Terry P.

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

Imperial Dreams Win Top Awards at 2015 Ashland Independent Film Festival

The Ashland Independent Film Festival announced the 2015 juried and audience award winning films at an Awards Celebration gala at the Historic Ashland Armory. Imperial Dreams (pictured above), directed by Malik Vitthal was the big winner of this year’s festival, taking home both the Jury Award and Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature film. In Imperial Dreams, 21-year-old Bambi returns home to Los Angeles and his old stomping grounds in Watts, fresh off a 28-month stint in prison for gang activity, Now educated and eager to pursue his dream of becoming a published writer, he must first come to terms with his role as the sole caretaker of his 3-year-old son. To have any hope of reaching his goal and giving his son the upbringing he deserves, he needs to get a job and get off parole. Bambi’s dreams of a legitimate life are challenged by both the red tape of government bureaucracy and the pressure to return to his old gangster life. Even so, he finds hope where it is scarce, and learns what it really means to be a father. In total, twelve awards were presented to attending filmmakers, honoring their work screened at the 14th annual festival. The AIFF presented the 2015 Rogue Award to Olympic Champion Greg Louganis. In 1988, Louganis became the first man to sweep the diving events in consecutive Olympic games. His legendary grace, beauty, and courage sparked a worldwide fascination with diving. Louganis shared his story in the documentary Back on Board: Greg Louganis, directed by Cheryl Furjanic, which screened Saturday evening. The film reveals the complicated life of the pioneering, openly gay athlete who revealed his HIV-positive status, at great risk to his career. Earlier in the week, the AIFF presented Award-winning Director Ondi Timoner with the inaugural AIFF “No Limits” Award in recognition of her fearless filmmaking and unique storytelling style in her latest film, BRAND: A Second Coming. The film follows comedian, author, and activist Russell Brand’s (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) evolution from a superficial Hollywood star and addict to a political disrupter and unexpected hero to the underserved. BRAND: A Second Coming screened Opening Night. Western, directed by Bill and Turner Ross, took home the Les Blank Award for Best Feature Length Documentary, bestowed by the festival’s jurors. This real-life western is a dazzling vérité portrait that puts a human face on an uncertain new reality of two border towns. Barge and Cartel Land received Honorable Mentions. It was a tie for The Rogue Creamery Audience Award for Best Documentary. Sharing the honor are FRAME BY FRAME and Batkid Begins: The Wish Heard Around the World. Imperial Dreams, directed by Malik Vitthal, received the festival’s jury award for Best Narrative Feature film and won the Varsity Audience Award for Best Feature. Another double winner was One Year Lease, taking home the Juried Best Short Documentary prize and the Audience Award for Best Short Documentary. Birthday took home the Jim Teece “Local Hero” Audience Award for Best Short Film. The Audience Family Choice Award went to The Dam Keeper. The jury award for Best Editing: Feature Length Documentary went to Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, directed by Brett Morgan. The juried award for Best Short Film went to SKUNK. Stop received an Honorable Mention. Wildlike won The Jim Giancarlo Award for Best Acting Ensemble and received the Gerald Hirschfeld A.S.C. Award for Best Cinematography. Proud Citizen received an Honorable Mention. Hirschfeld was the 2007 A.S.C President’s Award Honoree and Director of Photography for films such as Young Frankenstein and My Favorite Year. Most Juried and Audience Award-winning documentary, feature and short films will receive encore presentations, Monday April 13 at the Varsity Theatre in downtown Ashland.
Read more
Maryland Film Festival Unveils First 10 Films on 2015 Lineup

Maryland Film Festival revealed the first 10 films on the lineup for the upcoming 17th annual festival, which will take place May 6 to 10, 2015, in downtown Baltimore. The first ten feature films announced for MFF 2015 include Stanley Nelson’s Black Panthers documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution; Kris Swanberg’s Unexpected; Olivia Wyatt’s look at Moken culture, Sailing a Sinking Sea; and Eugene Kotlyarenko’s rom-com, A Wonderful Cloud. Also announced for MFF 2015 is the world premiere of Stephen Cone’s coming-of-age drama Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party. THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (Stanley Nelson) Master documentarian Stanley Nelson has demonstrated an unparalleled ability to bring history to life with films such as Freedom Summer; The Murder of Emmett Till; andJonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Here he turns his lens on the revolutionary Black Panther Party and the various cultural forces that worked to support or destroy the group, creating an essential portrait of a singular radical moment in the American experience. BREAKING A MONSTER (Luke Meyer) Viral-video sensation Unlocking the Truth, a teenage metal buzz-band from Brooklyn, navigate the bizarre current state of the record industry in this fascinating, fist-pumping, and often hilarious documentary. Fresh from its premiere at SXSW, this exceptional rock doc follows the band as they sign a major-label record deal and are suddenly caught up in an adult-driven world of contracts, tours, interviews, and branding. From Luke Meyer, co-director of MFF 2006 hit Darkon. FUNNY BUNNY (Alison Bagnall) The writer/director of The Dish & the Spoon returns with this offbeat, infectious mix of comedy and drama. Kentucker Audley stars as an obesity-awareness canvasser who strikes up a friendship with a wealthy, emancipated 19-year-old named Titty (Olly Alexander) and the animal-rights-activist object of Titty’s desire, Ginger (Joslyn Jensen). Co-starring Josephine Decker, Louis Cancelmi, and Anna Margaret Hollyman. HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY (Stephen Cone) A pool party celebrating the seventeenth birthday of Henry Gamble (Cole Doman), the son of a megachurch preacher (Pat Healy), sets the stage for this expertly observed ensemble drama. As sunny skies fade into moonlight, director Stephen Cone (The Wise Kids, Black Box) offers a subtle and insightful portrait of a community full of pressures and secrets —exploring identity, sexuality, and organized religion in the process. World premiere. SAILING A SINKING SEA (Olivia Wyatt) This experimental documentary, which premiered at SXSW, looks at the traditional lifestyle of the Moken people, a seafaring community of Burma and Thailand. Olivia Wyatt’s gorgeous and immersive film transports viewers deep into the turquoise sea and onto thirteen different islands, giving us intimate access to a culture where shamans, mermaids, and sea gods collide with present-day practices. Executive-produced by Will Oldham. STINKING HEAVEN (Nathan Silver) This ultra-dark comedy looks at a communal home for sober living in 1990s suburban New Jersey, which spirals into dysfunctional decline when an outsider arrives on the scene. Director Nathan Silver’s film boasts an uncompromising visual aesthetic that goes against the grain of contemporary indie filmmaking—not to mention a fantastic cast that includes Deragh Campbell, Hannah Gross, Keith Poulson, and Eleonore Hendricks. TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (Jeffrey Schwarz) Top-notch documentary biographer Jeffrey Schwarz has captivated MFF audiences with definitive looks at iconic personalities William Castle, Vito Russo, and Divine. Now he delivers the warm and intimate story of 1950s Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter, who simultaneously balanced a stratospheric career on the silver screen with a secret life as a gay man. From his rise to stardom to his reinvention as a cult-film star with John Waters—and a number of fascinating surprises—it’s all here. UNEXPECTED (Kris Swanberg) High-school science teacher Samantha (Cobie Smulders), already dealing with stress and uncertainty as her low-income school prepares to close, finds out she’s pregnant. When she discovers her favorite student Jasmine (Gail Bean) is also with child, the two form a tight and unconventional bond. From Kris Swanberg (whose earlier features Empire Builder and It was great, but I was ready to come home. both screened within MFF) comes this refreshing character study that mines honest emotions and the quiet battlefields of love and friendship for real beauty and insight. WELCOME TO LEITH (pictured above) (Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) This edge-of-your-seat documentary follows the arrival of notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb to a small town in North Dakota, where he promptly buys up land for like-minded collaborators and disrupts town council meetings, leading to fears that he plans a neo-Nazi takeover. As his behavior escalates further into the outrageous and threatens to get violent, a once-placid community must decide how to react. A WONDERFUL CLOUD (Eugene Kotlyarenko) When his ex-girlfriend visits him in Los Angeles to resolve some lingering business entanglements, Eugene seeks to revisit old feelings, and introduces her to an LA populated by a wild cast of artists, scenesters, and eccentrics. Variety called this gleefully anarchic romantic comedy “a raucous, wholly improvised 21st-century Annie Hall.” Starring director Kotlyarenko (whose 0s & 1s had its world premiere at MFF 2010) and Kate Lyn Sheil (Sun Don’t Shine, House of Cards).
Read more
Cine Las Americas International Film Festival Announces 2015 Film Lineup

Cine Las Americas International Film Festival announced its 2015 program, including the Hecho en Tejas showcases. All films are presented in English or with English subtitles (if English is not the original language). The 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival is scheduled for April 22-26, 2015, in Austin, Texas. The full festival lineup includes 41 feature films, 49 short films, and 5 music videos, in representation of 18 countries’ participation in production and co-production of the films. Hecho en Tejas films are shot and/or produced in Texas and showcase the wide variety of work by filmmakers with varied backgrounds and experience. This year, the Hecho en Tejas program includes two feature films, six short films, and two music videos. About the Hecho en Tejas Films Features Agave is Life (pictured above) Dir. David Brown, Meredith Dreiss Historical/Cultural Documentary, 2014 AGAVE IS LIFE is the story of mankind’s alliance with the agave plant, from which tequila is derived. Told through the lens of archaeological and historical investigations, and narrated by Edward James Olmos, the film explores ten thousand years of the human-agave relationship. Once a critical resource for hunter-gatherers, agave was a source of food, drink, textiles, fuel, and medicines. We learn that this unique desert plant, once embedded in cultural identity, mythology, art, and rituals, faces an uncertain future. Today, ancient folkways, from fiber craftsmanship to traditional pulque and mescal productions, are rapidly disappearing. While entrepreneurs and scientists work to turn the tide, a loss of diversity of both cultivated and wild species may be the ultimate arbitrator. What’s the Use? Dir. Nicole Elmer Alternative/Comedy/Drama, 2014 Seventeen year-old Sara defends her pride from a career oriented greasy-spoon waitress and her potty mouth. In the gymnastics of her self-defense, she recalls the night when she moved home to live with her father Tony, a skinny loser fresh out of rehab. Determined to start their lives over, he throws her a birthday party, only to have it wrecked by Shy, a dangerous loan shark. Pissed by her father’s passive retreat into his bedroom, Sara sets off to find Shy and take care of her father’s debt on her own. On her journey through the 4th of July heat of Austin, Texas, she meets a love-starved perfectionist, a professional Love Guru, and an eccentric who is planning a painless suicide. Finally reaching Shy, he pushes her fragile ego to the edge, where she is forced to finally see her family’s dark secret and realize she might be her own greatest enemy. Shorts ¿Por qué el recuerdo? (The Solitude of Memory), Dir. Juan Pablo González El fuego detrás (The Fire Behind), Dir. Leo Aguirre Jornaleras (Women Workers), Dir. Marcela Moran Morgan Robyn Collado, Dir. Danea Johnson Sunrise, Dir. Diego Rico Yo soy Juan (I am Juan), Dir. Patrick Rangel Music Videos El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga Film Titles from Full Program, by Program Section New Releases OPENING NIGHT: The Martini Shot, Dir. Demetrius Navarro, USA CLOSING NIGHT: Mr. Kaplan, Dir. Álvaro Brechner, Spain/Uruguay/Germany ADDITIONAL TITLES: Buscando a Gastón (Finding Gaston), Dir. Patricia Perez, USA/Peru Castanha, Dir. Davi Pretto, Brazil Dólares de arena (Sand Dollars), Dir. Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán, Argentina/Mexico/Dominican Republic Feriado (Holiday), Dir. Diego Araujo, Ecuador/Argentina La isla minima (Marshland), Dir. Alberto Rodríguez, Spain La voz en off (Voice Over), Dir. Cristián Jiménez, Chile/France/Canada The Lodge, Dir. Terril Calder, Canada This May Be the Last Time, Dir. Sterlin Harjo, USA Tres D (Three D), Dir. Rosendo Ruíz, Argentina Viejos amigos (Good Old Boys), Dir. Fernando Villarán, Peru Narrative Feature Competition Climas, Dir. Enrica Pérez, Peru El futuro (The Future), Dir. Luis López Carrasco, Spain Los enemigos del dolor (The Enemies of Pain), Dir. Arauco Hernandez, Uruguay O Último Cine Drive-in (The Last Drive-in Theater), Dir. Iberê Carvalho, Brazil Viento aparte (A Separate Wind), Dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, Mexico Documentary Feature Competition Gazelle – The Love Issue, Dir. Cesar Terranova, Brazil/French Polynesia/USA Hotel Nueva Isla, Dir. Irene Gutierrez, Javier Labrador, Cuba/Spain La Violencia: The Untold Truths of Guatemala, Dir. Pia Janning, Til Frohlich, Ireland/Guatemala Poder e impotencia, Un drama en 3 actos (Power and Impotence: A Drama in 3 Acts), Dir. Anna Recalde Miranda, Paraguay/France/Italy Tres mujeres guerreras (Three Women Warriors), Dir. Alexander Preuss, Germany/Colombia Ambulante Showcase El hogar al revés (Upside Down Home), Dir. Itzel Martínez del Cañizo, Mexico H20mx, Dir. José Cohen, Mexico Retratos de una búsqueda (Portraits of a Search), Dir. Alicia Calderón, Mexico Panorama Features Algún lugar (On the Road, Somewhere), Dir. Guillermo Zouain, Dominican Republic Anatomía de un vestido (Anatomy of a Dress), Dir. Flora Pérez Garay, Puerto Rico Asolagados (Flooded), Dir. David Vázquez Vázquez, Spain Ati y Mindhiva (As the Tree Under the Hurricane), Dir. Claudia Fischer, Colombia BKLYN 11211, Dir. Zac73dragon, Spain/Bolivia/USA Chuy, El hombre lobo (Chuy, The Wolf Man), Dir. Eva Aridjis, Mexico Dos Aguas (Two Waters), Dir. Patricia Velásquez, Costa Rica/Colombia Flory’s Flame, Dir. Curt Fissel, USA Genoveva, Dir. Paola Castillo Villagran, Chile Icaros, Dir. Georgina Barreiro, Argentina/Peru Les indiens, l’aigle et le dindon (The Indians, the Eagle and the Turkey), Dir. Iphigénie Marcoux-Fortier, Karine van Ameringen, Canada Movimientos espectaculares (Spectacular Movements), Dir. Mateo Hinojosa, Bolivia/USA/Venezuela Oil & Water, Dir. Francine Strickwerda, Laurel Spellman Smith, USA Salgán & Salgán: A Father-Son Tango, Dir. Caroline Neal, Argentina Narrative Shorts Competition Bolero para surfear en Moravia (Bolero for Surfing in Moravia), Dir. Valerio Mendoza Guillén, Venezuela/Czech Republic El sermón de la montaña (Sermon on the Mount), Dir. Pepe Puertas Piñero, Spain Indigo, Dir. Amanda Strong, Canada La carta (The Letter), Dir. Mara Soler, Mexico Leonard Peres, Dir. Missy Hernandez, USA Documentary Shorts Competition Dona Rosa, Dir. Mathias Mangin, Lucas Mandacaru, Brazil Elena Asins – Génesis, Dir. Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, Spain Flor de la mar (Flower of the Sea), Dir. Jorge Thielen Armand, Venezuela I Was Born in Mexico, But…, Dir. Corey Ohama, USA Nuestro hogar (Our Home), Dir. Detsy “Mara” Barrigon, Iván Jaripio, Panama Music Videos C.T.R.L, Dir. Mariana Conde, United Kingdom El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne, USA (Hecho en Tejas) La ciudad (The City), Dir. Javier Orman, Tom Farrell, USA Nitahkôtân (I Have Arrived), Dir. Moe Clark, Canada Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga, USA (Hecho en Tejas) Indigenous Shorts Program – Retrospective Día 2 (Day 2), Dir. Dante Cerano Bautista, Mexico Late, Dir. Christi Bertelsen, USA Mohawk Midnight Runners, Dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins, Canada Poi Dogs, Dir. Joel Moffett, USA Roberta, Dir. Caroline Monnet, Canada Search for the World’s Best Indian Taco, Dir. Steven Judd, USA Smoke Break, Dir. Sally Kewayosh, USA Panorama Shorts 2 and 2, are 4, Dir. Pedro Sena Nunes, Portugal Aceito (I Do), Dir. Felipe Cabral, Brazil Beyond Recognition, Dir. Michelle Grace Steinberg, USA Bloodlines, Dir. Christopher Cegielski, USA Caballo de mar (Knight of the Seas), Dir. Fernando Alcántara, Iñaki Gaztañaga, Spain Deseo (Desire), Dir. Carolina Cortella, Argentina En la orilla (At the Edge), Dir. Liza Hoos, Xavier Basurto, Mexico Inch’ Allah, Dir. Angélica Romanini, Mexico Nudo (Knot), Dir. Juliana Gómez Castañeda, Cuba Soberano papeleo (Sovereign Paperwork), Dir. Lala Severi, Uruguay Una pared (A Wall), Dir. Javier Ferreiro, Cuba YO, la PEOR de TODAS (I, the WORST of ALL), Dir. Francisco Lupini, USA Emergencia “Youth Film” Special Presentation Cine Joven Latinitas Showcase, Various Directors, USA Emergencia “Youth Film” Competition Lineup A Harmonious Cacophony, Dir. Marielle Boland, Isabela Reid, USA A Pirate’s Life, Dir. Isabella Olaguera, Nick Haaf, USA Can I Help You?, Dir. Pedro Salles Leite, Brazil Ella (Elle), Dir. David Hebrero, Spain Growing, Dir. Allison Coon-Come, Canada Háblame (Talk to Me), Dir. Alba Linares, Spain Kayna Wawaiki Jamuni (Now I Come as Your Son), Dir. Nicolas Page, Chile La boda de las calaveras, Dir. Ricardo Miguel Salazar, USA Little Red, Dir. Wynter Rhys, USA Never Comes Easy, Dir. Naate, Canada Pleasant, Dir. Miranda Whitus, USA Sin madre (Without A Mother), Dir. Buffy Almendares, USA The Lonely Baker, Dir. Cyntheara Tham, Allison McInerney, Ayanna Marte, USA The Only Road, Dir. Sergio Valencia, Nathan Miguel, Alan Bagh, USA For the 18th consecutive year, Austin will serve as host to a wide range of international films and filmmakers as the festival creates networking opportunities for industry professionals, and provides a rich cultural experience for statewide audiences. The festival will showcase contemporary films from the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Iberian Peninsula. All films are presented in English and/or subtitled.
Read more
Mo’Nique and Cast Attends ‘BLACKBIRD’ Screening in Atlanta

On Wednesday night in Atlanta, RLJ Entertainment and Urban Movie Channel (UMC) hosted a private screening of the upcoming film ‘BLACKBIRD,’ directed by Patrik-Ian Polk and starring Academy Award winner Mo’Nique, Isaiah Washington and Julian Walker. A mix of VIP’s, press and influencers, including pictured above, Sidney Hicks, MoNique Hicks, Torrey Laamar, D. Woods, and Nikki Jane, packed the theater at Midtown Art Cinema to preview the much talked about film and sit in on a Q&A with executive producers Mo’Nique. V103 personality Ramona Debreaux moderated the discussion. ‘BLACKBIRD’ opens in select theaters on April 24. Visit www.blackbirdthemovie.com for theater locations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHe0ukjp0-M
Read more
Ambulante to Showcase Mexican Documentary Films at 2015 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_7862" align="alignnone" width="1180"] EL HOGAR AL REVÉS / UPSIDE DOWN HOME[/caption] Cine Las Americas is partnering with Ambulante to present a special series of three documentary films at the 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, taking place April 22-26, 2015. The Ambulante Showcase screenings will take place at 8pm on three consecutive evenings, Thursday April 23rd, Friday April 24th, and Saturday April 25th, in the Jones Auditorium at the Ragsdale Center, located on the campus of St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. The screenings are free and open to the public. Ambulante was founded in 2005 by Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Pablo Cruz and Elena Fortes,and is a Mexico based non-profit organization that annually organizes an international documentary film festival, touring Mexico for three months. Through the presentation of films, workshops, talks, seminars, networking panels, and documentary theater, Ambulante opens up different ways of experiencing and understanding documentary film. The Ambulante festival is currently holding its 10th edition, which will be closing in the state of Oaxaca next May 3 after 92 days on tour. “For Cine Las Americas, this partnership with Ambulante represents an opportunity to share with our festival audience a series of films in line with both organizations’ missions,” said Cine Las Americas Festival Director Jean Lauer. “Ambulante’s mission to ‘cultivate new forms of expression and encourage debate’ compliments Cine’s objective of ‘promote cross-cultural understanding … through film and media arts.’ We are confident that this is the beginning of a long-term collaboration in support of documentary films and discourse around important contemporary issues.” The Ambulante showcase during the 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival will be hosted by special guest Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California. The showcase consists of three documentary films from Mexico, exploring contemporary issues that resonate across the border. EL HOGAR AL REVÉS / UPSIDE DOWN HOME (2014), a moving portrait directed by Itzel Martínez del Cañizo, presents the lives of women looking forward and chasing their dreams, while working day and night, and shines a light on their children, who learn to survive without their mother’s available daily presence. RETRATOS DE UNA BÚQUEDA / PORTRAITS OF A SEARCH (2014), directed by Alicia Calderón, is a window into the impact of the Mexican drug war and specifically how thousands of mothers search for their missing daughters and sons as a result of the war. H2OMX (2014), directed by José Cohen and Lorenzo Hagerman, examines the question of whether Mexico City, with over 20 million residents, can avert disaster and become water-sustainable.
Read more
Italian Mafia film BLACK SOULS Sets April 2015 Release Date in US

The Italian Mafia film BLACK SOULS (ANIME NERE) which wowed audiences at the 2014 Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival, opens in NYC on April 10, and Los Angeles on April 23, with a nationwide release to follow. BLACK SOULS (“Anime Nere”) is described as a gripping morality tale of violence begetting violence in rural Calabria, that takes us on a journey into the dark and sinister world of the real-life mafia (‘Ndrangheta) in Southern Italy. Based upon the actual events described in Gioacchino Criaco’s novel of the same name, Black Souls vividly brings to life the inevitable tragic consequences when never-ending revenge and vendetta is passed down from generation to generation. The film focuses in on the Carbone family that consists of three brothers, Luigi (Marco Leonardi) & Rocco (Peppino Mazzotta) who are engaged in the family business of international drug trade, and Luciano (Fabrizio Ferracane) who has remained behind herding goats in their ancestral town of Africo in the remote Aspromonte mountains on the Ionic coast. Luciano’s 20-year old son Leo (Giuseppe Fumo) has little respect for his father’s simple ways and instead idealizes his two Mafioso uncles and their urban lifestyle. When Leo shoots up a local bar owned by a rival family, his reckless actions reignites a longstanding blood feud and sets off a tragic chain of events that violently grinds toward an inevitable bloody showdown for all involved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1LlGKQ92aU
Read more
Songbird Documentary EMPTYING THE SKIES to Be Released on Earth Day

EMPTYING THE SKIES documentary, based on the New Yorker Magazine essay by best-selling novelist Jonathan Franzen, that exposes the rampant poaching of migratory songbirds in southern Europe, opens in NY at Cinema Village, as well as in Chicago on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, and on VOD platforms including iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube. Songbird populations have been drastically declining for several decades, with a number of species facing imminent extinction. This poignant documentary explores the wonder of these tiny globe-spanning marvels, millions of which are unlawfully trapped and killed each year for large sums on the black market, and follows the intrepid squad of pan-European bird-lovers who risk their lives waging a secret war against poachers, to disrupt illegal trapping to free as many as possible. Embedding filmmakers Douglas Kass and Roger Kass with their activist subjects, this year-long undertaking transports viewers right onto the front lines as poachers are confronted at critical migration pinch-points in Cyprus, France and Italy. A moving call to arms in the spirit of THE COVE, EMPTYING THE SKIES chronicles a devastating environmental tragedy and the valiant journey of those risking their lives to stop it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js6tM4ClJHk
Read more
Official Trailer and Poster for THE D TRAIN Starring Jack Black

IFC Films has released the Official Trailer and Poster from the Sundance hit comedy starring Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn and Jeffrey Tambo. THE D TRAIN opens in US theaters on May 8th, 2015. All his life, Dan Landsman (Jack Black) has never been the cool guy. That’s about to change – if he can convince Oliver Lawless (Marsden), the most popular guy from his high school who’s now the face of a national Banana Boat ad campaign, to show up with him to their class reunion. A man on a mission, Dan travels from Pittsburgh to LA and spins a web of lies to recruit Lawless. But he gets more than he bargains for as the unpredictable Lawless proceeds to take over his home, career, and entire life. Showcasing Jack Black and James Marsden’s most intoxicating performances to date, D TRAIN serves up the question: how far would you go to be popular? Co-starring Kathryn Hahn and Jeffrey Tambor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PzB1Feeocw STARRING: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer, Henry Zebrowski, Russell Posner and Jeffrey Tambor RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2015 WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel PRODUCED BY: Mike White, David Bernad, Jack Black, Priyanka Mattoo, Ben Latham-Jones, Barnaby Thompson GENRE: Comedy RUNNING TIME: 98 Minutes MPAA RATING: R DISTRIBUTOR: IFC Films
Read more
Russian film CHAGALL-MALEVICH US Release Date Set for June 2015

The Russian film CHAGALL-MALEVICH, directed by Alexander Mitta, will open at Cinema Village in New York on June 12 and at Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills and at Town Center 5 in Encino, CA on June 19. The artistic and political revolution of early 19th century Russia is mythologized in CHAGALL-MALEVICH, a magical period drama about the uneasy relationship between two artistic geniuses. Inspired by the memoirs of Marc Chagall and those of his contemporaries, the film blends fact and folklore to evoke the return of the iconic Jewish artist (portrayed by Leonid Bichevin “Cargo 200”) to his childhood home of Vitebsk. Having left behind immense success in Paris, Chagall returns to the Russian empire in 1917 in hope to marry the love of his life Bella Rosenfeld (Kristina Schneidermann); he produces copious paintings and establishes the Academy of Modern Art. A rivalry develops with abstract painter Kazimir Malevich (Anatoliy Belyy), invited to teach at the art school. As Bella rekindles a childhood friendship with military Red Commissar Naum (Semyon Shkalikov), Chagall competes for the affections of his muse and future wife. As the October Revolution sweeps across Russia, historical events intrude on personal struggles and upend the quiet provincial life in Vitebsk. Brimming with surrealistic imagery from the paintings of Chagall and Malevich (over 140 paintings were used in the film), this sumptuous melodrama marks veteran Russian filmmaker Alexander Mitta’s return after a decade-long hiatus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enaho11_x8Q
Read more
Grindhouse-Style Feminist Thriller THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE on VOD May 1st

Gravitas Ventures will release John Stuart Wildman’s THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE on VOD, May 1st. The grindhouse-style feminist thriller will wrap up a successful year-long film festival run with an appearance at the Nashville Film Festival on Friday, April 16 as part of the fest’s Graveyard Shift lineup prior to the VOD date. The film is currently available for pre-order on iTunes. Featuring a screenplay by Justina Walford and Wildman, the film stars Farah White, Melodie Sisk, Brina Palencia, Samrat Chakrabarti, and Michelle “Belladonna” Sinclair and was produced by White, Wildman, Walford and Adam Dietrich. THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE made its world premiere at last year’s Dallas International Film Festival. THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE follows the fate of two brothers, Jacob and Kai, who, along with their friend Derek, go to a dance club to celebrate Kai’s birthday. After Derek convinces the other two to follow one of the dancers home, things take a tragic turn resulting in the young woman’s death. However, that is simply the beginning of the nightmare for the young men, because her roommates (Getty, Lin and Crystal) aren’t just fellow dancers, they are also cannibals with a fierce sense of home and family – and a taste for men. After Kai quickly falls victim to Getty and Lin and is on his way to becoming the centerpiece of that evening’s meal, Derek tries to figure out how to escape while Jacob discovers his survival may hinge on the twisted desire and whims of Crystal, the beautiful and sociopathic “baby” of the family. THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE marks the feature film directorial debut for Wildman, who is the Senior Publicist for the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The former Head of Press & Public Relations for the American Film Institute, as well as the PR Director for AFI FEST and the DALLAS International Film Festival, Wildman has headed the PR efforts for film festivals across the country and written for numerous film sites (Film Threat.com, Film Comment.com, etc.). THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE was executive produced by Ruth Mutch (INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, LITTLE ACCIDENTS), and co-executive produced by Debbi Berlin. The film was shot and produced in Dallas, Texas.
Read more
Josh Braun to Receive 2015 Advocate Award at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Josh Braun, co-president of Submarine Entertainment will be presented with the 2015 Advocate Award at the upcoming Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Full Frame’s Director, Deirdre Haj, presents the Full Frame Advocate Award in recognition of individuals who have supported the documentary medium and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Braun will receive this honor at the festival’s Awards Barbecue on Sunday, April 12. Previous recipients of the Advocate Award are Jim Goodmon and Michael Goodmon, Triangle, philanthropists and developers; Molly Thompson, President of A&E IndieFilms; and longtime Full Frame advisor Wyndham Robertson. Braun is the co-president of Submarine, a hybrid sales and production company which he and his twin brother, Dan, formed in 2001. Recent films sold by Submarine include the Oscar®-winning documentariesCitizenfour, 20 Feet from Stardom, Searching for Sugar Man, and Man on Wire. Other titles includeSunshine Superman, The Wolfpack, Dior and I, Best of Enemies, 3 ½ Minutes, Battered Bastards of Baseball, The Unknown Known, Finding Vivian Maier, Blackfish, Dirty Wars, Queen of Versailles, Tabloid,Page One: Inside the New York Times, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Bill Cunningham New York, Food, Inc.,Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Valentino: The Last Emperor, and many others. Braun has executive produced numerous documentaries including The Unknown Known, Patrolman P, Seamless, Gramercy Park Hotel, Cat Dancers, Billionaire, Easy Riders Raging Bulls, Kill Your Idols, Page One: Inside the New York Times, and Ivory Tower. “When one thinks of an advocate for documentary film, many professionals come to mind, but the tireless sales agent rarely comes first,” said Full Frame Director Deirdre Haj. “Josh is a genius at promoting documentaries that have become household names, award winners and game changers. He is in many ways responsible for the popularity the genre enjoys. For this we honor him with this year’s Advocate Award.” Braun is committed to finding films that instill in him a passionate response. He states, “I tell the younger guys in our office, the starting point is that you love it, and it excites you. If that is true then it is likely that other people will feel the same way. Some films are obvious, you know they will play well, but others…you have to go with your instincts.” Laura Poitras, director of Citizenfour, said, “I am deeply grateful to Josh and his work on Citizenfour. He was able to navigate our complex distribution plans and keep everything under the radar. We asked him to break many rules, which he did gracefully. He is a great advocate for cinema and filmmakers.” “Braun is an expert advisor of documentary filmmakers, advocating for their work and fairly representing them so they enjoy commercial success,” said Haj. “Some of these films anyone could have sold,” Braun added. “It is the films where how we intervened mattered, that is where I derive the most satisfaction.” The 18^th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival will be held April 9-12, 2015, in Durham, N.C., with Duke University as the presenting sponsor.
Read more
CAT SHOW and AMERICA RECYCLED Win Top Awards at American Documentary Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_7813" align="alignnone" width="640"] CAT SHOW[/caption] The 4th annual edition of The American Documentary Film Festival (AMDocs) called it a wrap on Monday, March 30, 2015, with its signature Closing Night Mystery Screening and Film Festival Awards Presentation. Director Peter Bogdanovich was the recipient of the 2015 Filmmaker Who Makes a Difference Award, Dr. Ronni Sanlo (the subject of the film, LETTER TO ANITA) was the recipient of the 2015 Rozene Supple Humanitarian Award, and the film,SPARTANS, was the recipient of the 2015 Robert Drew Verite Award. Three film projects were awarded American Documentary Film Fund Grants this year, including POW WOW, PERSONHOOD, and THE TROUBLE WITH RAY. Each year, The American Documentary Film Fund provides up to $50,000 in grants to independent American filmmakers. Applicants must provide detailed story outlines and budgets for their works in progress or new projects. Filmmakers screen a five (5) minute preview of their film projects before an industry panel of judges and take part in a ten minute Q&A about their projects. This year’s Film Awards were also announced as follows: 2015 Best Foreign Feature Documentary: CAT SHOW (U.K./Australia), 2015 Best Foreign Short Documentary: HONEY ON WOUNDS (Romania),2015 Best Animated Short(s): DEATH & THE MAIDEN (Israel/Germany) and THE LOST MARINER(Netherlands/Canada), 2015 Best American Feature Documentary: AMERICA RECYCLED, and 2015 Best American Short Documentary: SEEING THE FULL SOUNDING.
Read more