total of 204 films will screen at this year’s 15th Anniversary edition of the Oxford Film Festival taking place February 7 to 11, 2018. On opening night, writer/director Adam Rifkin will present his latest film, THE LAST MOVIE STAR, starring Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter, while Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s intense drama, ALLURE, starring Evan Rachel Wood, will screen at the festival’s Centerpiece Selection and Robert Mullan’s 60s biopic MAD TO BE NORMAL, starring David Tennant Elisabeth Moss and Michael Gambon, serves as the closing night selection.
Narrative feature films in competition this year include: Dan Mirvish’s BERNARD AND HUEY, Mark Potts’s COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE, Billy Chase Goforth’s DOOR IN THE WOODS, Arturo Perez Torres and Aviva Armour-Ostroff’s THE DRAWER BOY; Akiyo Fujimura’s ERIKO, PRETENDED; and Catherine Eaton’s THE SOUNDING.
Documentary features in competition include: Skye Borgman’s FOREVER ‘B’; Aaron and Amanda Kopp’s LIYANA; Nick Taylor’s THE ORGANIZER; Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, and Jeff Springer’s RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE; and Owsley Brown III’s SERENADE FOR HAITI.
The LGBTQ Juried Feature Competition will include Shaz Bennett’s festival favorite ALASKA IS A DRAG, along with Jill Salvino’s BETWEEN THE SHADES, and Itako’s BOYS FOR SALE, and highlights the Oxford Film Festival’s commitment to support our LGBTQ filmmakers and offer a more positive reaction to the passage of Mississippi’s “Religious Liberty Accommodations Act.”
“This year we’ve struck a wonderful balance between films that are thoughtful, provocative, reflect the world we live in, and address the issues of the day without blinking, with films that are just pure, fun, entertainment,” said Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington. “The festival continues to increase in size and scope and that growth can also be seen in the work of our local Mississippi filmmakers, whose exceptional work continues to impress. This year’s festival includes 18 films from Mississippi artists, the most to date, and they will be highlighted right next to the best films we could find from all around the world.”
Rifkin’s THE LAST MOVIE STAR (formerly titled, DOG YEARS) stars Burt Reynolds as a former box-office king, who many years later, is invited to receive an honor at a film festival that turns out to be beyond dubious. Therefore, he instead opts to go on an impromptu road trip with the sister (Ariel Winter) of one of the fest’s organizers. A bittersweet journey follows as the odd pairing visit some memorable spots – and people – from the old man’s past. The film screens Thursday, February 8 at 7:30PM at the Gertrude C. Ford Center (351 University Ave.).
Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s ALLURE stars Evan Rachel Wood as a woman struggling to re-establish her life and meet someone as she continues to recover from past abuse. However, there seems to be hope when she meets Eva, a young, talented pianist disillusioned by the life her mother imposes upon her. As Laura become increasingly obsessed with Eva, she convinces the girl to run away with her and they soon find themselves caught up in an intense relationship that can’t be sustained. The film screens Saturday, February 10 at 8:45PM at the Malco Commons (204 Commonwealth Blvd.)
Mullan’s biopic, MAD TO BE NORMAL, stars “Jessica Jones/”Dr. Who” star, David Tennant as RD Laing, a radical psychiatrist who rewrote the rules on mental health treatment. He became a 60s counterculture hero for challenging the status quo of pills and electro shock therapy, instead opting for a holistic treatment without drugs, group therapy, and communal healing. The films impressive cast also includes Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, and Michael Gambon. The film screens Sunday, February 11 at 6:00PM at the Malco Commons (204 Commonwealth Blvd.)
Two of OFF’s special events directly address issues that concern women and are currently at the forefront of society today.
Daytime television legend (“All My Children”) Cady McClain’s documentary SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT will screen on Friday (February 9), followed by a panel featuring several attending female filmmakers as they discuss some of the myriad issues that have been in the news this past year regarding female filmmakers and women in general.
Saturday sees the Mississippi premiere of Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir’s award-winning HBO documentary, I AM EVIDENCE, produced by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay, about the tens of thousands of unprocessed rape kits across the country. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and special guests.
“Given the recent and continuing avalanche of sexual harassment and assault revelations in almost every area of society,” Added Addington, “we felt it was important that the issues raised in these two films, as well as others in this year’s festival, be highlighted and discussed in our community.”
Another comedy will make its world premiere at OFF, as filmmaker Mark Potts returns to the festival with his latest, COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE. The film follows two police officers, as they take on an evil mastermind, while working through some personal partnership issues. Potts’ indie comedy, SPAGHETTIMAN, was an audience favorite two years ago.
2018 OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL FILMS AND DESCRIPTIONS
Feature Films
OPENING NIGHT SELECTION THE LAST MOVIE STAR Director: Adam Rifkin Cast: Burt Reynolds, Ariel Winter, Clark Duke, Chevy Chase Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min An aging former movie star is forced to face the reality that his glory days are behind him. On its surface, THE LAST MOVIE STAR is a tale about faded fame, but at its core, it’s a universal story about growing old. CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION MAD TO BE NORMAL Director: Robert Mullan Cast: David Tennent, Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Gambon Country: UK, Running Time: 105 min During the 1960s, a renegade Scottish psychiatrist courts controversy within his profession for his approach to the field, and for the unique community he creates for his patients to inhabit. CENTERPIECE SELECTION ALLURE Directors: Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Julia Sarah Stone, Denis O’Hare Country: USA, Running Time: 105 min Plagued by the abuse of her past and the turmoil of failed intimate encounters, Laura struggles to find a lover and a sense of normalcy. SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY SCREENING BASEKETBALL (1998) Director: David Zucker Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy Country: USA, Running Time: 103 min Two childhood friends are pro athletes of a national sport called BASEketball, a hybrid of baseball and basketball, and must deal with a greedy businessman scheming against their team. SPECIAL WORK-IN-PROGRESS SCREENING CIRCLES PRESENTED BY MISSISSIPPI HUMANITIES COUNCIL Director: Cassidy Friedman Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min A Hurricane Katrina survivor who works to keep black teenagers in school in Oakland, California, finds his personal and professional lives colliding when his 15-year-old son is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. NARRATIVE FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION BERNARD AND HUEY Director: Dan Mirvish Cast: Jim Rash, David Koechner, Sasha Alexander, Eva Darville , Richard Kind, Nancy Travis, Bellamy Young, Mae Whitman Country: USA, Running Time: 94 min Based on characters from Jules Feiffer’s Village Voice comic strip dating back to 1957, roguish Huey, and nebbishy Bernard are unlikely friends in late 1980s New York. 25 years later, and now Bernard is a successful bachelor, and Huey arrives on his doorstep looking old and washed up. As the two reconnect, Bernard starts a relationship with Huey’s estranged daughter Zelda. Huey slowly gets his mojo back and tries to seduce various women in Bernard’s life, while reconnecting with his family. At least one of them is in danger of marrying a woman old enough to be his wife. COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Mark Potts Country: USA, Running Time: 83 min Action. Suspense. Death. Love. Hot men. Etc. COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE tells the story of two wild police officers, Higgs and McGraw, and their chase to take down Samir, an evil mastermind hell bent on making the world bow down to him. DOOR IN THE WOODS Director: Billy Chase Goforth Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min A young family encounters paranormal forces and face a devastating choice after they install a mysterious vintage door in their home. THE DRAWER BOY Directors: Arturo Perez Torres, Aviva Armour-Ostroff Country: Canada, Running Time: 98 min Set in Ontario, 1972, the film follows Miles, a naive actor from Toronto, who turns up at a remote farm run by two men: the ruggedly practical Morgan and the simple-minded Angus. However, when the farmers let the city-boy into their home, Miles’ search for a story gradually unearths a devastating truth that threatens to destroy the tranquil lives of his hosts forever. ERIKO, PRETENDED Director: Akiyo Fujimura Country: Japan, Running Time: 93 min Ten years have gone by since Eriko moved to Tokyo to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. However, things haven’t gone like she expected, and for Eriko, there was no hope in sight. She receives the news about her older sister’s sudden death. Eriko returns home to attend her sister’s funeral her relatives question Eriko’s pretend life as a successful actress. On a whim, Eriko declares that she will take care of Kazuma, her sister’s 10-year-old son, while finding out that her sister worked as a mourner-for-hire at funerals. THE SOUNDING Director: Catherine Eaton Country: USA, Running Time: 93 min On a remote island off the coast of Maine, Liv, after years of silence, begins to weave a language out of Shakespeare’s words. A driven neurologist, brought to the island to protect her, commits her to a psychiatric hospital. She becomes a full-blow rebel in the hospital; her increasing violence threatens to keep her locked up for life as she fights for her voice and her freedom. At a tipping point for otherness in our current climate, THE SOUNDING champions it.DOCUMENTARY FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION
FOREVER ‘B’ Director: Skye Borgman Country: USA, Running Time: 91 min FOREVER ‘B’ is a twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction story of the Broberg’s, a naïve, church-going Idaho family whose daughter, Jan, was kidnapped by the family’s best friend and neighbor. Twice. LIYANA Director: Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp Country: Swaziland, USA, Running Time: 77 min A Swazi girl embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. This animated African tale is born in the imaginations of five orphaned children in Swaziland who collaborate to tell a story of perseverance drawn from their darkest memories and brightest dreams. THE ORGANIZER Director: Nick Taylor Country: USA, Running Time: 101 min THE ORGANIZER is a portrait of Wade Rathke, the controversial founder of ACORN, as well as an exploration of that much maligned and misunderstood occupation – community organizing. RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE Directors: Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, Jeff Springer Country: USA, Running Time: 71 min Hard headed Louisiana fisherman Thomas Gonzales doesn’t know what will hit him next. After decades of hurricanes and oil spills he faces a new threat – hordes of monstrous 20-pound swamp rats. Known as “nutria”, these invasive South American rodents breed faster than the roving squads of hunters can control them. SERENADE FOR HAITI Director: Owsley Brown III Country: USA, Running Time: 110 min A classical music school in the heart of Port-au-Prince, Haiti thrives despite decades of entrenched poverty and political strife. When a catastrophic earthquake completely destroys the school in 2010, a stunned and devastated faculty and student body must pick up the pieces and find a way to move forward.MISSISSIPPI FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION
THE LONG SHADOW Director: Frances Causey Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min Two daughters of the South look beyond their white privilege to discover a history that’s been hidden, exposing the long and shockingly powerful reach of Southern politics from slavery through to today’s racial imbalance. LOVE SOLILOQUY: A VISUAL ALBUM Director: Astin Rocks. Country: USA, Running Time: 31 min Distorting the perception of true events, LOVE SOLILOQUY uses avant-garde storytelling to reveal the psyche behind young women navigating their relationships. Astin Rocks doubles as the band’s vocalist, lyricist, and film director. MISSISSIPPI MADAM: THE LIFE OF NELLIE JACKSON WORLD PREMIERE Director: Timothy Givens and Mark K. Brockway County: USA, Running Time: 81 min In 1902 Nellie Jackson, an African-American woman born into poverty in Possum Corner, Miss., travels north to Natchez and opens a brothel she ran for more than 60 years with full knowledge of police and Natchez officials until a fiery end one hot July night in 1990 THE PROCESS: THE WAY OF PABLO SIERRA WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jeff Dennis Country: USA, Running Time: 66 min A film about a potter named Pablo Sierra who lives in Yocona, MS. Born in Spain, he came to Ole Miss on track scholarship. He became a world-class runner, and is now a potter, baker, and horseman. For Pablo, the process is everything.MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES JURIED COMPETITION
CASSETTE: A DOCUMENTARY MIXTAPE Director: Zack Taylor Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min CASSETTE: A DOCUMENTARY MIXTAPE is, in fact, a documentary mixtape about a musical format that refuses to die. Through a series of one-on-one interviews, Lou Ottens, inventor of the cassette, confronts 50 years of mixed emotions about his creation. He is joined on his journey by Henry Rollins, Thurston Moore, Ian MacKaye, Rob Sheffield, Burger Records, and many more. DO U WANT IT? Directors: Sam Radutzky, Josh Freund Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min DO U WANT IT? is an exploration and celebration of the musical culture of New Orleans. The film chronicles the rise of beloved New Orleans’ band Papa Grows Funk and uses their illustrious thirteen-year career, from formation up to the band’s emotional final shows, as a vehicle to explore the nuances of success and struggle in the greatest musical city in the world. HOW THEY GOT OVER Director: Robert Clem Country: USA, Running Time: 87 min HOW THEY GOT OVER explores the evolution of black gospel quartet music and its contributions to the emergence of rock & roll. The film includes performances by the Blind Boys of Mississippi and Alabama, the Soul Stirrers, Dixie Hummingbirds, Davis Sisters, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sensational Nightingales and many more. WORD IS BOND Director: Sacha Jenkins Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min Word Is Bond is a documentary film by Sacha Jenkins that examines the transformative power of lyrics in the world of hip-hop music. What was born on the streets of the South Bronx has now taken root globally, and the young poets of New York have helped to spawn regional dialects everywhere.LGBTQ FEATURES JURIED COMPETITION
ALASKA IS A DRAG Director: Shaz Bennett Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min A fish out of water story – literally. Our hero Leo is an aspiring superstar stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska. Leo and his twin sister Tristen hang out at the one gay bar in a hundred miles, owned by their surly surrogate mom Jan (Margaret Cho). After years of getting beat up by his former best friend, Leo has learned to fight back, catching the eye of his cannery boss, an amateur boxer who offers to train him to be a fighter. BETWEEN THE SHADES Director: Jill Salvino Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min BETWEEN THE SHADES seeks to put faces to the letters that make up LGBTQI and how those letters have evolved. The film examines the immense power of labels and the transcendence of love. BOYS FOR SALE Director: Itako Country: Japan, Running Time: 76 min Boys are selling sex in Japan. Who is buying? In the Tokyo district of Shinjuku 2-chome there are bars that specialize in “Urisen”, young boys who have sex with men.KID FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE FILMS
THE AMAZING WIZARD OF PAWS Director: Brian Michael Stoller Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min What happens when you find out the family dog is actually six-hundred years old and was once owned by a great and powerful wizard? In this charming and magical adventure, young Bobby Spade and his faithful therapy dog, Ozzy, stumble upon an ancient wizard’s mystical book of spells. MEERKAT MOONSHIP Director: Hanneke Schutte Country: South Africa, Running Time: 97 min Timid, wildly imaginative 13-year-old Gideonette de La Rey learns that the name she was given comes with it a horrible curse. After her father dies, Gideonette is paralyzed by fear and is sent to live on a farm with her grandparents where she befriends a young deaf boy who is “training” to become an astronaut and preparing to fly away in a Moonship that Gideonette’s grandfather built for him. WHALE RIDER (2002) Director: Niki Caro Country: Running Time: 101 min A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.ADDITIONAL SPECIAL SCREENINGS
I AM EVIDENCE Directors: Trish Adlesic, Geeta Gandbhir Country: USA, Running Time: An investigation into the way sexual assault cases are handled by police departments across the United States and an examination of how there came to be a backlog of tens of thousands of untested rape kits. LIVING ON SOUL Directors: Jeff Broadway, Cory Bailey Country: USA, Running Time: 96 min LIVING ON SOUL is a hybrid docu-concert film featuring the late Sharon Jones, Charles Bradley and the rest of the Daptone Records family. Filmed largely during Daptone’s December 2014 three-night, sold-out residency at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, the documentary features a mixture of live performances and verité scenes that paint a robust picture of the Daptone family and culture. SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT Director: Cady McClain Country: USA, Running Time: 57 min SEEING IS BELIEVING Is an in-depth investigation into the challenges faced by women directors. The film focuses on the journeys of four articulate filmmakers – Lesli Linka Glatter (HOMELAND), Sarah Gavron (SUFFRAGETTE), li Lu (THERE IS A NEW WORLD SOMEWHERE), and Naima Ramos Chapman (AND NOTHING HAPPENED) who provide a wonderful mix of perspectives. URANIA DESCENDING Director: Tav Falco Country: Austria, Running Time: 69 min An American girl, Gina Lee is an alienated and disaffected female who has become disenchanted with hometown strip malls, sleaze bars, and rides along the river-side in her BMW. Impulsively she buys a discount airline ticket in a shopping mall travel agency. Destination: Vienna, the merry/sinister imperial city on the Danube. Gina Lee quickly slips into discreet, yet decadent dalliances at Cafe Central and at the notorious Hotel Orient, where she becomes embroiled in an intrigue to uncover buried Nazi plunder. Her tragic liaison with rakish Karl Heinz Von Riegl results in her submersion beneath the dark waters of Lake Atter, yet her ultimate fate remains unresolved.Oxford Film Festival Short Films
BEST OF THE LOUISIANA FILM PRIZE
CANDYLAND Director: Taylor Bracewell Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min EXIT STRATEGY Director: Travis Bible Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min MY FATHER’S SON Director: Kyle Clements Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min SCOUNDRELS Director: Mark Blitch Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min STAG Director: Jonnie Stapleton Country: USA, Running Time: 15 minNARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (DRAMA SHORTS BLOCK)
AN ACT OF TERROR Director: Ashley Paige Brim Country: USA, Running Time: 16 min BLACK CANARIES Director: Jessee Kreitzer Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min BLOOD WOLF WORLD PREMIERE Director: Diana Cignoni Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min THE BLUE CAR Director: Henrik A. Meyer Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min HOME WORLD PREMIERE Director: Clark Duke Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min LAWMAN Director: Matthew Gentile Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min RUNNING EAGLE Director: Konrad Tho Fiedler Country: USA, Running Time: 13 minNARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (COMEDY SHORTS BLOCK)
BITCHES LOVE BRUNCH Director: Sasha Leigh Henry Country: Canada, Running Time: 11 min THE FINAL SHOW WORLD PREMIERE Director: Dana Nachman Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min GLORIA TALKS FUNNY WORLD PREMIERE Director: Kendall Goldberg Country: USA, Running Time: 19 min LAST WORDS Director: Andre LeBlanc Country USA, Running Time: 9 min M.A.M.O.N. (MONITOR AGAINST MEXICANS OVER NATIONWIDE) Director: Alejandro Damiani Country: Mexico, Running Time: 5 min SANS RESPONSE Director: William Papadin Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min TEMPORARY Director: Milena Govich Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min THAT SMELL Director: Kyle Lavore Country: USA, Running Time: 11 minNARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (INTERNATIONAL SHORTS BLOCK)
ALZHAÏMOUR Director: Pierre Van de Kerckhove Country: Belgium, Running Time: 14 min FLIEGEN Director: Marcus Hanisch Country: Germany, Running Time: 18 min SAVE ME! Director: Mohsen Nabavi Countries: Iran/Malyasia, Running Time: 10 min SAY NO WORLD PREMIERE Director: Samuel Clemens Country: UK, Running Time: 9 min SPACE GIRLS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Carys Watford Country: UK, Running Time: 10 min SPINOSAURUS Director: Tessa Hoffe Country: UK, Running Time: 15 min THE VEST Director: Lesley Manning Country: UK, Running Time: 7 min THE WEIGHT Director: Garrett Detrixhe Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min A WHOLE WORLD FOR A LITTLE WORLD Director: Fabrice Bracq Country: France, Running Time: 15 minNARRATIVE SHORT FILMS (LATE NIGHT SHORTS BLOCK)
ALFRED J. HEMLOCK Director: Edward Lyons Country: Australia, Running Time: 15 min THE APOCALYPSE WILL BE AUTOMATED WORLD PREMIERE Director: Melanie Killingsworth Country: Australia, Running Time: 8 min EINSTEIN-ROSEN Director: Olga Osorio Country: Spain, Running Time: 9 min HEARTLESS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Kevin Sluder Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min IT BEGAN WITHOUT WARNING Directors: Santiago C. Tapia, Jessica Curtright Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min LABORATORY CONDITIONS Director: Jocelyn Statmat Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min PESSIM U.S. PREMIERE Director: TAKCOM Country: Japan, Running Time: 11 min (NOTE – PESSIM is a Fest Forward selection screening in this block) REAL ARTISTS Director: Cameo Wood Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min TRANSMISSION Directors: Varun Raman & Tom Hancock Country: UK, Running Time: 17 min (NOTE – TRANSMISSION is a Fest Forward selection screening in this block)NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
FAVORITES Director: Tracy S. Facelli Country: USA, Running Time: 17:24 min (ARTIST VODKA runner up) (screens with Winning Short Films block) THE MELANCHOLY MAN Director: Samantha Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min (screens with ERIKO PRETENDING) NATION DOWN Director: Liam Hendrix Heath Country: USA, Running Time: 14:57 min (ARTIST VODKA winner) (screens with Winning Short Films block) THE PERFECT FIT WORLD PREMIERE Director: Emory Parker Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min (screens with THE DRAWER BOY) ROBERT Directors: Sarah Fleming, Joann Self Selvidge Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min (screens with CIRCLES) SURROGATE Director: Olivia Hamilton Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min (screens with BERNARD & HUEY) TIMBRE U.S. PREMIERE Director: Gareth Peevers Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min (screens with THE SOUNDING) TOND Directors: Josh Ruben, Vince Peone Country: USA, Running Time: 21 min (screens with COP CHRONICLES: LOOSE CANNONS: THE LEGEND OF THE HAJ-MIRAGE)DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
$30 TO ANTARCTICA Director: Joey Chu Country: USA/Hong Kong, Running Time: 18 min A LIFE’S WORK U.S. PREMIERE Director: Ben Spilling Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN Director: Daniel Robin Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min ALTIMIR Director: Kay Hannahan Country: Bulgaria/USA, Running Time: 15 min JOHNNY’S GREEK AND THREE Director: Ava Lowery Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min NEWPORT GUN GIRLS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Lauren Orme Country: UK, Running Time: 11 min OUR GHOSTS Director: Hannah Ruddle Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min WASHED AWAY Director: Dana Nachman Country: USA, Running Time: 18 minDOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
AN ACCIDENTAL DROWNING Director: Matteo Servente Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with LIYANA) JESSZILLA Director: Emily Sheskin Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with SERENADE FOR HAITI) MONSTER IN THE BAYOU Director: Victoria Greene Country: USA, Running Time: 14 min (screens with SERENADE FOR HAITI) THE NATURE OF MASS DEMONSTRATIONS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Nate Lavey Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with THE ORGANIZER) ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND BEATING HEARTS Director: Peter Byck Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min (screens with RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE) YOU SEE ‘EM Director: Emma Landeche Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min (screens with RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE)MISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (COMMUNITY FILM BLOCK)
#FIFTEEN Director: Melanie Addington Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min BIRTHING VIDEO Director: Christina Huff Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min CLOSED Director: Samuel Cox Country: USA, Running Time: 3:17 min DAYFALL Director: Tony King Country: USA, Running Time: 1:17 min DEAR MR BRYANT WORLD PREMIERE Directors: Robbie Fisher, Jenni Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min (MAGNIFYING GLASS FELLOWSHIP WINNER) FIFTEEN Director: Julia Mitchell Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min THE PIZZA MAGAZINE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Daniel Perea Country: USA, Running Time: 15:48 min THACKER MOUNTAIN RADIO HOUR: 20TH ANNIVERSARY Director: Christina Huff Country: USA, Running Time: 15 minMISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS (MISSISSIPPI SHORTS BLOCK)
CAUTION Director: Thomas Haffey Country: USA, Running Time: 1:17 min COWGIRL UP Director: Nathan Willis Country: USA, Running Time: 5:17 min CUBICLE CITY Director: Glenn Payne Country: USA, Running Time: 16:42 min FLAG FLAP OVER MISSISSIPPI Director: Rex Jones Country: USA, Running Time: 27 min HAND MADE Director: David Ross Country: USA, Running Time: 4:55 min MOMBIE Director: N.T. Bullock Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min PART OF IT WORLD PREMIERE Director: Victoria De Leone Country: USA, Running Time: 7:20 min PAY THE PIPER Director: Maggie Bushway Country: USA, Running Time: 6:29 min RIVER MADE WORLD PREMIERE Director: David Ross Country: USA, Running Time: 7:09 min TRUTH RISES WORLD PREMIERE Director: E. J. Carter Country: USA, Running Time: 2:40 min WE BELIEVED WE WERE IMMORTAL Directors: Kathleen Wickham, Larry Wells Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min WINSTON COUNTY MIRACLE MAN Director: Rick Guy Country: USA, Running Time: 6:25 minMISSISSIPPI SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
COLETTE Director: Royce Swayze Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min (screens with MISSISSIPPI MADAM: THE LIFE OF NELLIE JACKSON) HERE I’LL STAY Directors: Marlene McCurtis, Lorena Maniquez Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min (screens with THE LONG SHADOW)LGBTQ SHORT FILMS
3 FRIENDS Director: Michael Moody Culpepper Country: Ireland/USA, Running Time: 22 min THE CLEANSE Director: Lucas Omar Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min DUSK Director: Jake Graf Country: UK, Running Time: 15 min HAYGOOD EATS! Director: Hazart Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min HOW TO MAKE A PEARL Director: Jason Hanasik Country: USA, Running Time: 22 min SPARK WORLD PREMIERE Director: Aharonit Elinor Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min SUNUNÚ: THE REVOLUTION OF LOVE Director: Olivia Crellin Country: UK, Running Time: 24 min THE THIRD MOVEMENT U.S. PREMIERE Director: Josephine Anderson Country: Canada, Running Time: 11 min WAFFLES Director: Foster Wilson Country: USA, Running Time: 4 minLGBTQ SHORT FILMS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
FISHY Director: Joseph Sulsenti Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min (screens with ALASKA IS A DRAG) LADY EVA Directors: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu Country: Kingdom of Tonga, Running Time: 11 min (screens with ALASKA IS A DRAG)FEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (ANIMATION BLOCK)
CATHERINE Director: Britt Raes Country: Belgium, Running Time: 12 min FIRST BLOOM Director: Tingting Liu Country: China, Running Time: 5 min JAMSHID: A LAMENT FOR A MYTH U.S. PREMIERE Director: Moin Samadi Country: Iran, Running Time: 12 min MEETING MACGUFFIN Director: Catya Plate Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min NEGATIVE SPACE U.S. PREMIERE Directors: Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata Country: France, Running Time: 5 min THE SERVANT Director: Farnoosh Abedi Country: Iran, Running Time: 9 min THE SPIRIT SEAM WORLD PREMIERE Director: Ashley Gerst Country: USA, Running Time: 15 min TWO BALLOONS Director: Mark C. Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min UGLY Director: Nikita Diakur Country: Germany, Running Time: 12 minFEST FORWARD SHORT FILMS (FEST FORWARD BLOCK)
ANIMAL CINEMA Director: Emilio Vavarella Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min ANTHROPOCENE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Bradley Rappa Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min BLUE BUT PALE BLUE Director: Daisy Dickinson Country: UK, Running Time: 4 min THE BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER Director: Jadwiga Kowalska Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 6 min CARGO Director: Jasmine Ellis Country: Germany, Running Time: 4 min COLLAPSING Director: Brian Ratigan Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min COOKING WITH CONNIE Director: Stavit Allweis Country: USA, Running Time: 20 min DISILLUSIONMENT OF 10 POINT FONT Director: Greg Condon Country: USA, Running Time: 1 min LYING WOMEN Director: Deborah Kelly Country: Australia, Running Time: 4 min MAY I? REMIX# Director: Vasco Diogo Country: Portugal, Running Time: 4 min PARALYSIS WORLD PREMIERE Director: Victoria Negri Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min PITTARI Director: Patrick Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min THE REALM OF DEEPEST KNOWING Director: Seunghee Kim Country: South Korea, Running Time: 3 min SHOT Director: Aemilia Scott Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min TOWARDS THE EXPERIMENTAL CONTROL OF DREAMING Director: Ryan Betschart Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min TRUMPET MAN Director: Emily Wong Country: Hong Kong, Running Time: 14 min WHAT’S THAT IN THE GROUND? WORLD PREMIERE Director: Wally Chung Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min YELLOW AND RED MAKE ORANGE WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jay Hollinsworth Country: USA, Running Time: 5 minMISSISSIPPI MUSIC VIDEOS
“A Hard Rain” by Stacie and Cassie Director: J.B. Lawrence/Stace and Cassie Country: USA, Running Time: 5:55 min “All I Know” by Jake Wood Director: Rex Harsin Country: USA, Running Time: 2:56 min “Damaged” by American Automatic WORLD PREMIERE Director: Greg Johnson Country: USA, Running Time: 5:28 min “Glory Glory” by Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band WORLD PREMIERE Director: Jeff Dennis Country: USA, Running Time: 5:01 min “God Bless America” by Effie Burt Director: Effie Burt Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min “Make Me Want You” by Shayne Weems Director: J.B. Lawrence Country: USA, Running Time: 4:28 min “Manna” by King Woman Director: Vincent Jude Chaney Country: USA, Running Time: 6:12 min “My City” by Adam “AJC” Collier Directors: Philip Scarborough, Tom Beck Country: USA, Running Time: 4:40 min “Randy Weeks: Mississippi Songwriter” WORLD PREMIERE Directors: Keerthi Chandrashekar, Je’Monda Roy, Jimmy Thomas Country: USA, Running Time: 5:15 min “Royal” by Lost in Constellation Director: Michael Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min “Spinning” by The Fuzzy Crystals Director: Justin Possenti Country: USA, Running Time: 3:30 min “Stomping Ground” by Robert King Director: J.B. Lawrence Country: USA, Running Time: 5:54 min “Trust and Believe” WORLD PREMIERE Director: Andre Hill Country: USA, Running Time: 4:40 min “World Gone Crazy” by 61 Ghosts Director: Coop Cooper Country: USA, Running Time: 6:03 min “Your Mistress” by Mersaidee Soules Director: Michael Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 4:16 minKID FILM FEST SHORT FILMS
A MESSAGE FOR BRAZEY Director: Jared D. Weiss Country: USA, Running Time: 2 min THE ADVENTURE OF THE AFTERNOON Directors: Vance Yang, Stella Huang Country: Taiwan, Running Time: 8 min BRAND NEW DAY Directors: Patricia Beckmann Wells, EdD Country: USA, Running Time: 4 min C-5-11 Director: Edward Ramsay-Morin Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min GHOST BEATS Director: Brent Barson Country: USA, Running Time: 3 min HOMEGROWN Director: Quentin Haberham Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min LIGHT SIGHT Director: Seyed M. Tabatabaei Country: Iran, Running Time: 8 min ROYAL (MOVE TO MUSIC VIDEOS) Director: Michael Williams Country: USA, Running Time: 6 min SAVING SANTA Director: Keith O’ Grady Country: Northern Ireland, Running Time: 17 min STARS Director: Han Zhang Country: USA, Running Time: 5 minSCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNERS
“Twirling at Ole Miss”(Grand Prize) Screenwriter: John Matthew Tyson “Not Everything Was Burning” (Runner Up) Screenwriter: John Bateman
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“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” “Lady Bird” “In the Fade” Among Winners of 75th Golden Globe awards
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/caption]
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” was the big winner at last night’s 75th Golden Globe awards, snagging four awards, including Best motion picture, drama, along with Best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama for Frances McDormand, Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture for Sam Rockwell, and Best screenplay, motion picture for Martin McDonagh.
Winners of 75th Golden Globe awards
Motion Picture
Best motion picture, drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Best motion picture, musical or comedy: “Lady Bird” Best director, motion picture: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water” Best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Best performance by an actor in a motion picture, drama: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour” Best performance by an actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy: Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird” Best performance by an actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy: James Franco, “The Disaster Artist” Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in any motion picture: Allison Janney, “I, Tonya” Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in any motion picture: Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Best screenplay, motion picture: Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Best motion picture, animated: “Coco” Best motion picture, foreign language: “In the Fade” Best original score, motion picture: Alexandre Desplat, “The Shape of Water” Best original song, motion picture: “This Is Me” — “The Greatest Showman”Television
Best television series, drama: “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Hulu Best performance by an actress in a television series, drama: Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale” Best performance by an actor in a television series, drama: Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” Best television series, musical or comedy: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amazon Best performance by an actress in a television series, musical or comedy: Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Best performance by an actor in a television series, musical or comedy: Aziz Ansari, “Master of None” Best television limited series or motion picture made for television: “Big Little Lies,” HBO Best performance by an actress in a limited series or motion picture made for television: Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies” Best performance by an actor in a limited series or motion picture made for television: Ewan McGregor, “Fargo” Best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television: Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies” Best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television: Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”
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International Film Festival Rotterdam Reveals 2018 Bright Future Mid-length Program
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Drown Among the Dead (Pierdete entre los muertos), Ruben Gutiérrez[/caption]
Since 2014, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) highlights a new format on the rise: the mid-length film, between 45 and 62 minutes. The Bright Future Mid-length program of 2018 consists of ten films, five of which are world premieres. From a tale of revenge in the Mexican desert to the reincarnation of Walter Benjamin taking the Staten Island Ferry. After each screening there will be extra time to meet the director.
2018 Bright Future Mid-length Program
World Premieres: Good Evening to the People Living in the Camp, Joost Conijn, France/Greece/Netherlands, 2018, world premiere The long awaited new work by Dutch artist and filmmaker Joost Conijn: an unorthodox portrait of refugees in Europe. Everyone in Hawaii Has a Sixpack Already, Marvin Hesse, Germany/Spain, 2018, world premiere Hesse’s intimate coming-of-age documentary on the island of La Gomera. Death of the Master (La muerte del maestro), José María Avilés, Ecuador/Argentina, 2018, world premiere A mysterious narration of an old farmer’s experience of the 2016 Ecuador earthquake. Villain Robert Otto (Der Schurke Robert Otto), Florian Haag, Germany, 2018, world premiere A remarkable debut by Florian Haag who sketches the rigorous portrait of Swiss writer Robert Walser. Drown Among the Dead (Pierdete entre los muertos), Ruben Gutiérrez, Mexico, 2018, world premiere A bizarre yet comical nightmare in the Mexican desert. As well as: Exile, Zoe Beloff, USA, 2017, international premiere Bertolt Brecht and Walter Benjamin are alive and kicking, and they roam around New York City! Beyond the One (Au-delà de l’un), Anna Marziano, France, 2017, European premiere An elegant 16mm essay investigating love and new forms of relationships in Europe and India. Cartucho, Andrés Chaves, Colombia, 2017 Portrait of El Cartucho in Bogotá, a hell hole that used to belong to drug lords. Playing Men, Matjaž Ivanišin, Slovenia/Croatia, 2017 Serious absurdism by the great hope of Kroatian cinema. Stomach of the World, Eva Kotatkova, Greece, 2017 A playful meditation on capitalism.
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VIDEO: Watch Brooklyn Hipsters Stalked and Murdered in Slasher PSYCHOTIC! Trailer
New York filmmakers Derek Gibbons and Maxwell Frey released the trailer for PSYCHOTIC!, the suspenseful psychedelic slasher that follows a group of hard-partying Brooklyn hipsters as they’re stalked and savagely murdered by a masked maniac known as the Bushwick Party Killer.
PSYCHOTIC! will be released on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Vudu, Sony PSN, Xbox, as well as special screenings at the Nitehawk Theater in Williamsburg on the 25th, Film Noir Cinema in Greenpoint on the 26th, and Videology on the 27th.
It’s up to struggling artists Tim and Stuart to figure out who keeps killing the life of the party. Blood-soaked mayhem ensues as our heroes barely make the rent on time, search for love (in all the wrong places), and try to salvage their friendship – all while trying to unravel the mystery and stay one step ahead of the next massacre.
On the tail end of its impressive festival run PSYCHOTIC! has been lauded for its visually striking Giallo style and its blood-soaked practical effects. Winner of Best Feature at the Cannabis Film Festival, Best NY Feature at the Upstate NY Horror Film Festival and Best Actress at The Lost Sanity & Sci-Fi Film Fest.
PSYCHOTIC! was written and directed by Derek Gibbons and Maxwell Frey. The film was shot and produced on location in Brooklyn, NY by Destruction Inc Productions. The film stars Kristen Martin, Clint Keepin, Cirocco Dunlap, Maria Wojciechowski, Dani Grace, Adam Maid, Rafael Cruz, Chris Prine, Aldous Davidson and Rachel Laforest. Gibbons, Frey and Keepin also produced alongside Elizabeth Koe, and Brian Stansfield did cinematography. The film features an original score by Brooklyn-based synth duo Blazing Galaxies.
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Film Independent Awards Winners of 2018 Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants
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Justin Chon, Gook[/caption]
The winners of the five Film Independent Spirit Awards filmmaker grants were awarded the prizes at the annual Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch held on Saturday in West Hollywood. John Cho (Star Trek, Columbus, Search) and Alia Shawkat (Search Party, Blaze, Duck Butter) co-hosted the event and handed out the honors.
“This year we are giving out $150,000 in cash grants to a group of remarkably talented writers, directors, and producers,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “The Spirit Awards grants are designed to provide critical support to these filmmakers, recognizing them for past accomplishments and helping them to develop new work.”
Chloé Zhao received the inaugural Bonnie Award. Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo joined American Airlines in 1973 at age 24, becoming the first female pilot to fly for a major U.S. airline. In her honor, the Bonnie Award recognizes a mid-career female director with a $50,000 unrestricted grant sponsored by American Airlines. Finalists for the award were So Yong Kim and Lynn Shelton.
Jonathan Olshefski, director of Quest, received the Jeepâ Truer Than Fiction Award. The award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not received significant recognition. The award is in its 23rd year and includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by the Jeep brand for the first year. Finalists for the award were Shevaun Mizrahi, director of Distant Constellation and Jeff Unay, director of The Cage Fighter.
Justin Chon, director of Gook, received the Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award. The award recognizes talented filmmakers of singular vision who have not yet received appropriate recognition. The award is in its 24th year and includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851 for the fourth consecutive year. Finalists for the award were Amman Abbasi, director of Dayveon and Kevin Phillips, director of Super Dark Times.
Summer Shelton received the Piaget Producers Award. The award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The annual award, in its 21st year, includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget for the 11th year. Finalists for the award were Giulia Caruso & Ki Jin Kim and Ben Leclair.
Matty Brown received the Seattle Story Award. The award is for a filmmaker who exhibits innovation, diversity and uniqueness of vision while having a history of transforming perspectives through rich stories. The award includes a $25,000 cash grant, sponsored by Visit Seattle, to create a short film inspired by Seattle’s independent spirit. This film will premiere during the Spirit Awards broadcast.
This year marks the 33rd edition of the awards show that celebrates the best of independent film. Nick Kroll and John Mulaney return to co-host the show, and director Ava DuVernay is the Spirit Awards Honorary Chair. Winners for the remaining categories will be revealed at the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, March 3. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET.