Terry P.

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

Comedian VICKIE SHAW and Premiere of CLAMBAKE to Kick Off QCinema’s Lesbian Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_12868" align="aligncenter" width="1057"] CLAMBAKE[/caption] Award winning filmmaker ANDREA MEYERSON and renowned standup comedian VICKIE SHAW will join 2016 QCinema’s Lesbian Film Festival opening night for the Southwest Premier of CLAMBAKE. QCinema’s 5th Lesbian Film Festival will feature two southwest premiers – CLAMBAKE and ToY; and one North Texas premier – Vickie Shaw: I’m Not Your Role Model. Clambake Southwest Premier Vickie Shaw and Andrea Meyerson in attendance. Dir. Andrea Meyerson | 2015 | USA | 95 min CLAMBAKE is an exciting new documentary from award-winning filmmaker Andrea Meyerson, charting the growth of Women’s Week in Provincetown, from its inception to the thriving, exciting lesbian mecca it is today. The film will take viewers on a 30-year journey through archival footage and photos, interviews with celebrities and organizers, current event coverage and performances, offering a historical and hysterical look at what a few innovative women can accomplish. https://vimeo.com/101198858 Vickie Shaw: I’m Not Your Role Model North Texas Premiere Vickie Shaw in attendance. Dir. Andrea Meyerson | 2014 | USA | 89 min A Hysterical romp into the world of comedian Vickie Shaw, both on and off stage. A rare and revealing look into Vickie’s private life and what it takes to gear up for her sold-out show in Hollywood, California. Welcome to League City, Texas where you’re invited to spend a few days with Vickie and her family! Come on in, grab a drink and make yourself at home while hanging out with Vickie, her partner Sgt. Patch, her kids, grand babies and of course, the dogs! ToY Southwest Premiere Dir. Patrick Chapman | 2015 | USA | 94 min ToY is the story of a young, wealthy, talented but naive artist named Chloe (Briana Evigan). She inherited not only her late mother’s wealth, but also the thing that took her mother’s life and which she’s desperate to keep secret. Chloe’s newest work leads her to Kat (Kerry Norton), a beautiful but aging call girl. As Kat’s career options grow more desperate, and as Chloe fights her own demons, the two women grasp on to each other, offering each other second chances while trying to escape their inevitable decline. https://vimeo.com/152361547
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Seattle International Film Festival Unveils African Pictures Program Lineup

Senegalese documentary The Revolution Won’t Be Televised

The Seattle International Film Festival will continue its African Pictures program at the upcoming festival, thanks to a $25,000 FilmWatch grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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MR. PIG, THE PEARL Win Top Awards at Dallas International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_12857" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] MR. PIG[/caption] Diego Luna’s MR. PIG and Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca’s THE PEARL took home the top prizes at the 2016 Dallas International Film Festival awards ceremony. MR. PIG starring Danny Glover and Maya Rudolph took home the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize and Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca’s THE PEARL was awarded the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize at the festival. The Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation Audience Awards were presented to: Greg Kwedar’s TRANSPECOS for Best Narrative Feature, Jenna Jackson and Anthony Jackson’s UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT for Best Documentary Feature, and Duke Merriman’s SO GOOD TO SEE YOU for Best Short Film. In addition to the presentation of the filmmaking awards, the evening also featured the presentation of the Dallas Star Award to two-time Academy Award nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman, and the inaugural presentation of the L.M. Kit Carson Maverick Filmmaker Award to filmmaking legend Monte Hellman. Keith Maitland‘s TOWER won the Texas Competition Grand Jury Prize and Berndt Mader’s BOOGER RED received a Texas Competition Special Jury Prize. Nanfu Wang’s HOOLIGAN SPARROW won the Silver Heart Award and the $10,000 cash prize bestowed on an individual or film for their dedication to fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity. 2016 Dallas International Film Festival Awards – Jury Awards NARRATIVE FEATURE GRAND JURY PRIZE: MR. PIG DIR: Diego Luna Eubanks (Danny Glover), an old-school pig farmer from Georgia on the brink of losing his family farm, sets off on a road trip with Howard, his beloved and very large pig. As they make their way across the border to Mexico to find “Howie” a new home, Eubanks’s drinking and deteriorating health begin to take a toll, derailing their plans. His estranged daughter, Eunice (Maya Rudolph), is forced to join them on their adventure. Driven by strong convictions and stubbornness in his old ways, Eubanks attempts to make peace through his devotion to Howie and desire to mend his broken relationships. NARRATIVE FEATURE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (PERFORMANCE): ARIANNA DIR: Carlo Lavagna CAST: Ondina Quadri Carlo Lavagna’s debut feature, ARIANNA, unfolds like a classic film mystery set in the the gorgeous Italian countryside. Arianna is nineteen years old and still hasn’t had her first period. She’s starting to notice that she hasn’t physically matured like other girls. Her parents are feeding her hormones prescribed by a gynecologist. Now her breasts have become slightly enlarged and this is causing her some discomfort. The hormones aren’t helping with her maturation. Her parents decide to take her back to the lake house in Bolsena where they used to vacation. While staying in the house, old memories start to come back to Arianna like pieces of a puzzle slowly begin to fall into place. When her parents tell her it’s time to return to the city for a few days, Arianna wants to stay behind to study for her exams. Her father accepts despite her mother’s objections, as Arianna becomes more suspicious of her condition and her parents. Arianna’s investigation into her past includes seeing a new gynecologist without her parents’ knowledge, and a new exploration of her body and her sexuality. All of this leads up to surprise conclusion that will shock audiences as much as it shocks Arianna herself. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE GRAND JURY PRIZE: THE PEARL DIR: Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca’s [caption id="attachment_12862" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] THE PEARL[/caption] Far from the celebrity and magazine covers of Laverne Cox and Caitlin Jenner, THE PEARL witnesses the loss and extraordinary risk of four middle-aged and senior war vets, steel foremen, and fathers and grandfathers coming out for the first time as transgender women in the hyper-masculine culture of the Pacific Northwest. Each year, their lives intersect at the annual Esprit Conference for T-girls, a weeklong event enlivening a community broken by closeted isolation and loss due to suicide. Filmmakers Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca create a language for the film that is built on their subject’s honesty; an honesty that therapeutically hides nothing from the camera. Over the course of the film, these four transgender women emerge with beauty, conviction, strength, and a newfound personal integrity. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE DIR: Patrick Shen In this beautiful, meditative documentary, filmmaker Patrick Shen crafts exquisite footage with a delicate soundtrack, creating a comprehensive and thought-provoking discussion of how noise impacts our daily life. From the early religious aspects of solitude to John Cage’s seminal silent composition 4’33”, silence has always fascinated society and played an important role in our humanity. As our lives become modernized with technology, noise has taken a larger toll on our wellness and behavior. TEXAS COMPETITION GRAND JURY PRIZE (PRESENTED BY PANAVSION): TOWER DIR: Keith Maitland On August 1st, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes. When the gunshots were finally silenced, the toll included 16 dead, three dozen wounded, and a shaken nation left trying to understand. Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation in a dynamic, never-before-seen way, TOWER reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others. TEXAS COMPETITION SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: BOOGER RED DIR: Berndt Mader Booger Red is a hybrid narrative/documentary film where fictional journalist, Onur Tukel, investigates the true case of the ‘Mineola Swingers Club’ trials. In 2006, seven people were sentenced to life for purportedly running the largest child sex ring in Texas history–inside of a swingers club in Mineola, Tx. Onur, portraying a veteran reporter, interviews the actual defendants and lawyers involved in the trials. On his journey through the seedy underbelly of east Texas, Onur is forced to confront his own history with abuse while he discovers that the allegations at the root of his investigation might have never happened. SILVER HEART AWARD (PRESENTED BY THE EMBREY FAMILY FOUNDATION): HOOLIGAN SPARROW DIR: Nanfu Wang The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to Hainan Province in southern China to protest the case of six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment, and imprisonment. Sparrow, who gained notoriety with her advocacy work for sex workers’ rights, continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power and reach of social media. Filmmaker Wang becomes a target along with Sparrow, as she faces destroyed cameras and intimidation. Yet she bravely and tenaciously keeps shooting, guerrilla-style, with secret recording devices and hidden-camera glasses, and in the process, she exposes a startling number of undercover security agents on the streets. Eventually, through smuggling footage out of the country, Wang is able tell the story of her journey with the extraordinary revolutionary Sparrow, her fellow activists, and their seemingly impossible battle for human rights. SHORT FILM GRAND JURY PRIZE: THE BLACK BELT DIR: Margaret Brown SHORT FILM SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: MINOR SETBACK DIR: Augustine Frizzell STUDENT SHORT FILM GRAND JURY PRIZE: FATA MORGANA DIR: Amelie Wen STUDENT SHORT SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: THE MINK CATCHER DIR: Samantha Buck ANIMATED SHORT FILM GRAND JURY PRIZE (PRESENTED BY REEL FX): SNOWFALL DIR: Conor Whelan 2016 Dallas International Film Festival Awards – Audience Awards (PRESENTED BY THE ARTHUR E. BENJAMIN FOUNDATION) NARRATIVE FEATURE: TRANSPECOS DIR: Greg Kwedar [caption id="attachment_12861" align="aligncenter" width="960"] TRANSPECOS[/caption] On a remote desert highway a makeshift Border Patrol checkpoint is manned by three agents: Flores (Gabriel Luna): with an uncanny ability to track; Davis (Johnny Simmons): joined the Border Patrol with dreams of romancing señoritas and riding on horseback; Hobbs (Clifton Collins, Jr.): one of the old guards who believes a college degree can’t stop a bullet. It starts out like most boring days, but soon the contents of one car will change everything. What follows is a journey to uncover the surreal, frightening secrets hidden behind the facade of this lonely outpost. The end of the path may cost them their lives along a border where the line between right and wrong shifts like the desert itself. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT DIR: Jenna Jackson and Anthony Jackson UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT is every parent’s worst nightmare come to life. In 2006, Corpus Christi homemaker Hannah Overton and her husband were in the process of adopting 4-year-old Andrew Burd. In October of that year, Andrew died. His death was determined to be the result of deliberate salt poisoning, and Hannah was charged with capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. Maintaining her innocence the entire time, Hannah spent almost eight years incarcerated before a hard-won battle resulted in her conviction being overturned. All of the inconsistencies, flawed arguments and erroneous conclusions from her original trial—along with her being ruthlessly portrayed in the media as a cold-hearted killer—were finally brought to light. Directors Jenna and Anthony Jackson have extensively detailed Hannah’s story to show how it took a team of lawyers that fervently believed in justice to finally gain her freedom. SHORT FILM: SO GOOD TO SEE YOU DIR: Duke Merriman
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THE GOD CELLS Documentary Tackling Stem Cell Issue to Open In Theaters in June | TRAILER

THE GOD CELLS, a film directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Eric Merola will open at Cinema Village in New York on June 3rd and at Laemmle Music Hall in Los Angeles on June 10. A national release will follow. THE GOD CELLS explores one of the most controversial and polarizing subjects facing mankind today: the harvesting of stem cells from aborted fetuses to be used for therapeutic use. Currently, the clinical practice fetal stem cell therapy is illegal in the United States, but research toward seeking FDA-approval has been underway for more than a decade. Stem Cell research and therapy have been growing at a rapid rate over the past 15 years. Scientific advances coupled with consumer demand has proven that stem cell therapy is the wave of the future, and is poised to change the face of medicine. THE GOD CELLS takes the audience on a journey by following those who are seeking fetal stem cell therapy abroad—while avoiding these seemingly insurmountable roadblocks at home. Originally harvested by abortions, Fetal Stem Cells are arguably the most contested and controversial form of stem cell therapy to date. Not only does this technology face enormous religious opposition, but commercial and regulatory agencies wish to slow down the approval process for fetal stem cells due to profit and market reasons— creating an atmosphere for a seemingly insurmountable dilemma. The documentary follows patients from all walks of life who sought fetal stem cells for a variety of reasons: including Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Lupus and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Also included are interviews with some of the patients’ doctors, who were once highly skeptical, but now stand baffled by the full remissions their patients have achieved due to fetal stem cells. Eric Merola’s previous films within the same genre of THE GOD CELLS have garnered wide audiences, starting with his debut documentary series Burzynski (2010-2013), which has been viewed by millions, and sparking an international movement. Merola’s third documentary Second Opinion received rave reviews by the mainstream press with the New York Daily News saying: “Though a documentary, it’s dramatic enough to be reminiscent of ‘The Insider,’ the whistleblowing thriller about Big Tobacco.” The God Cells far exceeds the scope of anything else Merola has produced or that mainstream audiences have experienced. It has it all: religious conflict, scientific controversy, and a message that could bring down the pharmaceutical industry itself: because any patient with any ailment can seek this therapy; and any group with the proper resources can provide it. In a sentence, “this movie will piss off more people for more reasons than we can count—while also giving hope to countless others who once thought their declining health situation was hopeless.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08H0ih490RY
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Rooftop Films Reveals First Batch of Films, Opens with WEINER Doc

[caption id="attachment_11832" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] WEINER[/caption] Rooftop Films announced the Opening Weekend lineup and the first batch of feature film programming for the 20th Annual Summer Series. The 2016 Rooftop Films Summer Series opens on Wednesday, May 18th with a special sneak preview screening of 2016 Sundance U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize Winner Weiner on the rooftops of Industry City. The official opening night will follow on Friday, May 20th, with “This is What We Mean By Short Films,” a collection of some of the most innovative, new shorts from around the world. The 2016 Rooftop Films Summer Series continues through August, with screenings of some of the best independent films of the past year in a variety of exciting and engaging outdoor locations across all five boroughs. This year’s slate includes phenomenal works of non-fiction such as Jerzy Sladokowski’s thoughtful and intimate IDFA winner Don Juan, Roger Ross Williams’ critically acclaimed Life, Animated; Kirsten Johnson’s form-challenging and deeply poetic Cameraperson; Jesse Moss’ Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham doc, The Bandit, David Farrier’s stranger than fiction film, Tickled, Joe Berlinger’s Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, and many more. The 20th Summer Series also includes exceptional fiction films, such as Elizabeth Wood’s self-reflective and provocative White Girl; Bernardo Britto’s timely surveillance culture satire, Jacqueline, Argentine; Taika Waititi’s off-kilter comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople; Matthew Brown’s understated and intimate teen drama In the Treetops; among others. In addition to feature and short film programming, this year’s series will include a number of unique events and partnerships, including: the return of the Rooftop Films Storm King Art Center Cinema Ramble featuring multiple film installations, and specialty programming with International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), The Sundance Film Institute, and SXSW Film. Rooftop Films 20th Annual Summer Series Opening Weekend Wednesday, May 18, 2016 Industry City, Sunset Park, Brooklyn Weiner (Elyse Steinberg & Josh Kriegman | USA | 100’) Sexts, lies, and Carlos Danger: watch the wildest political meltdown in recent history. Presented in Partnership with: Sundance Selects Friday, May 20, 2016 The Bushwick Generator, Bushwick, Brooklyn This is What We Mean by Short Films Celebrate our 20th anniversary with short films chock-full of the stuff of summer: dancing, swimming, and hanging with old friends. THE FILMS: Stations (Roddy Hyduk); The Position (Black Eye Symphony pt. 1) (Steve Collins); METUBE 2 — August Sings Carmina Burana (Daniel Moshel); Avant Garde (Black Eye Symphony pt. 3) (Steve Collins); Temporary Color (John Wilson); Thunder P. (Black Eye Symphony pt. 4) (Steve Collins); The Hanging (Geoffrey Feinberg); Mining Poems or Odes (Callum Rice); AN ECSTATIC EXPERIENCE (Ja’Tovia Gary); Bad at Dancing (Joanna Arnow); Dr. Meertz (Black Eye Symphony pt. 4) (Steve Collins). Feature Documentaries (more films, dates and venues to be announced soon) The Bandit (Jesse Moss | USA | 82′) Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham recount the strange, wild making of Smokey and the Bandit. Presented in Partnership with: CMT Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson | USA | 102′) Cinematographer Kirsten Johnson’s deeply poetic memoir, culled from footage shot for other films. Presented in Partnership with: The Film Collaborative Danny Brown Concert Documentary (Title TBA) (Andrew Cohn | USA) An intimate, behind-the-scenes adventure with Detroit-rapper Danny Brown during a hometown show. Presented in partnership with: House of Vans Don Juan (Jerzy Sladkowski | Sweden/Finland | 92′) A 4-sided love triangle, complete with autism & neuroses in the Russian city Nizhny Novgorod Presented in Partnership with: IDFA and Swedish Film Institute Goodnight Brooklyn – The Story of Death by Audio (Matthew Conboy | USA | 82′) The origins, influence and ultimate closure of one of Brooklyn’s best DIY music venues. In Pursuit of Silence (Patrick Shen | USA | 81’) A contemplative meditation that explores our relationship with silence, sound, and the impact of noise on our lives. The film will be presented as a special silent screening, with the audience listening to the film on headphones. [caption id="attachment_12369" align="aligncenter" width="1350"] Life, Animated[/caption] Life, Animated (Roger Ross Williams | USA | 91′) A young man with autism discovers a way to make sense of world via classic Disney animated films. Presented in Partnership with: The Orchard, in theaters July 8 Los Punks: We Are All We Have (Angela Boatwright | USA | 79′) All thrash, noise, and pits; meet the fans and bands of the thriving backyard punk scene in LA. Presented in partnership with: House of Vans [caption id="attachment_10139" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] The Music of Strangers: Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble[/caption] The Music of Strangers: Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (Morgan Neville | USA | 96′) The extraordinary story of the renowned international musical collective which was created by famed cellist, Yo-Yo Ma. Presented in Partnership with The Orchard, in theaters June 10 Tickled (David Farrier & Dylan Reeve | New Zealand | 92′) The shadowy world of competitive tickling is exposed in this stranger than fiction tale. Presented in Partnership with: Magnolia Pictures Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru (Joe Berlinger | USA | 115′) Go behind the scenes of renowned life and business strategist Tony Robbins in a revelatory cinema verite by renowned director Joe Berlinger. Presented in Partnership with: Netflix Fiction Feature Films Donald Cried (Kris Avedisian | USA | 85′) Stranded in his hometown, a favor from Peter’s old friend becomes a long van ride into the past. The Fits (Anna Rose Holmer | USA | 72′) A tomboy’s desire for a dance team’s acceptance warps when its members fall prey to mysterious spasms. Presented in Partnership with: Oscilloscope Laboratories, in theaters June 3rd Hunt For the Wilder People (Taika Waititi | New Zealand | 101′) Raised on hip-hop and foster care, a defiant city kid starts new in the New Zealand countryside. Presented in Partnership with: The Orchard, in theaters June 24 Hunter Gatherer (Josh Locy | USA | 85′) A darkly comic tale of unlikely friendship with an indelible central performance by Andre Royo. In the Treetops (Matthew Brown | USA | 78′) Driving all night, packed in a car, 5 high school friends avoid their final destination: home. Jacqueline, Argentine (Bernardo Britto | USA | 87′) A playfully mysterious whistle-blower comedy from Film Fund Grantee Bernardo Britto. [caption id="attachment_12849" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] White Girl[/caption] White Girl (Elizabeth Wood | USA | 88′) A NYC college girl goes to wild extremes to get back her drug dealer boyfriend. Presented in Partnership with: FilmRise and Netflix, in theaters this September
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Inaugural Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival Announces Winners

The short film Manager has won the Grand Jury Best Short Film Prize at the inaugural 2016 Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival (HCSFF). Directed by Jacob Meszaros, Manager, tells the story of when a loud mouth idiot of a building manager discovers one of his tenants dead, he believes it’s murder. Instead of calling the police, he teams up with his girlfriend to solve the case. The Grand Jury winner takes home a $5,000 studio rental package from sponsor True Vision Entertainment. Each winner in each of the categories will take home $1500 studio rental prize packages toward their next projects courtesy of True Vision Entertainment. The festival featured 82 shorts in competition. Next year’s Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival will take place April 7-8, 2017. HOLLYWOOD COMEDY SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS Grand Jury Best Short Manager by Jacob Meszaros Best Dark Comedy SETH by Zach Lasry Best Romantic Comedy Relationship Goals by Nic Stanich Best Spoof Handjob Cabin by Bennet Silverman Best Cringe Tampoon by Jeanne Jo Best Alternative Comedy El Audifono (The Earpiece) by Samuel Quiles Palop Best Web Series Holloway Heights-The Web Series by John F. Beach, Alex Petrovitch, Katherine Randolph, Bill Sebastian Honorable Mention Honey Pot by Merve Tekin Best Short Screenplay Claus Vs. Hollywood by Alicia Lomas-Gross & Steve D’Arcangelo Best Feature Screenplay Zombie Games by Emily Thorne
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HERE ALONE and THE RETURN Win Tribeca Film Festival Audience Awards

[caption id="attachment_12753" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Return[/caption] Here Alone, and The Return are the winners of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Awards. The festival closes today Sunday April 24. Here Alone directed by Rod Blackhurst, was chosen to receive the Narrative award and The Return, directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, was chosen for the Documentary award. Each award comes with a cash prize of $10,000. Additionally as part of the Tribeca Film Festival Artists Awards program, Here Alone receives Zak Kitnick’s Untitled (acrylic, ink and phosphorescent pigment on paper) and The Return receives Clifford Ross’s Horizon XI (silver-Gelatin print.) The runners-up were Children of the Mountain directed by Priscilla Anany for the narrative audience award and Midsummer in Newtown, directed by Lloyd Kramer, for the documentary audience award. Winners of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Awards WINNERS Here Alone, directed by Rod Blackhurst, written by David Ebeltoft. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. A virus has ravaged human civilization, leaving two groups of survivors: those who have managed to avoid infection, and those driven to madness, violence, and an insatiable bloodlust. Living deep in the woods, Ann, Chris, and Olivia are forced to fend off the infected while foraging for supplies. But when a supply expedition goes terribly awry, one among their number must make a terrible choice. With Lucy Walters, Gina Piersanti, Adam David Thompson, and Shane West. [caption id="attachment_12754" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Here Alone[/caption] The Return, directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, written by Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway, and Greg O’Toole. (USA) – World Premiere. How does one reintegrate into society after making peace with a life sentence? California’s controversial and notoriously harsh three-strikes law was repealed in 2012, consequently releasing large numbers of convicts back into society. The Return presents an unbiased observation of the many issues with re-entry through the varied experiences of recently freed lifers. RUNNERS UP [caption id="attachment_12755" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Midsummer in Newtown[/caption] Midsummer in Newtown, directed by Lloyd Kramer. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Midsummer in Newtown is a testament to the transformative force of artistic expression to pierce through the shadow cast down by trauma. From auditions to opening night, we witness the children of Sandy Hook Elementary find their voice, build their self-confidence, and ultimately shine in a rock-pop version of A Midsummer’s Night Dream. [caption id="attachment_12756" align="aligncenter" width="864"] Children of the Mountain[/caption] Children of the Mountain, directed and written by Priscilla Anany. (USA, Ghana) – World Premiere, Narrative. When a young woman gives birth to a deformed and sickly child, she becomes the victim of cruelty and superstition in her Ghanaian community. Discarded by her lover, she is convinced she suffers from a ‘dirty womb,’ and embarks on a journey to heal her son and create a future for them both. With Rukiyat Masud, Grace Omaboe, Akofa Edjeani, Adjetey Annang, Agbeko Mortty (Bex), Dzifa Glikpo, Mynna Otoo. In Twi with subtitles.
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Fighting for Peace, Zanzibar Soccer Dreams Bookend Lineup for Canadian Sport Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_12737" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Zanzibar Soccer Dreams[/caption] 23 films featuring Rio to Toronto and around the world, are on the lineup for the 2016 Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) taking place May 20 to 22 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Canada. The 8th annual CSFF will open with the films Fighting for Peace, and Sully’s; and closes with Zanzibar Soccer Dreams, and Boxing For Freedom. “With billions of eyes on the Summer Olympics this year, and Toronto’s recent experience as host city for the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, we know international sporting events generate a craving for healthy dialogue and discussion surrounding important social issues,” said Russell Field, Executive Director. “Our film festival addresses that need as the majority of our films feature a sport that will be part of this summer’s competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.” Every year, CSFF films feature the remarkable resilience of people in challenging circumstances who find hope through sport. Powerful stories are put on screen that highlight the ways in which sport, recreation, and play matter in the everyday lives of people and offer opportunities for social change. Of the 23 films presented this year, highlights include: Fighting for Peace (Opening Night) – Two young boxers living in one of Rio’s most violent and poorest slums are on a quest to become national champions. With one having lost a sister to addiction, and the other as sole provider for his mother and seven siblings, the film looks at what it takes to be a winner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHsiMDakEVs Sully’s (Opening Night) – As one of Toronto’s most legendary boxing gyms, Sully’s served as a training home of Nicky Furlano, George Chuvalo and even Muhammad Ali. Viewers will learn more about the man behind the beloved boxing institution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teXh0rykpFs Eastern – Four students at a storied Toronto high school with a great basketball pedigree find themselves competing for the school’s last chance at championship glory. With the school closing down, they are trying to write a memorable end to one of Canada’s most historic sport programs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8g3gxvrG28 Ron Taylor: Dr. Baseball – In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Toronto Blue Jays, celebrate the life of Ron Taylor. After winning World Series championships as a pitcher, Ron Taylor gave up baseball for a career in medicine. Find out how a life-changing tour of Vietnam led him to become the team physician for the Toronto Blue Jays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0IkSC7hM4s Zanzibar Soccer Dreams (Closing Night) – With all eyes on the Canadian national women’s soccer team’s pursuit of Olympic gold in Rio, meet a remarkable group of women who are fighting just for the right to play the game. Soccer players in Zanzibar have had to overcome religious, cultural and gender prejudices, and the world premiere of this film will be attended by both the film’s director and star. View Trailer Boxing For Freedom (Closing Night) – Two sisters who are the best female boxers in Afghanistan aim to compete in London 2012 Olympics. But they must first overcome the challenge of being physically active women in a country that doesn’t support it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-vVnrWLklU As part of the festival, the Canadian Sport Film Festival reaches out to young people in the Greater Toronto Area. CSFF is hosting an interactive panel and engaging workshop for youth that will allow them to actively participate by making their own films. Former Olympic Gymnast Alexandra Orlando, and Olympic boxing hopeful Arthur Biyarslanov are scheduled to participate in the panel.
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Hometown Film “Bastards y Diablos” Wins Best Film at Ashland Independent Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_12086" align="aligncenter" width="1296"] Bastards y Diablos[/caption] Bastards y Diablos, with several cast and crew members who hailed from nearby Medford, Oregon, swept both the juried and audience awards for Best Feature at the 2016 Ashland Independent Film Festival.The film is a voyage of self-discovery and reconciliation for two estranged half-brothers told in an unconventional manner. It was shot entirely on location in Columbia, on a budget of only $25,000. The co-star was Dillon Porter, who grew up in Medford. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4NuLLJmHQo The documentary Mothering Inside by Portland director Brian Lindstrom won the audience award for Best Short Documentary, and the audience award for Best Feature length documentary went to Voyagers Without Trace, which was directed, produced and written by Ian McCluskey, also from Portland. The audience award for Short Film was awarded to The Stairs, which co-stars Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) actor Anthony Heald. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkS0bxwoF-k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fig2VaOZmEc “As an Oregon filmmaker, I have always wanted to bring a film to the Ashland Independent Film Festival, which has built a reputation as a world-class festival, attended by engaged audiences,” McCluskey said. “We felt the energy in the small, historic Varsity Theater, with every ooh, aww, chuckle, and gasp. Each screening was followed by lively Q&As, and folks coming up to us throughout the festival to share their own stories. The heart of making an independent film is in its collaborative spirit, and that spirit is fully realized when shared with the audiences of Ashland.” “It was very satisfying to discover and program so many strong films emerging from our region,’’ said Richard Herskowitz, director of programming. “The enthusiastic response to these films, from both our audiences and our international jurors, testifies to the region’s cinematic vitality.” Other Pacific Northwest films also received warm receptions at the Ashland film festival, including , Honey Buddies, recently renamed Buddymoon, which was shot in the Columbia Gorge, and accompanied on opening night by a live performance by its star, DJ Flula Borg. The film co-stars David Guintoli of the Portland-based TV series Grimm. Other Oregon-connected films include: Christopher LaMarca and Jessica Dimmock’s The Pearl, a documentary that followed four people from the Pacific Northwest as they transition from man to woman; LaMarca’s Boone, a documentary about an organic goat farm in the Little Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon; and the short films 1985, The Child and the Dead, and Damn, What a Dame, made by students of the Southern Oregon University Film Club, and a winner of AIFF’s Launch student film competition. The complete list of award-winning films follows: JURY AWARDS BEST FEATURE Bastards y Diablos BEST ACTING Five Nights in Maine Honorable Mention: A Light Beneath Their Feet BEST SHORT FILM Killer Honorable Mention: El Tigre LES BLANK AWARD: BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY Hooligan Sparrow Honorable Mention: The Birth of Saké BEST EDITING: FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY NUTS! Honorable Mention: In Pursuit of Silence BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY 100 Years Show Honorable Mention: Greenwood AUDIENCE AWARDS VARSITY AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE Bastards y Diablos. ROGUE CREAMERY AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY Voyagers Without Trace. JIM TEECE AUDIENCE AWARD FOR SHORT FILM The Stairs. BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY Mothering Inside.
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Animated Films Focus of World Cinema Spotlight at 2016 San Francisco International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_12066" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Blanca Engström in GRANNY’S DANCING ON THE TABLE[/caption] The 6th World Cinema Spotlight at the 2016 San Francisco International Film Festival will feature films under the theme Animating the Image, focusing on frame-by-frame animation. Whether hand-drawn, stop-motion, CGI, motion capture or a combination thereof, animation recalls the illusory magic of the earliest days of cinema, a surprisingly simple “trick” that continues to enthrall and inspire—when presented in succession, a series of still images transform to appear in motion. Adaptable to a variety of eclectic approaches—exemplified by this year’s Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award recipient Aardman Animations, the collage of Lewis Klahr’s Sixty Six and the variety of styles employed by multiple artists in Penny Lane’s surprising and singular documentary NUTS!—animation endures as one of the most satisfying and versatile techniques in cinema. WORLD CINEMA SPOTLIGHT PROGRAMS Granny’s Dancing on the Table (Sweden/Denmark 2015) – Taking place within the quiet serenity of the dense Swedish woods, isolated from civilization, Hanna Sköld’s intense drama delivers a harrowing tale of abuse, psychological imprisonment and the power of imagination to withstand painful circumstances. Enchanting stop-motion animation captures 13-year-old Eini’s worldview as she silently struggles against her father’s brutal control and envisions the dysfunctional family history that led to her grandmother’s rebellious travels and her own pale and powerless existence. Life, Animated (USA 2016) – The power of cinema has rarely been revealed as strongly as in this documentary about an autistic man named Owen Suskind who, as a boy, discovers a way to communicate with his parents through Disney movies. Now a young man, Owen is getting ready to live on his own, and the film shows his successes and struggles as he embarks on this huge step. NUTS! (USA 2015) – Penny Lane’s documentary—comprised of archival material, animated sequences and the occasional talking head—blooms into an incredible almanac of early 20th-century quackery and innovation as she focuses on JR Brinkley, an early broadcasting baron, direct-mail pioneer and an evangelical proponent of goat-testicle implants. An empire built on spurious claims and fear mongering seems unstoppable—until the American Medical Association dares to question its foundations. Persistence of Vision Award: An Afternoon with Aardman Animations – Established in 1997, the Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award honors the achievement of filmmakers whose main body of work falls outside the realm of narrative feature filmmaking. This year, we recognize the team behind beloved animation studio Aardman. Join co-founder Peter Lord for an in-depth conversation and a filmic celebration of the studio’s 40th anniversary. Phantom Boy (France/Belgium 2015) – When a kingpin with a face only Picasso could love threatens to bring down New York City’s infrastructure, a seriously ill boy with a unique, ghostly superpower teams up with a bedridden crusading cop to stop him. The team behind A Cat in Paris (SFIFF 2011) delivers another dose of enchanting 2D animation along with a story that blends absurd humor with an emotionally potent tale of a child rising about troubling circumstances. Shorts 3: Animation – A retirement home resident attempts to woo with music. A participant in a primal scream class gets more than he bargained for. And a child is made to drink blood from deer antlers. These imaginative, often hilarious story-based animations mingle with non-narrative works that ply their magic with light and sophisticated processing techniques in this wide-ranging program. Shorts 5: Family Films – In this eclectic international collection of short films for young audiences, an array of colorful characters—of the human, animal and monster varieties—learn how to help one another and work together in fun and sometimes surprising ways. Works range from new student films to those by veteran artists such as Nick Park of Aardman Animations, Disney animator Glen Keane, YouTube favorite Simon Tofield (and his fussy fat cat), and Oscar-winning SFIFF alum Brandon Oldenburg. [caption id="attachment_12067" align="aligncenter" width="1018"] A scene from Lewis Klah’s SIXTY SIX[/caption] Sixty Six (USA 2015) – Sixties pop-art heroines and DC comic-strip heroes are suffused with the passions of Greco-Roman gods in Lewis Klahr’s short film compilation spanning 14 years of filmmaking, chosen by the New York Times’ Manohla Dargis as one of the best films of 2015. Lovers of melodrama, all your paper-doll superstars are here, but an individual heart beats beneath the vivid imagery.
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Filmmaker Mira Nair to Receive Directing Award

Filmmaker Mira Nair will be honored with the Irving M. Levin Directing Award at the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival taking place April 21 to May 5, 2016. Given each year to one of the masters of world cinema in memory of SFIFF founder Irving M. Levin, the tribute acknowledges exceptional versatility in film and honors the director’s expansive body of work while celebrating her unique contributions to the art of cinema. Nair will also be honored at An Afternoon with Mira Nair at the Castro Theatre on Sunday April 24. An onstage conversation with Nair will be followed by a screening of Monsoon Wedding (2001). [caption id="attachment_12062" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Queen of Katwe[/caption] The presentation will also include an exclusive first look at special footage from Nair’s next project , about a rural Ugandan girl with an aptitude for chess, starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo. Mira Nair was born and raised in Rourkela, India and went on to study at Delhi and Harvard universities. She began as an actress before segueing to make documentaries. Her narrative feature debut, Salaam Bombay! (1988) won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film. A resourceful and determined independent filmmaker who casts unknowns alongside Hollywood stars, Nair has directed Mississippi Masala (1991), The Perez Family (1995), Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996), Hysterical Blindness (2002), Vanity Fair (2004), The Namesake (2006), Amelia (2009) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012). Monsoon Wedding: Winner of the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion in 2001, Monsoon Wedding is a film of gigantic heart served with an ample dollop of social satire. Five romantic entanglements threaten to derail a high-end New Delhi marriage as the film effortlessly shifts between Bollywood expressionism and Altman-like character intrigue, gut-busting comedy and tender romance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjQjw-UyAX0 Previous recipients are Guillermo del Toro, Mexico; Richard Linklater, USA; Philip Kaufman, USA; Kenneth Branagh, England; Oliver Stone, USA; Walter Salles, Brazil; Francis Ford Coppola, USA; Mike Leigh, England; Spike Lee, USA; Werner Herzog, Germany; Taylor Hackford, USA; Milos Forman, Czechoslovakia/USA; Robert Altman, USA; Warren Beatty, USA; Clint Eastwood, USA; Abbas Kiarostami, Iran; Arturo Ripstein, Mexico; Im Kwon-Taek, South Korea; Francesco Rosi, Italy; Arthur Penn, USA; Stanley Donen, USA; Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal; Ousmane Sembène, Senegal; Satyajit Ray, India; Marcel Carné, France; Jirí Menzel, Czechoslovakia; Joseph L. Mankiewicz, USA; Robert Bresson, France; Michael Powell, England; and Akira Kurosawa, Japan.
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Chloé Leriche’s BEFORE THE STREETS Gets Quebec Hometown Release

Chloé Leriche’s first feature-length film, BEFORE THE STREETS (Avant les rues), will be released in Quebec, Canada, on April 15th. The film will play in Cinéma Beaubien (MTL), Cinéma du Parc (English sub-titled version), Station Vu – Cinéma de quartier (MTL), Cinéma Guzzo Méga-Plex Pont-Viau (Laval), Cinéma Guzzo place Jacques-Cartier in Longueuil, Cinéma Le Clap (Québec), La Maison du cinéma (Sherbrooke), Cinéma RGFM Joliette and Cinéma Le Tapis Rouge (Trois-Rivières). BEFORE THE STREETS world premiered in competition at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation section, and closed the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois film festival 2016. Young Shawnouk kills a man during a robbery and flees into the forest. Deciding to return to his Atikamekw village in Québec, he tries to redeem himself using traditional cleansing rituals. BEFORE THE STREETS celebrates a revival of native culture and its traditions, as embodied by the very actors who participated in the film. The first dramatic feature shot in the native language of Atikamekw, the film boasts a cast composed almost entirely of non-professionals living and working in the villages where the film was shot. The story takes place in Manawan, while a forest fire closes in on the nearby village of Wemotaci.
Chloé Leriche’s BEFORE THE STREETS International Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpKe2NpemU4 Chloé Leriche made BEFORE THE STREETS with the collaboration of Québec’s three Atikamekw communities in, drawing on all the vitality they embody. By following the pacing of her non-professional actors, she created a distinct style that goes beyond notions of the North-American indie genre and recent media reports on the dismal conditions in Canada’s native communities. Screenwriter, director, producer and editor Chloé Leriche will accompany the film in Montreal and certain cities in Quebec, along with some of the film’s main actors Rykko Bellemare, Kwena Bellemare Boivin, Jacques Newashish. Janice Ottawa, Martin Dubreuil (Félix and Meira) and Normand Daoust (Les manèges humains) are also part of the cast. [caption id="attachment_12059" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Chloé Leriche[/caption] Chloé Leriche is a self-taught writer, director, and editor who has produced a dozen short films since 2001; her work has won several international film festival awards. She worked for Wapikoni Mobile, encouraging young people from different native tribes in Québec and Ontario to express themselves through cinema.
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Terry P.

Chloé Leriche’s BEFORE THE STREETS International Trailer