• 30th Anniversary Screening of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY to Kick Off 10th TCM Classic Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_32960" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]WHEN HARRY MET SALLY WHEN HARRY MET SALLY[/caption] Who would believe it’s 30 years already – the 30th anniversary screening of the seminal romantic comedy When HARRY Met Sally… with stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan and director/producer Rob Reiner in attendance, will kick off the 10th annual TCM Classic Film Festival on Thursday, April 11th Celebrated director Rob Reiner had no idea he would strike such a chord with audiences by posing the simple question: “can men and women really be friends?” The charming and TIMELESS film explores this idea by following the characters of HARRY (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) over the course of twelve years through a series of chance encounters. When HARRY Met Sally… was an instant hit with audiences and critics alike: the film grossed more than $90 million at the box office and Nora Ephron’s taut, hilarious script garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Orginal Screenplay. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan were also both nominated for Golden Globes for their performances, along with director Rob Reiner. “There are romantic comedies – and then there’s When HARRY Met Sally…” said Ben Mankiewicz, TCM primetime anchor and official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival. “The chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan makes them part of a legacy that includes the greats of classic movies: Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn; Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell; and Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. And Rob Reiner – utilizing Nora Ephron’s word-perfect screenplay – follows in the rarefied air of the filmmaking giants who made those earlier pictures.” The 2019 TCM Classic Film Festival, held in the heart of Hollywood Thursday, April 11 – Sunday, April 14, 2019, marks the 10th annual celebration of classic films on the big screen from TCM. The TCM network will also celebrate its 25th anniversary on closing night of the festival. TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz will serve as official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival. The festival’s official hotel and central gathering point for the tenth consecutive year will be The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards® ceremony. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will also offer special rates for festival attendees. Screenings and events during the festival will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres and the Egyptian Theatre, as well as other Hollywood venues.

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  • ROMA Named Best Film, EIGHTH GRADE, FIRST REFORMED Win 2018 New York Film Critics Circle Awards

      [caption id="attachment_30917" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]ROMA ROMA[/caption] The New York Film Critics Circle announced its 2018 award winners live on Twitter this morning, naming Roma the Best Film of 2018, along with awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography for Alfonso Cuarón.  First Reformed won awards for Best Screenplay: Paul Schrader and Best Actor for Ethan Hawke. Minding the Gap directed by Bing Liu won for Best Documentary, Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War won for Best Foreign Language Film, and Eighth Grade director Bo Burnham won the award for Best First Film.

    2018 New York Film Critics Award Winners

    Best Picture: Roma Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma Best Screenplay: Paul Schrader, “First Reformed” Best Actress: Regina Hall, Support the Girls Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Best Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me? Best Cinematography: Roma, Alfonso Cuaron Best Non-fiction Film: Minding the Gap, director Bing Liu Best Foreign Language Film: “Cold War,” director Pawel Pawlikowski Best Animated Feature: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Best First Film: Eighth Grade, director Bo Burnham Special Award For Career Achievement: David Schwartz, Chief Film Curator at Museum of the Moving Image for 33 years Special Award: Kino Classics Box Set Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers

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  • Brian Welsh’s BEATS to World Premiere at 2019 International Film Festival Rotterdam

    [caption id="attachment_32953" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Beats, a film by Brian Welsh Beats, a film by Brian Welsh[/caption] Beats, a film by Brian Welsh about an unlikely friendship set against a backdrop of illegal raves in the 90s will world premiere at the 2019 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Beats is part of IFFR’s Limelight program, which features the cinematic highlights of the year. Emmy Award-winning fimmaker Clara van Gool’s The Beast in the Jungle and Martin de Vries’s Camino, A Feature-length Selfie also world premiere within Limelight. Beats is a raw, black-and-white portrait of a bankrupt United Kingdom in which music and drugs are the only things of interest. In summer 1994, with rave culture on the rise in a Scottish village, teens Johnno and Spanner have a final night out together before each going their own way in life. In addition to Beats, IFFR’s Limelight program boasts two other world premieres, both by Dutch filmmakers: The Beast in the Jungle by Clara van Gool is a poetic adaptation of Henry James’s 1903 novella with a major role for dance and movement; and Camino, a Feature-length Selfie is Martin de Vries’s account of his hike to Santiago de Compostela. Four Limelight titles were previously supported by IFFR: A Land Imagined by Yeo Siew Hua, Rojo by Benjamín Naishtat and Rafiki by Wanuri Kahiu were supported by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund and Birds of Passage by Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra was presented at IFFR’s CineMart. Other confirmed Limelight titles include Gaspar Noé’s Climax, Brady Corbet’s Vox Lux, Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro and Hamaguchi Ryūsuke’s Asako I & II. All confirmed 2019 International Film Festival RotterdamLimelight titles to date Un amour impossible/An Impossible Love, Catherine Corsini, 2018, France Asako I & II, Hamaguchi Ryūsuke, 2018, Japan/France Ash Is Purest White, Jia Zhangke, 2018, China/France The Beast in the Jungle, Clara van Gool, 2019, Netherlands/Luxembourg, world premiere Beats, Brian Welsh, 2019, UK, world premiere Birds of Passage, Cristina Gallego/Ciro Guerra, 2018, Colombia/Denmark/Mexico Camino, een feature-length selfie/Camino, A Feature-length Selfie, Martin de Vries, 2019, Netherlands, world premiere Capharnaüm/Capernaum, Nadine Labaki, 2018, LebanonClimax, Gaspar Noé, 2018, France Donbass, Sergei Loznitsa, 2018, Germany/Ukraine/France/Netherlands/Romania A Land Imagined, Yeo Siew Hua, 2018, Singapore/France/Netherlands Lazzaro felice/Happy as Lazzaro, Alice Rohrwacher, 2018, Italy/Switzerland/France/Germany Leto/Summer, Kirill Serebrennikov, 2018, Russia/France Rafiki, Wanuri Kahiu, 2018, Kenya/South AfricaRojo, Benjamín Naishtat, 2018, Argentina/Brazil/France/Netherlands/Germany Vox Lux, Brady Corbet, 2018, USA

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  • Watch Final Trailer + New Poster for Barry Jenkins’ IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK

    [caption id="attachment_31277" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]If Beale Street Could Talk If Beale Street Could Talk[/caption] Annapurna Pictures released the final trailer for If Beale Street Could Talk a timeless and moving love story set in early-1970s Harlem. Academy Award-winning writer/director Barry Jenkins’ first film since the Best Picture Oscar-winning Moonlight is If Beale Street Could Talk, his adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel – the first English-language feature film based on the work of the author, to whom the movie is dedicated. The film opens in theaters on December 14, 2018. Set in early-1970s Harlem, If Beale Street Could Talk is a timeless and moving love story of both a couple’s unbreakable bond and the African-American family’s empowering embrace, as told through the eyes of 19-year-old Tish Rivers (screen newcomer KiKi Layne). A daughter and wife-to-be, Tish vividly recalls the passion, respect and trust that have connected her and her artist fiancé Alonzo Hunt, who goes by the nickname Fonny (Stephan James). Friends since childhood, the devoted couple dream of a future together but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit. Through the unique intimacy and power of cinema, If Beale Street Could Talk honors the author’s prescient words and imagery, charting the emotional currents navigated in an unforgiving and racially biased world as the filmmaker poetically crosses time frames to show how love and humanity endure.

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  • MAN ON FIRE Documentary on Race and God in Smalltown Texas, to Premiere on PBS Independent Lens

    Man on Fire Documentary The haunting new documentary Man on Fire explores how a community dealt with the shocking public suicide of Charles Moore, an elderly minister who self-immolated in a Texas Parking Lot.   Man on Fire premieres on Independent Lens on Monday, December 17, 2018, 10-11:00 PM ET (check local listings) on PBS. On June 23, 2014, a 79-year-old white Methodist minister named Charles Moore drove to an empty parking lot in his old hometown of Grand Saline, Texas, and set himself on fire. He left a note on his car’s windshield explaining that this act was his final protest against the virulent racism of the community and his country at large. Joel Fendelman’s Man on Fire goes back to Grand Saline – population 3,266 – to try to uncover the truth about the town’s ugly past and the fervor for God and justice that drove Moore to his shocking final act. Grand Saline, home to one of Morton’s largest salt mines, has always had a reputation as a town unhospitable to African Americans. Oral tradition has it that there were signs at each end of the town warning African Americans to leave before sunset, and stories of lynchings and beheadings are well-known. Although the town fathers claim the stories are just rumors, African Americans from neighboring towns still avoid passing through. The shroud of secrecy ended when Charles Moore self-immolated and the media took note. Although he was raised in Grand Saline, Moore’s religious devotion and quest to make a difference had led him far from his small hometown. A committed Methodist, Moore attended Southern Methodist University and became a preacher, first in Texas and then on the west side of Chicago, where his passion for social justice flourished. A fierce supporter of racial equality, LGBT rights, the abolition of the death penalty and more, his parishioners and colleagues marveled at the depth of his commitment. Even before his death, they understood that Moore was willing to die for what he believed. Told through interviews with Moore’s friends and family members as well as residents of Grand Saline and surrounding towns, Man on Fire seeks to understand what drove Moore to his shocking final act — and what if anything, it changed. “Joel’s disquieting film explores the length one white preacher was willing to go to remind us of our racist history,” said Lois Vossen, Independent Lens executive producer. “Some see his act of self-immolation as a radical protest, like the Buddhist monks whose suicide by fire raised awareness for their cause. Others believe it’s a sign of mental illness. At a time when we’re grappling to define a collective history, this story illustrates how difficult it is to find common language, let alone common ground.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfHOMkM-C4c

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  • Watch Natalie Portman Shine in New VOX LUX Trailer

    [caption id="attachment_31495" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Vox Lux Vox Lux[/caption] The new trailer dropped today for Vox Lux starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law, that opens in theaters on December 7, 2018.  Vox Lux follows the rise of Celeste from the ashes of a major national tragedy to pop superstardom. The film spans 18 years and traces important cultural moments through her eyes, starting in 1999 and concluding in 2017. In 1999, teenage Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) survives a violent tragedy. After singing at a memorial service, Celeste transforms into a burgeoning pop star with the help of her songwriter sister (Stacy Martin) and a talent manager (Jude Law). Celeste’s meteoric rise to fame and concurrent loss of innocence dovetails with a shattering terrorist attack on the nation, elevating the young powerhouse to a new kind of celebrity: American icon, secular deity, global superstar. By 2017, adult Celeste (Natalie Portman) is mounting a comeback after a scandalous incident that derailed her career. Touring in support of her sixth album, a compendium of sci-fi anthems entitled “Vox Lux,” the indomitable, foul-mouthed pop savior must overcome her personal and familial struggles to navigate motherhood, madness and monolithic fame in the Age of Terror. In Brady Corbet’s second feature, following his 2015 breakout debut The Childhood of a Leader— winner of the Best Director and Best Debut Film prizes at the Venice Film Festival — Celeste becomes a symbol of the cult of celebrity and the media machine in all its guts, grit and glory. Featuring original songs by Sia, an original score by Scott Walker, and a transcendent performance by Natalie Portman, personifying and pummeling the zeitgeist, Vox Lux is an origin story about the forces that shape us, as individuals, nations, and gods.

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  • Watch Trailer for TOUGH GUY : THE BOB PROBERT STORY, Documentary on Late Hockey Player

    Tough Guy : The Bob Probert Story The new trailer is released for Tough Guy: The Bob Probert Story, the story of late NHL tough guy Bob Probert, who died at age 45, directed by 28-year-old documentary filmmaker Geordie Day.   The documentary premieres on Superchannel in Canada on December 4 and will hit the U.S sometime next year. On July 5, 2010, legendary NHL tough guy Bob Probert collapsed on his boat on Lake St. Clair, near Windsor and died of a heart attack. He was only 45 years old. Bob was on his third glass of coke and eighth pill of OxyContin that day. He’d routinely take the two together to deal with his aching body. Seventeen years as the NHL’s toughest enforcer had taken its toll. As the undisputed, “heavyweight champ,” he finished his career fifth in all time penalty minutes. He averaged 40 brutal, bare-knuckled hockey fights a year. Bob’s death wasn’t all that surprising. He lived hard. Chain smoking, alcoholism, snorting cocaine even in a jail cell while under arrest, cavorting with nurses during his many trips to rehab. He said people always wanted to know, “Why do you struggle with drugs and alcohol?” He’d shrug off the ques, “I just got a little addicted to the fun.” But Bob’s life was often far from fun. In a rare moment of vulnerability, he wrote a letter to his disease while in rehab in 2003. “You have taken away my freedom to make healthy choices. You have taken away my valuable time from my wonderful wife Dani and my four kids. You have taken away my self-respect and dignity. You have turned me into someone I am not.” The film features Bob Probert, Dani Probert, Joe Kocur, Tie Domi, Don Cherry, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, Stu Grimson, Sheldon Kennedy, Troy Crowder, Steve Yzerman, Tony Twist, Ptr Klima, and Marty McSorely. Tough Guy is based on the book Day’s real-life mother Kirstie McLellan Day wrote with the late Probert. Bob’s wife, Dani is EP. It’s Geordie Day’s second hockey film. He co-directed Goalie, a film on former NHL goaltender Clint Malarchuk. This year, he produced Charles Manson: Final words, which contained the last ever recorded interviews with Manson. The film aired on REELZ.

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  • Director Costa-Gavras to Receive Honorary Award at European Film Awards

    [caption id="attachment_32936" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Costa-Gavras Costa-Gavras[/caption] Legendary director Costa-Gavras will be presented with the Honorary Award of the EFA President and Board at the 31st European Film Awards on December 15, 2018.  Costa-Gavras is the fifth filmmaker to receive this recognition, earlier recipients were Manoel de Oliveira, Michel Piccoli, Sir Michael Caine, and Andrzej Wajda. Born in Greece, Costa-Gavras emigrated in 1955 to France at the age of 22 and made his first film in 1965: THE SLEEPING CAR MURDERS, made possible with the support of Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, both of whom also starred in this adaptation of Sébastien Japrisot’s novel. He continued with Z (1969) which he also co-wrote with Jorge Semprún, adapted from Vassilis Vassilikos’ book. The film received two awards at the Cannes Film Festival as well as two Oscars. Another collaboration with co-screenwriter Semprún followed with THE CONFESSION (1971), an adaptation from Arthur and Lise London’s book. Among his various other award-winning films are STATE OF SIEGE (1973), MISSING (1981) which received the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar for Best Screenplay, HANNA K. (1983) about an Israeli lawyer defending a Palestinian in the occupied territories, and BETRAYED (1988), starring Debra Winger and Tom Berenger. Costa-Gavras also directed MUSIC BOX (1989) which won the Golden Bear at the 1990 Berlin Film Festival, MAD CITY (1997) with John Travolta and Dustin Hoffman, AMEN (2002) which was awarded Best Screenplay at the Césars, THE AXE (2004), EDEN IS WEST (2009) and, most recently, CAPITAL, starring Gad Elmaleh and Gabriel Byrne, which premiered in San Sebastian in 2012. Costa-Gavras also directs opera and musical shows and he was President of the Société des réalisateurs de films (Film directors’ Society, 1971-1973). He is President of La Cinémathèque Française. Costa-Gavras will be a guest of honor at the awards ceremony on December 15 in Seville to accept his award.

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  • Showtime to Premiere a Week of New Music Documentaries in December Featuring Jeff Beck, Agnostic Front, GG Allin, Korn’s Brian “Head”

    [caption id="attachment_32933" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]KORN'S BRIAN "HEAD" WELCH: LOUD KRAZY LOVE KORN’S BRIAN “HEAD” WELCH: LOUD KRAZY LOVE[/caption] Showtime will air a special week of music documentary premieres beginning Tuesday, December 11, profiling rock legends Jeff Beck, Agnostic Front, GG Allin and Korn’s Brian “Head” Welch. JEFF BECK: STILL ON THE RUN will premiere Tuesday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT, AGNOSTIC FRONT: GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE on Wednesday, December 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, GG ALLIN: ALL IN THE FAMILY on Thursday, December 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, and KORN’S BRIAN “HEAD” WELCH: LOUD KRAZY LOVE on Friday, December 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT.

    KORN’S BRIAN “HEAD” WELCH: LOUD KRAZY LOVE

    Brian “Head” Welch was an early ’90s rock pioneer with his band Korn, giving a voice and identity to a generation of misfits. In KORN’S BRIAN “HEAD” WELCH: LOUD KRAZY LOVE, directors Trey Hill and Scott Mayo retrace the harrowing journey Welch faced after the birth of his daughter Jennea, when he walked away from career success to clean up his act to father his daughter in the only way he found acceptable. Far beyond a rock doc, this transformative coming-of-age story grapples with teenage depression, the quest for identity and the hope of a father willing to do anything for the one he loves.

    JEFF BECK: STILL ON THE RUN

    JEFF BECK: STILL ON THE RUN, directed by Matthew Longfellow, follows the English rock guitarist from his earliest days learning to strum on homemade guitars in Wallington, Surrey, to his teenage friendship with Jimmy Page and mastering his craft with guitar legends that influenced his incredible career.

    AGNOSTIC FRONT: GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE

    AGNOSTIC FRONT: GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE traces the roots of the band that pioneered and defined New York Hardcore (NYHC). Directed by Ian McFarland, the film follows Roger Miret and Vinnie Stigma, called the lynchpins of hardcore punk movement, 30 years into their careers as they remain the very embodiment of hardcore, representing endurance, perseverance, brotherhood, strength against oppression and the will to keep going, obstacles be damned.

    GG ALLIN: ALL IN THE FAMILY

    GG ALLIN: ALL IN THE FAMILY explores the life of GG Allin, the controversial rock singer whose outrageous onstage antics shocked the world. The story follows his impoverished childhood ruled by a tyrannical father to an adult life marked by drugs, violence and prison. Director Sami Saif creates an intimacy with viewers as the film explores how Allin’s mother Arleta and brother Merle are still dealing with grief, and examines Allin’s lasting influence on his fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itZHp6tWH3g

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  • Documentary MILES DAVIS: BIRTH OF THE COOL to World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2019

    [caption id="attachment_32929" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool[/caption] Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, the new feature-length documentary directed by Emmy Award-winner Stanley Nelson, will debut in the Documentary Premieres category at Sundance Film Festival 2019.  With full access to the Miles Davis Estate, the film features never-before-seen footage, including studio outtakes from his recording sessions, new interviews and rare photos. Quincy Jones, Carlos Santana, Clive Davis, Wayne Shorter and Ron Carter are just a few of the luminaries weighing in on the life and career of a true visionary, innovator and originator. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool is the definitive account of the man behind the legend. Director Stanley Nelson said, “Miles Davis is an undisputed musical legend – but what I hoped to discover was the man behind the myth. By unpacking his upbringing, his methodology, his relationships, and his demons, we begin to understand the man who would redefine the original American musical genre, jazz and has influenced generations of musicians in rock, funk and hip-hop.” Eagle Rock Chairman Terry Shand said, “We are delighted to be selected in a year with such strong submissions. We are proud to bring this film about the world’s most innovative & iconic jazz musician to Sundance Film Festival”. A global theatrical release is planned for the Summer of 2019.

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  • Film Keynote Jessica Brillhart + Frank Oz, Elisabeth Moss, Busy Philipps Added to 2019 South by Southwest Featured Speakers Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_32926" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Elisabeth Moss, Busy Philipps Elisabeth Moss, Busy Philipps[/caption] South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has added Film Keynote Jessica Brillhart along with a new round of Featured Speakers including Busy Philipps, Elisabeth Moss, and Frank Oz to the 2019 programming lineup. Among the Featured Speakers revealed are Clovyr co-founder Amber Baldet; singer and actor Lance Bass; Black Girls CODE founder Kimberly Bryant; musician and activist Laura Jane Grace; puppeteer, director and producer Frank Oz; Backstage Capital founder Arlan Hamilton; actor and comedian Kevin Hart; philosopher and writer Jaron Lanier; actress and producer Elisabeth Moss; The Daily Show host Trevor Noah; actress and writer Busy Philipps; GSD&M chairman and co-founder Roy Spence; and more. Additionally, best-selling author and researcher Brené Brown has been added as the SXSW 2019 Opening Speaker. Jessica Brillhart, founder of independent studio Vrai Pictures, is an immersive director, writer, and theorist. She was the Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google where she worked with engineers to develop Google Jump, a virtual reality live-action capture ecosystem. Brillhart joins previously-announced Keynotes Joseph Lubin (Interactive), Shirley Manson and Lauren Mayberry (Music), Marti Noxon (Film), and Kevin Systrom with Josh Constine (Interactive). “A shining star in the immersive arts community, Jessica Brillhart is an early explorer trying to define storytelling in the immersive world and she’s spearheaded early innovation in creating stories using VR, AR, and AI,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “We are excited to share her perspectives on this exciting field, as well as from our many esteemed Featured Speakers in entertainment, business and technology.” SXSW Conference programming is organized into 25 tracks divided between Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence, presented in a variety of session formats. Once again, SXSW is offering expanded access to events for all registrants. Attendees will receive primary access to programming associated with their badge type but now also enjoy secondary entry to most other SXSW events.

    Keynote

    Jessica Brillhart (Film) — Jessica Brillhart is an immersive director, writer, and theorist. She’s the founder of the independent studio, Vrai Pictures. Previously, Jessica was the Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google where she worked with engineers to develop Google Jump, a virtual reality live-action capture ecosystem. Since then, Jessica has made a range of highly acclaimed VR experiences, working with such entities as NASA, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, Google’s Artists and Machine Intelligence program, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Weather Channel. In 2017, Jessica was heralded by MIT Technology Review as an innovator and pioneer in the field of virtual reality filmmaking and immersive entertainment.

    Featured Speakers

    Elisabeth Moss (Entertainment Influencers) –– Elisabeth Moss can soon be seen in Alex Ross Perry’s HER SMELL and Jordan Peele’s Us, both of which will be opening theatrically in March of 2019. Moss is currently starring in the Emmy Award-winning Hulu drama series The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the acclaimed Margaret Atwood novel of the same name, on which she also serves as a producer. Among the many honors and accolades she has received are Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series and Best Drama Series. Other upcoming credits include In The Kitchen opposite Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish and with Michael Stuhlbarg in Shirley, which she produced, as well. Frank Oz (Entertainment Influencers) — Frank is a four-time Emmy winner and recipient of The Art Director’s Guild Award, The Comedy Awards’ Creative Achievement Award, Saturn Lifetime Achievement Award, George Foster Peabody award, and others. He’s performed with The Muppets and on the Star Wars Films. The dozen feature films he’s directed include Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, In & Out, The Score, and Death at a Funeral. Busy Philipps and Hillary Kerr (Entertainment Influencers) –– Busy Philipps is an actress best known for roles in cult TV classics like Dawson’s Creek, Freaks and Geeks, Cougar Town, ER, and most recently HBO’s Vice Principals. She has appeared in fan-favorite films such as Made of Honor, I Don’t Know How She Does It, He’s Just Not That Into You, White Chicks, and The Gift. She also was one of the writers of the hit film Blades of Glory. In fall 2018, her late-night talk show Busy Tonight premiered on E!. Hillary Kerr is the co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Clique Brands, a content, commerce, and consumer brands company that includes WhoWhatWear.com, Byrdie.com, MyDomaine.com, CollegeFashionista.com and the Who What Wear Collection. Lance Bass (Music Industry & Culture) –– Lance Bass is the quintessential illustration of a highly successful and driven jack-of-all-trades: singer, host, actor, producer, writer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cosmonaut. Beyond his fame as a member of the phenomenally successful group *NSYNC, where the group sold an impressive 80 million plus records worldwide, Bass has made himself a household name. Producing is his true passion with several films (documentaries and features) and television shows under his belt including: Boy Band Con, Lance Loves Michael-E! special, Celebrity Home Raiders, Kidnapped for Christ, Mississippi: I Am, The Grand, Lovewrecked and On the Line. Sharks Everywhere! How We Multiplatform Shark Week Featured Session (Making Film & Episodics) –– Every year, Discovery Channel brings Shark Week to audiences on every possible platform and device, from cable TV to Snapchat to social to connected devices to plush toys and Walmart displays. Two of the principal creators / architects of the Shark Week Experience, Fred Graver (Senior Vice President, Digital Content and Social for Discovery Digital) and Scott Lewers (Executive Vice President of Multi-Platform Programming and Digital Media for Discovery and Science Channels) bring you behind the scenes in the creation, distribution and community-building around Shark Week. Includes linear programming, digital production, sponsorships and partnerships and a lot of shark tales!

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  • Bradley Cooper to Receive Director of the Year Award for A STAR IS BORN at Palm Springs International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_32923" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Bradley Cooper along with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born Bradley Cooper along with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born[/caption] Bradley Cooper will receive the Director of the Year Award for A Star is Born at the 30th Palm Springs International Film Festival’s annual Film Awards Gala.  The Festival runs January 3-14. Cooper joins previously announced honorees Glenn Close, Alfonso Cuarón, Rami Malek, Melissa McCarthy and Green Book. Past recipients of the Director of the Year Award include Stephen Daldry, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, Sean Penn, Jason Reitman, David O. Russell and Robert Zemeckis. Cooper received the festival’s Desert Palm Achievement Award in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook and the Ensemble Cast Award in 2014 for American Hustle. In A Star Is Born, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga fuse their considerable talents to depict the raw and passionate tale of Jack and Ally, two artistic souls coming together, on stage and in life. Theirs is a complex journey through the beauty and the heartbreak of a relationship struggling to survive. Four-time Oscar nominee Cooper (American Sniper, American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), makes his directorial debut, starring alongside multiple award-winning, Oscar-nominated music superstar Gaga in her first leading role in a major motion picture and acclaimed actor Sam Elliott. From Warner Bros. Pictures, Live Nation Productions and Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, the film also stars Andrew Dice Clay with Dave Chappelle. Four-time Oscar nominee, Bradley Cooper recently made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed Warner Bros. film A Star is Born, which he also stars in, co-wrote and produced. Additional film credits include: Oscar-nominated films American Sniper, American Hustle, and Silver Linings Playbook; Derek Cianfrance’s acclaimed The Place Beyond the Pines; The Hangover Trilogy; Limitless; Guardians of the Galaxy; War Dogs; David O. Russell’s Joy; Burnt; Wedding Crashers and Wet Hot American Summer. Television credits include: Wet Hot American Summer: first Day of Camp, Alias, Nip/Tuck, Kitchen Confidential, Jack & Bobby and Sex and the City. “Bradley Cooper makes a stunning directorial debut with A Star is Born,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “Cooper captures authentic performances in this moving film that has emotionally resonated with audiences everywhere and is sure to be celebrated as one of the best pictures of the year. It is our honor to present the Director of the Year Award to Bradley Cooper.”

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