BTV Productions’ fascinating documentary THE HIGH: MAKING THE TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH will make its New York premiere on Saturday, October 24th at the School of Visual Arts. A journey filled with obsession, adventure and a pioneering spirit, the film challenges the essence of human endurance and begs the audience to question their own physical limits. Constructed over five years by American filmmaker Barry Walton, this true-story trails a group of finish-line obsessed competitors as they battle the highest and longest footrace on the planet.
The camera follows an Indian doctor, a war journalist, and three adventure-seeking ultra-runners as they take on a running experiment to make the first crossing of a 137- mile footrace covering the two highest motorable passes in the world.
“I honestly thought I could have died on the race,” said Mark Cockbain, one of the ultra- runners.
“I’ll never have that feeling again of being at the starting point on the edge of the world,” said Bill Andrews, one of the film’s subjects, “and having no idea what was going to happen.”
Having worked as a documentary filmmaker for over a decade in Los Angeles, New York and Europe, Detroit native Walton is proud to bring this heroic and untold story to New York. “Making this film was as much a miracle as finishing the race,” said Walton. “It’s a rare look into the culture of ultra-marathoners and the extremes they will go to for their sport.”
He traveled to the Himalayas twice in the making of the project. During that time he overcame altitude sickness, a bout of pneumonia, and the unique demands of working in such a remote and challenging region of the world—all to create the largest accomplishment in his work to date.
THE HIGH presents one of the most unique stories in sports, bursting with beautiful shots of Himalayan peaks from the surrounding Indian city of Leh, complemented by endurance athletes and ultra-runners. An inspiration to watch, the film captures not only the challenge and disbelief of the race, but also the awe-inspiring beauty of the region. Showing one night only, this is a must-see film for all filmmakers, athletes, and movie- goers alike.
https://vimeo.com/88524988
Tickets for the event are now on sale at Eventbrite.
via press releaseTerry P.
VIMOOZ is for lovers of independent films + foreign film + documentary + film festivals. We love championing the little films.
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THE HIGH: MAKING THE TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH to Premiere in NYC this October | TRAILER
BTV Productions’ fascinating documentary THE HIGH: MAKING THE TOUGHEST RACE ON EARTH will make its New York premiere on Saturday, October 24th at the School of Visual Arts. A journey filled with obsession, adventure and a pioneering spirit, the film challenges the essence of human endurance and begs the audience to question their own physical limits. Constructed over five years by American filmmaker Barry Walton, this true-story trails a group of finish-line obsessed competitors as they battle the highest and longest footrace on the planet.
The camera follows an Indian doctor, a war journalist, and three adventure-seeking ultra-runners as they take on a running experiment to make the first crossing of a 137- mile footrace covering the two highest motorable passes in the world.
“I honestly thought I could have died on the race,” said Mark Cockbain, one of the ultra- runners.
“I’ll never have that feeling again of being at the starting point on the edge of the world,” said Bill Andrews, one of the film’s subjects, “and having no idea what was going to happen.”
Having worked as a documentary filmmaker for over a decade in Los Angeles, New York and Europe, Detroit native Walton is proud to bring this heroic and untold story to New York. “Making this film was as much a miracle as finishing the race,” said Walton. “It’s a rare look into the culture of ultra-marathoners and the extremes they will go to for their sport.”
He traveled to the Himalayas twice in the making of the project. During that time he overcame altitude sickness, a bout of pneumonia, and the unique demands of working in such a remote and challenging region of the world—all to create the largest accomplishment in his work to date.
THE HIGH presents one of the most unique stories in sports, bursting with beautiful shots of Himalayan peaks from the surrounding Indian city of Leh, complemented by endurance athletes and ultra-runners. An inspiration to watch, the film captures not only the challenge and disbelief of the race, but also the awe-inspiring beauty of the region. Showing one night only, this is a must-see film for all filmmakers, athletes, and movie- goers alike.
https://vimeo.com/88524988
Tickets for the event are now on sale at Eventbrite.
via press release
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2015 Toronto International Film Festival Award Winners; ROOM Wins People Choice Awards| TRAILER
The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival today announced award winners, and Room (pictured above) by Lenny Abrahamson is the winner of the Grolsch People’s Choice Award. Told through the eyes of five-year-old-Jack, Room is a thrilling and emotional tale that celebrates the resilience and power of the human spirit. To Jack, the Room is the world…it’s where he was born, where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. But while it’s home to Jack, to Ma it’s a prison. Through her fierce love for her son, Ma has managed to create a childhood for him in their 10-by-10-foot space. But as Jack’s curiosity is building alongside Ma’s own desperation — she knows that Room cannot contain either indefinitely. The second runner up is Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight. The first runner up is Pan Nalin’s Angry Indian Goddesses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Ci-pAL4eE
The Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award went to Ilya Naishuller for Hardcore. Resurrected with no recollection of his past, a cyborg named Henry and his ally Jimmy must fight through the streets of Moscow in pursuit of Henry’s kidnapped wife, in the world’s first action-adventure film to be entirely shot from the first person perspective. The second runner up is Jeremy Saulnier for Green Room. The first runner up is Todd Strauss-Schulson for The Final Girls.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv33e0TyL6M
The Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award went to Evgeny Afineevsky for Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom. Chronicling events that unfolded over 93 days in 2013 and 2014, the film witnesses the formation of a new civil rights movement in Ukraine. What started as peaceful student demonstrations supporting European integration morphed into a full-fledged violent revolution calling for the resignation of the nation’s president. The second runner up is Brian D. Johnson’s Al Purdy Was Here. The first runner up is Avi Lewis’s This Changes Everything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RibAQHeDia8
SHORTS CUTS AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
The Shorts Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film went to Patrice Laliberté for Overpass. The jury remarked, “For its seductive, elliptical and graceful manner of exploring the nature of grief and the unconventional ways that families react to loss, all of which was elevated by the performance of Téo Vachon Sincennes.”
The jury gave an honorable mention to Sol Friedman’s Bacon & God’s Wrath, “For its whimsical and wry examination of religious conviction and intellectual conversion, and the acknowledgment that courage and transformation can be achieved at any age and involve any manner of pork by-product.”
SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
The Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film goes to Maïmouna Doucouré’s Maman(s). The jury remarked, “For its daring and revelatory exploration of a family’s dysfunction and upheaval through the eyes of a child and its refusal to cast characters as villains but rather as complex, and highly conflicted, human beings the jury selects Maman(s). The jury also wanted to acknowledge the vulnerable, defiant performance of the gifted Sokhna Diallo.”
The jury gave an honorable mention to Fyzal Boulifa’s Rate Me, “For its blithely unconventional approach to new media and new mores, and a sense of humor as wry as it was rude.”
CITY OF TORONTO AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film goes to for Andrew Cividino’s Sleeping Giant. The jury remarked, “For its sophisticated plotting, indelible characters and insightful critique of masculinity through a fateful rite of passage on the north shore of Lake Superior, the jury selects Sleeping Giant.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A25lvWI4mc
CANADA GOOSE AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Stephen Dunn’s Closet Monster. The jury remarked, “For its confidence and invention in tackling the pain and yearning of the first love and coming of age of a young gay man in Newfoundland, the jury recognizes the remarkable artistry and vision of first-time feature director Stephen Dunn for Closet Monster.” This award carries a cash prize of $30,000 and a custom award, sponsored by Canada Goose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSLEI55SS5s
The jury gave an honorable mention to Philippe Falardeau’s My Internship in Canada, “For its dexterous intelligence and cinematic wit.”
THE PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZES)
Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for the Discovery program is awarded to Marko Škop for Eva Nová. The jury remarked, “For exploring themes of humanity, dignity, addiction and redemption in a naturalistic, deceptively simple and non-exploitative manner, FIPRESCI is pleased to present the prize in the Discovery program to Marko Škop’s haunting debut feature Eva Nová.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BaWGVaslcQ
Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for Special Presentations is awarded to Jonás Cuarón’s Desierto. The jury remarked, “For using pure cinema to create a strong physical sensation of being trapped in a vast space and hunted down by hatred in its most primal form, FIPRESCI presents the prize in the Special Presentations program to Desierto by Jonás Cuarón.”
NETPAC AWARD
As selected by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema for the 4th consecutive year, the NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere goes to Sion Sono for The Whispering Star. The jury remarked, “For its poetic, moving and brave attempt to express a grief that’s inexpressible, combining all too real elements with lo-fi sci-fi, the NETPAC jury awards the prize to The Whispering Star.”
TORONTO PLATFORM PRIZE
This is the inaugural year for Platform, the Festival’s new juried program that champions director’s cinema from around the world. The Festival awarded the first ever Toronto Platform Prize to Alan Zweig for HURT. The jury remarked, “Following a long discussion, the jury has chosen unanimously to give the Platform prize to HURT. It is a film that explores the complexity and fragility of human destiny in a country that much of the world sees as a paradise.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDLhsxNp8m4
The jury gave honorable mentions to Gabriel Mascaro’s Neon Bull, He Ping’s The Promised Land, and Pablo Trapero’s The Clan.
DROPBOX DISCOVERY PROGRAMME FILMMAKERS AWARD
Earlier in the Festival, the winner of the Dropbox Discovery Program Filmmakers Award was announced. The award went to Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah whose film, Black, was presented as part of the Discovery program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qthmdtzPkL8
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34th Vancouver International Film Festival Reveals Films in Gala and Special Presentation
The 34th Vancouver International Film Festival will run from September 24th to October 9th, 2015 with John Crowley’s Brooklyn starting the festival off in the Opening Night Gala spot. With scripting by Nick Hornby (Wild, An Education), this 50s-era immigration film is an exhilarating tale of female empowerment. Marc Abraham’s I Saw the Light holds the Closing Night Gala position with a feature on the life of country star Hank Williams. Produced by Vancouver’s Bron Studios, this film reflects the best in BC’s ongoing production boom. Canadian productions remain front and centre when Philippe Falardeau’s My Internship in Canada opens the Canadian Images program, while Patricia Rozema’s Into the Forest takes the BC Spotlight Awards Gala spot.
The complete list of films in the Gala and Special Presentation categories include:
Opening Gala
Brooklyn
(JOHN CROWLEY, UK/IRELAND/CANADA)
Lured from Ireland by the American Dream, Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) instead lands in a hardscrabble reality of cramped boarding houses and grungy dancehalls. As homesickness grips her, she’s also torn between two admirers (Domhnall Gleeson and Emory Cohen). With Nick Hornby scripting, John Crowley crafts a stirring 50s-era immigration tale that also serves as an exhilarating profile of female empowerment. “Classily and classically crafted in the best sense.” — Hollywood Reporter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=2&v=15syDwC000k
Closing Gala
I Saw the Light
(MARC ABRAHAM, USA)
Having played gods and monsters with aplomb, Tom Hiddleston takes centre stage as country music legend/renegade Hank Williams. In turns as rambunctious as a barn dance and as reflective as a ballad, Marc Abraham’s film chronicles Williams’ rapid ascent to stardom and the tragedy of a career cut short by substance abuse. Laid to rest at only 29, Williams left behind a truly remarkable body of work. Handling the singing chores himself, Hiddleston does the man—and his music—proud.
Canadian Images Opening Film
My Internship in Canada
(PHILIPPE FALARDEAU, CANADA)
Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar) returns with an energetic, laugh-out-loud political comedy that couldn’t be more timely. Steve Guibord (Patrick Huard, brilliant) is an independent Quebec MP travelling to his northern riding with a new Haitian intern. Soon after finding themselves caught in the crossfire of activists, miners, truckers, politicians and aboriginal groups, it turns out that Guibord somehow holds the decisive vote in a national debate that will decide whether Canada will go to war in the Middle East! The fabulous Suzanne Clément co-stars.
BC Spotlight Awards Gala
Into the Forest
(PATRICIA ROZEMA, CANADA)
The BC coastal forest is in all its glory as a father and his two daughters drive off to their remote and idyllic getaway home. They have little sense at first of the growing apocalypse that they are leaving in their wake. It will come to them. Ellen Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Minghella, Callum Keith Rennie and Michael Eklund star in this Patricia Rozema-directed adaptation of Jean Hegland’s novel.
Spotlight Gala
Beeba Boys
(DEEPA MEHTA, CANADA/INDIA)
Mix propulsive bhangra beats, blazing AK-47s, bespoke suits, solicitous mothers and copious cocaine, and you have the heady, volatile cocktail that is Deepa Mehta’s latest film, an explosive clash of culture and crime. Jeet Johar (Indian star Randeep Hooda) and his young, charismatic Sikh crew vie to take over the Vancouver drug and arms trade in this all-out action/drama. Blood is spilled, heads are cracked, hearts are broken and family bonds are pushed to the brink.
Special Presentations
Arabian Nights
(MIGUEL GOMES, PORTUGAL)
Miguel Gomes’ (Tabu, Our Beloved Month of August) astonishing three-volume, six-hour epic draws inspiration from the tales of Scheherazade (here played by Crista Alfaiate) and once again uses a fascinating combination of reality and fiction to comment on Portugal’s past, present and future. “There’s Bunuelian satire, lo-fi crime, Brechtian allegory, and high fantasy all in the mix. It’s dizzying stuff… a film that’s moving, sad, exciting, fiery, and funny.” — Indiewire
Dheepan
(JACQUES AUDIARD, FRANCE)
Jacques Audiard’s (A Prophet, Rust and Bone) latest dramatic inquiry into life on society’s margins is an alternately gripping and tender love story about the eponymous former Tamil fighter (Antonythasan Jesuthasan) and his improvised family, who exchange war in Sri Lanka for violence of another kind in Paris. “A searing yet hopeful slow-burn drama… Audiard delivers another distinctive [work] with this portrait of a family forged out of necessity…” — Hollywood Reporter Palme d’Or, Cannes 15
High-Rise
(BEN WHEATLEY, UK)
Ben Wheatley’s bold adaptation of JG Ballard’s novel takes no prisoners. This scorching satire on class, hedonism and depravity in an imploding luxury apartment building is an even more apocalyptic class polemic than Snowpiercer. Throw in exquisitely unsettling turns from Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons, a string quartet cover of ABBA’s 1975 hit “SOS,” an orgy or two and spice with cannibalism, and you have a tour de force of astonishing architectural ambition.
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words
(STIG BJÖRKMAN, SWEDEN), CANADIAN PREMIERE
Casablanca, Notorious, Voyage to Italy… That Ingrid Bergman, three-time Oscar winner, is one of filmdom’s all-time greats is inarguable. Narrated by Swedish (and now Hollywood) star Alicia Vikander, Stig Björkman’s intimate exploration of Bergman’s personal and professional life benefits immensely from the cooperation of Bergman’s daughter Isabella Rossellini, who allowed him access to never-before-seen private footage, notes, letters, diaries and interviews. The result is a rich and multicoloured portrait of this extraordinary human being—in her own words.
Louder Than Bombs
(JOACHIM TRIER, USA/FRANCE)
When a war photographer (Isabelle Huppert) dies on assignment, her husband (Gabriel Byrne) struggles to mount a retrospective while dealing with his grieving sons (Jesse Eisenberg, Devin Druid) and her combative colleague (David Strathairn). Joachim Trier (Oslo, 31st August) poses tough questions about family, marital responsibility and balancing one’s calling and kin. “A smart, measured tale steeped in understatement and complimented by first-rate performances…” — Indiewire
Room
(LENNY ABRAHAMSON, IRELAND/CANADA/UK)
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson and based on the best-selling Man Booker Prize-nominated novel by Irish-Canadian author Emma Donoghue, this is the story of five-year old Jack, who lives in an 11-by-11-foot room with his mother. Since it’s all he’s ever known, Jack believes that only “Room” and the things it contains (including himself and Ma) are real. Then reality intrudes and Jack’s life is turned on its head… A remarkable and disturbing work.
A Tale of Three Cities
(MABEL CHEUNG, HONG KONG/CHINA)
A rousingly entertaining movie romance, this historical drama tells the deeply moving story of kung fu superstar Jackie Chan’s parents. Both grew up in China’s tumultuous 20th century, swept by war, revolution and resistance. When charismatic customs officer Fang (Lau Ching-wan) meets impoverished young widow Chen (Tang Wei), an unbreakable bond is forged. Together, their love endures through extraordinary adventures, as they head towards a future in Hong Kong.
This Changes Everything
(AVI LEWIS, CANADA)
Naomi Klein (Shock Doctrine) has risen to prominence around the world as one of Canada’s most forceful and relevant public intellectuals. Her cogent call to direct action has inspired youth, helped chart roadmaps for social progressives and environmentalists, and yet worried those who believe that her critique of capitalism plays into the hands of right wingers who think climate change is a socialist plot. Join us, Naomi Klein and director Avi Lewis for this special presentation of This Changes Everything.
Youth
(PAOLO SORRENTINO, ITALY/FRANCE/SWITZERLAND/UK)
Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Rachel Weisz anchor Paolo Sorrentino’s gorgeous follow-up to The Great Beauty. Fred (Caine), a retired composer, and friend Mick (Keitel), a film director, are sojourning in a stunning Swiss alpine spa. Surrounded by bodies old and young, supple and sagging, they reconsider their pasts–while Sorrentino choreographs the action with exquisite control. “Sorrentino’s… brightly effusive visual imagination can be intoxicating…” — New York Times
Canadian Images Special Presentations
Hyena Road
(PAUL GROSS, CANADA)
In Paul Gross’ film, ripped from the headlines, a sniper, who has never allowed himself to think of his targets as human, becomes implicated in the life of one of them. An intelligence officer, who has never contemplated killing, becomes the engine of a plot to kill. A legendary Mujahideen warrior, who had put war behind him, is now deeply involved. Three different men, three different worlds, three different conflicts, yet all stand at the intersection of modern warfare.
Remember
(ATOM EGOYAN, CANADA)
Atom Egoyan returns with a completely original take on the darkest chapter of horror in the last century. Christopher Plummer plays a man who’s looking for the person who might be responsible for wiping out his family, as he strains to seize the evanescent memories of long-ago brutality. The all-star cast includes Henry Czerny, Martin Landau and Bruno Ganz. Benjamin August’s screenplay will keep you guessing until the very end.
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DEMON Director Marcin Wrona Dies While Attending Film Festival
Polish director Marcin Wrona was found dead in his hotel room on Friday night, while attending the Gdynia Film Festival in the Baltic city of Gdynia for the Polish premiere of his latest movie Demon. He was 42.
“Demon” made its world premiere last week at the Toronto International Film Festival,
A police spokesman in Gdynia, Michal Rusak, said police found the body of a 42-year-old man, whom he did not identify, at a hotel in Gdynia. The police were notified by the victim’s wife at 5.30 a.m. local time.
The organizers of the 40th Gdynia Film Festival released a statement, “On Friday night, suddenly died Marcin Wrona, the director of “Demon”, screened in the Main Competition at 40th Gdynia Film Festival. As the organizers of the Festival and at the same time friends of Marcin, we are deeply shocked and saddened by this information. We would like to express our sincere condolences to the Wife of the director and all the people who were close to Him. At the same time we would like to inform that the Awards Ceremony planned for today will be held in a shortened form and with full respect to the memory of Marcin.”
The organizers of the Toronto International also released a statement, that said,“We are all deeply shocked and saddened at the news of the sudden death of Marcin Wrona. His filmDemon truly marked the emergence of a strong new voice on the world cinema stage. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family, especially his wife and producing partner, Olga Szymanska, who was with him at the premiere in Toronto.”
Demon directed by Marcin Wrona, is described by the Toronto International Film Festival as “A clever take on one of the most famous figures of Jewish folklore — the dybbuk, a spirit of a person not properly laid to rest that seeks to inhabit the body of a living person — Wrona’s latest sets a creepy tale of possession squarely in the middle of a night of wild revelry.
Peter (Israeli actor Itay Tiran, previously seen at the Festival in Lebanon) has just arrived from England to marry his beautiful fiancée, Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska), at her family’s country house in rural Poland. The old homestead is a gift from his future father-in-law, and Peter is excited to renovate it into a home for his new family. While inspecting the grounds on the eve of his nuptials, Peter finds skeletal human remains buried on the property. Haunted by his discovery, Peter slowly starts to unravel while the joyous and drunken traditional Polish wedding goes on around him; and soon, he is overcome by what seem to be epileptic fits, panicking his bride and scandalizing his father-in-law.
As the night wears on, it becomes apparent that there is an uninvited guest at the wedding, that she is lonely — and that she is very, very dead.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn2zvlURSeU
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Emily Blunt, Killer Films, Albert Maysles, Stuart Match Suna to be Honored at 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival Inaugural Awards Dinner
The 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) will honor Emily Blunt, iconic independent film production company Killer Films (celebrating its 20th anniversary), legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (receiving a posthumous tribute), and longtime HIFF board chairman Stuart Match Suna, at its inaugural Awards Dinner to take place in East Hampton on Sunday, October 11, 2015. The Dinner, which will take place during the 23rd annual Hamptons International Film Festival, taking place October 8 to 12, 2015, will benefit the Festival’s year-round programming initiatives, the annual Screenwriters’ Lab, and the longtime summer initiatives; SummerDocs and the Student Filmmaking Workshops.
As part of the Awards Dinner, Emily Blunt will be presented with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award. Blunt has been to the festival previously in 2005 when she was recognized as one of HIFF’s Rising Stars [now Ten Actors to Watch] program in 2005 in conjunction with her performance in GIDEON’S DAUGHTER, for which she won a Golden Globe. Blunt can also be seen in the upcoming release SICARIO (pictured above), in which she stars as an FBI agent enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. The Lionsgate film also stars Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR0SDT2GeFg
Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, who founded the New York-based production company Killer Films in 1995, will be honored with the HIFF Industry Award for 20 years of innovative, risk-taking movies and for consistently championing unique voices in independent cinema. Killer Films has produced several of the most acclaimed American independent films over the past two decades, including CAROL, STILL ALICE, which made its US Premiere at last year’s Closing Night of HIFF with Julianne Moore in attendance, FAR FROM HEAVEN, BOYS DON’T CRY, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, HAPPINESS, and KIDS.
Legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles will receive a posthumous tribute. Maysles passed away in March 2015, leaving a rich cinematic legacy, including GREY GARDENS, GIMME SHELTER, SALESMAN, and IRIS, which won HIFF’s Audience Award last year for Documentary.
HIFF founding board member, Stuart Match Suna, will be honored for his 18 years as Board Chairman. After this year’s festival, Suna will step into the Chair Emeritus role, handing the Chairman reins over to longtime board members Randy Mastro and Alec Baldwin. Under Suna’s leadership, the Festival expanded into Southampton, Montauk, Sag Harbor, and Westhampton, and evolved into a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing film culture. Alec Baldwin will present the award to Suna.
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Director Masato Harada to be the focus of JAPAN NOW at 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival
Masato Harada will be the first Director in Focus of 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF)’s new section JAPAN NOW. Masato Harada is the award-winning director of such works as “Bounce Ko Gals,” “Climber’s High,” “Chronicle of My Mother” and “The Emperor in August.”
Created to showcase outstanding Japanese films from recent and upcoming months, JAPAN NOW will display the diversity of Japanese film, and unique facets of Japanese culture, as well as providing a multifaceted look inside Japan today. The section will also highlight outstanding work by other directors, with subtitled screenings of films to boost their recognition overseas.
Masato Harada was chosen as the initial Director in Focus due to his success over a 30-year career, creating a range of compelling films that are both social criticisms and world-class entertainments. He has received international attention, but JAPAN NOW will present the first mini-retrospective of his work, with English-subtitled screenings of “Kamikaze Taxi” (1994), “Climber’s High”(2008), “Chronicle of My Mother” (2011), “Kakekomi” (2015) and “The Emperor in August” (2015).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMxeYUWjAgU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10CY5odEygo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk9cOWlhV2c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0uE7cCqyKw
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Pharrell Williams + Daft Punk Documentary DAFT PUNK: UNCHAINED to Screen at Doc’n Roll Film Fest
Doc’n Roll Film Festival will screen the French documentary Daft Punk: Unchained, directed by Hervé Martin Delpierre, and the first film to be made about the pop culture phenomenon.
The often elusive duo have sold 12 million albums worldwide and won awards around the globe without ever compromising their vision or sound. Between fiction and reality, magic and secrets, future and reinvention, theatricality and humility, The Robots have built a unique world. The documentary shows Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel Homem-Christo on their permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom. Unchained has unprecedented access and combines rare archive footage and exclusive interviews with their closest collaborators including Giorgio Moroder, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, Michel Gondry, Pete Tong, Skrillex and Leiji Matsumoto.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5EofwRzit0
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Dustin Guy Defa’s Short Films to Get 1 Week Run at Film Society of Lincoln Center
The Film Society of Lincoln Center in NYC will feature a one-week run, from October 14 to 20, of short films by filmmaker Dustin Guy Defa under the theme Local Color: The Short Films of Dustin Guy Defa.
“Good short films don’t get the attention that they deserve, which is all the more grievous as there are some terrific short films being made—and Defa is making many of them,” wrote Richard Brody (The New Yorker) in admiration of the director’s Person to Person, an official selection of last year’s New Directors/New Films and part of Local Color. “Put ’em together and it’s almost a feature release, which is what these richly thoughtful yet ultra-low-budget films merit.”
In addition to Person to Person, Local Color: The Short Films of Dustin Guy Defa also includes Family Nightmare (2011), Declaration of War (2013), Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hoffman (2013), and Review (2015), an official selection of the 53rd New York Film Festival.
LOCAL COLOR: THE SHORT FILMS OF DUSTIN GUY DEFA
FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS
Declaration of War
Dustin Guy Defa, USA, 2013, digital projection, 7m
Defa takes the piss out of Bush-era foreign policy as our then-President’s declaration of the War on Terror is met by an unrelenting standing ovation.
Family Nightmare
Dustin Guy Defa, USA, 2011, HDCAM, 10m
Defa delves into his family’s home-movie archive for this by turns bleak and funny but always moving Bosch-esque group portrait, an act of personal exorcism on VHS.
Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hoffman
Dustin Guy Defa, USA, 2013, HDCAM, 15m
After being dumped by her fed-up boyfriend (Josh Safdie), a young woman (Hannah Gross), allows an alluring stranger (Dakota Goldhor) to crash at her place, unwittingly opening a Pandora’s Box of insecurities and paranoia.
Person to Person
Dustin Guy Defa, USA, 2014, HDCAM, 18m
The morning after hosting a party, record-store clerk Benny (Bene Coopersmith) finds a stranger (Deragh Campbell) passed out on his floor; upon waking, she refuses to leave. A New Directors/New Films 2014 selection.
Review
Dustin Guy Defa, USA, 2015, digital projection, 4m
A young woman recounts a story to a group of friends who listen on with rapt attention, but the tale sounds very familiar… An NYFF53 selection.
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Director Stephen Frears to be Honored with the 2015 Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award
Director Stephen Frears will be honored with the 2015 Stockholm Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming 26th Stockholm International Film Festival taking place November 11 to 22, 2015. During the premiere of his latest film The Program, Frears will visit the 2015 Stockholm International Film Festival to receive the Bronze Horse.
The festival notes that, “British director Stephen Frears never shies away from taking on people’s dark and tragic sides, doing so with warmth, passion and a sense of humor.”
“This year’s receiver of the Lifetime Achievement Award is a filmmaker who is not afraid to take a stand for those who exist at the margins of society. His filmmaking ranges from political films with social pathos to grand epics with the biggest stars. Regardless of what form the story takes, Stephen Frears shows us that he is a director with a genuine curiosity for people’s life stories.”
The prize has previously been awarded to directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Quentin Tarantino, David Cronenberg, David Lynch, Oliver Stone and Mike Leigh.
Stephen Frears latest film Philomena (2013) was shown during the Stockholm International Film Festival two years ago and he returns with The Program (2015), which tells the dramatic story of Lance Armstrong. The undefeated Tour de France champion was discovered to be involved in the most sophisticated doping program in the history of cycling. Starring Ben Foster as Armstrong and Chris O’Dowd as David Walsh, the journalist who devoted years to reveal the scandalous fraud, The Program is described as a gripping story with a deeply psychological portrait of its main characters.
The Program stars Ben Foster, Lee Pace, Dustin Hoffman, Chris O ‘Dowd, Elaine Cassidy, Jesse Plemons, and Laura Donnelly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItBL6Qmloj0
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2015 Seattle South Asian Film Festival Reveals Lineup; Opens with Comedy FOR HERE OR TO GO?
The 10th annual Seattle South Asian Film Festival slated for October 15-25, announced a lineup of 59 films from 9 countries, under the theme “Coming Home”.
Sri Lanka is in the spotlight at 2015 Seattle South Asian Film Festival with a program of films and the attendance of veteran Sri Lankan filmmaker and recipient of the 2014 Tasveer Emerald Award Prasanna Vithanage. A retrospective of Vithanage’s work will take place over the first weekend of the Festival and the filmmaker himself will appear at Q&As following each of the four films included in the retrospective, at a symposium titled “Human Rights and the Politics of Filmmaking in South Asia,” and at a reception to be held in his honor.
Opening Night kicks off the 2015 Seattle South Asian Film Festival with the dramatic comedy FOR HERE OR TO GO?, (pictured above) a humorous look at personal battles faced by immigrants living in America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4F3A_e4zAc
Pakistani-American comedian Fawzia Mirza will grace the Festival’s Centerpiece Gala to present her short film THE FIRST SESSION and perform her one-woman play, “Me, My Mom, and Sharmila.” Mirza is known for her web series “Kam Kardashian” and sketch comedy series “Brown Girl Problems” and was named to Indiewire’s Top 10 Creatives of 2014.
The 2015 Seattle South Asian Film Festival closes with THE SPECTACULAR JIHAD OF TAZ RAHIM with the director Raghav Murali and actor Rahsaan Islam expected to attend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMzbTIfi-FI
Local films featured at SSAFF 2015 include DRAWING THE TIGER by Amy Benson and Scott Squire, FLYING KISS by Tarun Seth, THREADS by Cathy Stevulak, SONGS OF THE BARDS OF BENGAL- THE BAULS AND FAKIRS by Monalisa Dasgupta, and THE DECISION by Joydeep Das.
Further highlights include a new documentary AMONG THE BELIEVERS, a timely look into radical Islam in Pakistan and the conditions that led to its rise. Filmmakers Hemal Trivedi and Mo Naqvi are expected to attend the screening. A double-feature presentation on partition includes A THIN WALL by director Mara Ahmad and PEACE, DAAL, AND PARTITION by director Paisley Smith.
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TRUTH Starring Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford to Open 2015 Rome Film Fest | VIDEO
Truth by James Vanderbilt, and starring Oscar®-winning actors Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford will be the opening film of the 2015 Rome Film Fest, to be held October 16th to 24th 2015.
American screenwriter James Vanderbilt, well-known for his work on The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2 by Marc Webb, and Zodiac by David Fincher, got behind the camera to film his directorial debut, a story that borrows from the repertory of political and newsroom thrillers (such as All the President’s Men and The Insider), starring Oscar®-winning actors Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford.
The film is inspired by the book “Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power” written by journalist and television producer Mary Mapes (played by Cate Blanchett) who worked for years on the CBS television programme “60 Minutes” with renowned anchorman Dan Rather (Robert Redford). The film focuses on the events that led to the controversial case known as “Rathergate”, which concerned the allegedly preferential treatment that George W. Bush received in being posted to the National Guard, to avoid deployment in Vietnam. This unconfirmed story aired in 2004 just two months before the American presidential elections, and brought about Rather’s resignation and Mapes’ layoff, leading the entire CBS News division just a step away from collapse.
Co-starring with the two Oscar® winners are Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven, The Day After Tomorrow, Traffic), Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3, Predator, In Good Company), and Elisabeth Moss (star of the acclaimed television series “Mad Men”).
“Truth may be interpreted on two different levels – explains Artistic Director Antonio Monda of the 2015 Rome Film Fest– The first is the relationship between journalism and politics. The second is the relationship between truth and bias: how preconceptions can affect the way news is reported. Based on a true story, Truth is a powerful and effective debut by a director we will be talking about for a very long time.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v5-jVhksGM
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2015 Jalopnik Film Festival Moves to LA, Opens with WINNING: THE RACING LIFE OF PAUL NEWMAN
The Jalopnik Film Festival is going on a road trip for 2015, motoring west to Los Angeles for its 3rd Annual edition, set to run the weekend of Friday, September 25th through Saturday, September 26th, complete with Mazda as its new presenting sponsor.
The 2015 Jalopnik Film Festival will kick off on Friday at the Santa Monica Airport’s Barker Hangar with a gala screening of Adam Carolla’s new documentary Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman, followed by a Q&A with Carolla and an after-party. Prior to the screening there will be an exclusive Ride & Drive Experience with the all-new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=4Szj0gCkFuk
Saturday will feature a full day of screenings at The Ace Hotel in Downtown L.A., with a mix of new documentaries and narrative films including Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt’s Havana Motor Club, which celebrates Cuba’s racing culture, a screening of Steve McQueen: The Man and Le Mans, a doc chronicling actor Steve McQueen’s passion for racing, directed by Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna, and a screening of Daniel Junge’s Being Evel , a documentary about legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, featuring appearances by Johnny Knoxville, Tony Hawk, George Hamilton, and the late Frank Gifford.
In addition to the new movies, the festival also will offer film buffs rare big-screen showings of two epic car-chase fan favorites, George Miller’s original Mad Max and John Frankenheimer’s Ronin.
Other films include Luke Huxham’s In Loving Memory, a look at the famous (and deadly) Isle of Man TT motorcycle race, and a sneak preview of The Smoking Tire’s All Cars Go to Heaven: Volume Two.
The festival also will include a reader-submitted short film competition, judged by Carolla, L.A. Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson, filmmaker Jeff Zwart, and TV personality Spike Feresten.
Discussing this year’s fest and the move to LA, Jalopnik Editor-in-Chief Matt Hardigree said, “Jalopnik believes that cars matter, so it’s great to have a partner like Mazda who believes that driving matters. It’s also a dream to bring the festival to Los Angeles, where car culture meets film culture and the weather is always great.”
“We’re excited to be working with Matt Hardigree and the great people at Jalopnik, said Mazda’s Russell Wager, vice president, Marketing, Mazda North American Operations. “Los Angeles is the perfect combination of cars and cinema, and we’re looking forward to showcasing the new Mazda MX-5for their audiences.”
Friday’s Ride & Drive experience will feature an exclusive opportunity to get behind the wheel of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 with Jalopnik editors, pro drivers — and a surprise guest. The Ride & Drive experience requires reservations and will take place from 4–7p.m.
via press release