Netflix premiered the trailer for the chilling horror/thriller Apostle, starring Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen, that will have its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX. Apostle which is written and directed by Gareth Evans (THE RAID) will debut globally on Netflix on October 12.
London, 1905. Prodigal son Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) has returned home, only to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Determined to get her back at any cost, Thomas travels to the idyllic island where the cult lives under the leadership of the charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen). As Thomas infiltrates the island’s community, he learns that the corruption of mainland society that they claim to reject has infested the cult’s ranks nonetheless – and uncovers a secret far more evil than he could have imagined. Written and directed by Gareth Evans (THE RAID), Apostle is a harrowing occult fable where the only thing more horrifying than madness is the sinister reality behind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1JdWOqc9Q8-
Netflix Debuts Chilling Horror/Thriller APOSTLE Trailer
Netflix premiered the trailer for the chilling horror/thriller Apostle, starring Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen, that will have its World Premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX. Apostle which is written and directed by Gareth Evans (THE RAID) will debut globally on Netflix on October 12.
London, 1905. Prodigal son Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) has returned home, only to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Determined to get her back at any cost, Thomas travels to the idyllic island where the cult lives under the leadership of the charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen). As Thomas infiltrates the island’s community, he learns that the corruption of mainland society that they claim to reject has infested the cult’s ranks nonetheless – and uncovers a secret far more evil than he could have imagined. Written and directed by Gareth Evans (THE RAID), Apostle is a harrowing occult fable where the only thing more horrifying than madness is the sinister reality behind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1JdWOqc9Q8
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33rd Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Announces Lineup of 150+ Films
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The Return of the Hero[/caption]
The 33rd Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival today announced the film line-up of more than 150 films for the 33rd annual event held from November 2 to 18, 2018.
This year’s honorees include OscarⓇ nominated filmmaker Gary Ross (Big, Seabiscuit) will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at a tribute screening of his 1998 award-winning film, Pleasantville. Ross is also known for The Hunger Games (2012) and most recently Ocean’s 8 (2018). Transparent‘s Melora Hardin, will be presented with a Career Achievement Award at the World Premiere of Paul Osborne’s Cruel Hearts. Jeremy Piven, perhaps best known as Ari Gold on Entourage, will receive a Career Achievement Award Opening Night at the Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Screen 7 Recording legend, Connie Francis will attend FLiFF’s poolside retro screening of Where the Boys Are, and present former singing star Frank Loconto, of The Laine Brothers, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Also receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award, Inventor-Philantropist-Filmmaker, Maurice Kanbar, namesake of the Maurice Kanbar Insitute of Film & Television at NYU.
FLiFF kicks-off with the Opening Night Film with the East Coast Premiere of The Return of the Hero, a hilarious comedy starring OscarⓇ Winner, Jean Dujardin (The Artist) as the dashing Captain Neuville. Set in 1809 during the Napoleonic era, Neuville is called to the front, leaving his future bride heartbroken. Her sister decides to write letters on his behalf to cheer her up. But it all goes south when Neuville reappears.
For the Centerpiece Film and Party, Danish filmmaker Mads Brügger arrives from Copenhagen in time for the red carpet at the Southeast Premiere of his dark “odd couple” comedy, The Saint Bernard Syndicate, which charts two hapless Danes as they scheme to sell Saint Bernards to China’s middle class as status symbols. Attendees will also meet a couple Saint Bernards from the Florida St. Bernard Rescue.
FLiFF’s Closing Night Film is the Florida Premiere of Sharkwater Extinction. The thrilling and inspiring action-packed journey exposes the massive illegal shark fin industry and the political corruption behind it; a conspiracy that is leading to the extinction of sharks. Director, Rob Stewart, tragically lost his life while filming Sharkwater Extinction last year in the Florida Keys. Rob dedicated his life to saving our oceans. Special Guests are Rob’s parents and producers of the film, Brian and Sandy Stewart who will present the Rob Stewart Environmental Award to one of this year’s festival selections to Poisoning Paradise.
In addition to Sharkwater Extinction, there are three additional environmental films. The East Coast Premiere of Aldabra: Once Upon an Island, narrated by Pierce Brosnan, is a wonderfully entertaining 3D journey featuring heroes Elvi the Giant Tortoise, Buster the Robber Crab and other marine characters. The Florida Premiere of Poisoning Paradise, produced by Pierce Brosnan with wife and directors Keely Shaye Brosnan and Teresa Tico, reveals the devastating impact of pesticide poisoning on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai and exposes the collusion between federal and state legislators and the world’s largest biotech companies. The Southeast Premiere of Secrets of a Frozen Ocean follows 75 year old, Yngve Kristoffersen, a Norwegian scientist who sets out on a dangerous 18 month expedition in the Arctic to prove a theory of an asteroid that hit the Arctic Ocean millions of years ago and affects earth to this day.
FLiFF will host 4 Benefit Premieres. The Southeast Premiere of Intelligent Lives, a catalyst to transform the label of intellectual disability from a life sentence of isolation into a life of possibility for the most systematically segregated people in America. The award-winning filmmaker Dan Habib, will be in attendance. 100% of the proceeds will benefit United Community Options of South Florida, formerly United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida.
The Florida Premiere of The Land of High Mountains (Haiti), Will Agee’s inspiring true story of the only pediatric hospital in Haiti providing life-saving, healthcare to the most vulnerable families for over 30 years and the incredible people, both Haitian and foreign, who are working together to heal the children and to realize the dreams of a nation. 100% of the ticket revenue will benefit The Saint Damien Hospital Foundation. Filmmakers Special Guests are Will Agee, Olaf Hamelink, and Jennifer Rayno the Director, St. Damien Pediatric Hospital Fund will be in attendance.
The Florida Premiere of The Most Dangerous Year (USA) Vlada Knowlton’s story of a group of Washington State families with transgender kids who joined the fight, in 2016, against a wave of discriminatory anti-transgender legislation that swept the nation and their home state. The film is co-sponsored by OutShine Film Festival, a 501(c)3 organization who will receive 50% of the ticket sales.
The East Coast Premiere of Turning Point will benefit The Walk To End Alzheimers. Director James Keach, the brother of actor Stacy Keach, will attend. James also directed the Oscar nominated film Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me.
World Premieres include: Cruel Hearts starring Transparent‘s Melora Hardin and Ocean’s Eleven’s Eddie Jemison in writer/director Paul Osborne’s thriller. Extraordinary: The Seeding, Jon Sample and Jack Roth’s riveting documentary of an alien hybrid program that may actually exist.
U.S. Premieres include: The Bromley Boys (UK) Steve Kelly’s funny yet touching coming-of-age football memoir. Diane is the Right Shape (France) stars Clotilde Hesme in Fabien Gorgeart’s dramedy about a surrogate mother for a gay couple. Eternal Winter (Hungary), Attila Szász true story of an unlikely romance in a Soviet labor camp. Just Believe (Italy), Alessandro Aronadio’s, comedy of a business owner who must establish his own religion to create a tax free operation. Les Ex (France), Maurice Barthélémy’s comedy about five couples who take stock of their past relationships. Marisa in The Woods (Spain), Antonio Morales’ dramedy stars Patricia Jordá as a woman who feels that she’s taken a supporting role in her own life. Quanto Basta (Italy), Francesco Falaschi’s warm comedy about a chef whose life is changed after assigned to teach cooking to students with Asperger’s syndrome.
East Coast Premieres include: The Unicorn, Robert Schwartzman’s (Dreamland) “cleverly crafted” three-some comedy. Hurley (USA), Derek Dodge’s documentary about racing legend Hurley Haywood speaks for the first time about being gay in the 1970’s macho world of motor sports. Meant to Be Broken, Jonathan Zuck’s dark comedy about an unlikely trio on a crazy law breaking journey that culminates in Miami. Rescue Under Fire (Spain), Adolfo Martínez Pérez’ action adventure based on the true story of Spanish troops attempting to rescue a U.S. helicopter crew in Afghanistan. Spitak (Armenia/Russia), Alexander Kott’s action-drama of a man searching for his family in the very epicenter of the earthquake. Volcano (Ukraine), Director Roman Bondarchuk’s surreal black comedy about a translator stranded in a strange, little Ukraine Steppes town.
Southeast Premieres include: Abdel and the Countess (France) Isabel Doval’s comedy about a widowed Countess who befriends a young man from the hood to help save her legacy. Born Just Now, Robert Adanto’s an intimate look at Belgrade-based artist Marta Jovanović. Driver (Israel) Yehonatan Indursky’s comic-drama about a sham artist and his daughter in an ultra-Orthodox community. Jumpman (Russian Federation), Ivan I. Tverdovsky’s thriller about a young man with a rare condition – he feels no pain. Letter from Masanjia (Canada – China) Leon Lee’s intense documentary of a political prisoner’s SOS letter that led to labor reform in China. Monger (Argentina), Jeff Zorrilla’s incredible journey into the world of sex tourism in Buenos Aires. Normandie Nue (France), Phillipe Le Guay’s (Women On The 6th Floor) comedy of a photo opportunity for a town of 300. The catch is… they all have to be naked. Once Upon a Time in November (Poland), Andrzej Jakimowski’s drama of a mother and son’s struggle to find a safe place in a homeless shelter. A Polar Year (Denmark) Samuel Collardey’s unique comedy, where actors play themselves in a recreated story. Parkland: Inside Building 12, Charlie Minn’s striking documentary told through interviews and real-life footage. Reinventing Rosalee, Dr. Lillian Glass’ inspiring documentary featuring her mom Rosalee a 101-year-old Holocaust survivor who lives life to the fullest. Sarah Q, John A. Gallagher’s dramedy of a small-town girl who moves to New York to become an actress. Smuggling Hendrix (Cypress) Marios Piperides award-winning comedic love story of a man on a mission to retrieve his dog from across the Turkish border. Song of Back and Neck, ‘The Office’ actor Paul Lieberstein’s comedic take on his history with back pain and curbed anger. The Unafraid, Anayansi Prado’s & Heather Courtney’s inspiring portrayal of the brave young people fighting back in difficult times.
Florida Premieres include: American First: The Legacy of a Raid (USA) Almudena Toral’s & Andrea Patiño Contreras’s documentary of the largest immigration worksite raid in U.S. History. The Art and Times of Frosty Myers (USA), Chris Stearns’ portrait of the sculptor best known for his 1969 “Moon Museum” and 1973 “The Wall” in SoHo. The Beginner (Germany), Alexandra Sell’s charmingly comic tale of a woman who attempts her dream of being a figure skater at age 58. Kent Jones’ award-winning Diane, starring Mary Kay Place in her most powerful performance of her career. Hatchback, Eric Sheffield’s quirky comedy of a journalist, that helps a mysterious girl find her long-lost dad. Cracking Aces (USA) H. James Gilmore documentary of the pioneering women of professional poker. Fiddlin’ (USA), Julie Simone takes us to the World’s Oldest Fiddler’s Convention. Hope’s Mission (Florida), Richard Jacksons’ documentary of a mother who risks everything to save her 3 children. Living on a Dollar a Day (USA), Thomas Nazario’s moving story of people around the world who survive on a dollar or less each day. Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct (USA) Cady McClain’s documentary includes interviews and clips from women directors. Snowbirds (Canada) from Joannie Lafrenière offers a glimpse into the French Canadian tourists who descend upon Hollywood, Florida each winter.
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Camden International Film Festival Announces 2018 Award Winners – THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED Wins Audience Award
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The Feeling of Being Watched[/caption]
The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) handed out the awards to the winners of the 2018 Festival, with the Audience Award going out to Assia Boundaoui’s The Feeling of Being Watched.
CIFF hosted their annual Awards Ceremony, presenting four awards for documentary features and one for a documentary short, in addition to its Points North Pitch Award.
In the Pitch, the six teams of Points North Fellows who worked with industry members in a year-long mentorship, presented their feature documentary works-in-progress to a top-level panel of funders, producers and broadcasters — all before a live audience at the Camden Opera House. For the 2nd year, Showtime Documentary Films was the Presenting Sponsor of the Fellowship.
This year’s Points North Pitch Award, which included in-kind post-production services from Boston-based Modulus Studios, went to director Sierra Urich’s work-in-progress feature documentary, Joonam.
An Academy-qualifying festival for short films, the winner of the Camden Cartel Award for Best Short is eligible to enter the Documentary Short Subject competition for the Academy.This year’s winner is Circle by Jayisha Patel. The runner-up was David Freid’s Guns Found Here.
For the fourth year, CIFF collaborated with long-time partner, Documentary Educational Resources, to present the John Marshall Award for Contemporary Ethnographic Media. The Jury of Alice Apley (Documentary Educational Resources), Alijah Case (Documentary Educational Resources), Ilisa Barbash (Producer/Director), Ernst Karel (Sound Artist), Irina Leimbacher (Critic, Educator), and Maple Razsa (Anthropologist, Filmmaker) awarded this year’s John Marshall Award to Ramell Ross’s Hale County This Morning.
Jurors Enat Sidi (editor), Meghan Monsour (Creative Director, Ambulante Film Festival) and Sean Farnel (producer) awarded the 2018 Cinematic Vision Award to Vadym Ilkov’s My Father Is My Mother’s Brother, with Special Jury Mention going to Exit Music, directed Cameron Mullenneaux. The Jury noted: “Surprising, tender and quietly profound, My Father Is My Mother’s Brother is non-fiction filmmaking at its finest. A raw, creative, and unconventional family portrait.”
This year’s jury of Andrea Meditch (producer), Justine Nagan (POV), Talal Derki (Filmmaker, OF FATHERS AND SONS) awarded the 2018 Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature to On Her Shoulders, directed by Alexandria Bombach: “For using an intimate but respectful gaze to convey suffering through subtle gestures and the use of silence. The film captures the weight of bearing witness by allowing the protagonist to speak for herself. On Her Shoulders transforms a traumatic personal experience into a realization of horrifying and memorable collective responsibility.”
The Harrell Jury awarded two Special Mentions: one each to Vitaly Mansky’s Putin’s Witnesses and James Longley’s Angels Are Made of Light.
The 2018 Camden International Film Festival Audience Award went to Assia Boundaoui’s The Feeling of Being Watched.
The 15th edition of the Camden International Film Festival will take place September 12 to 15, 2019. Submissions will open in January 2019.
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IFC Midnight to Release Emma Tammi’s American Frontier Set Horror THE WIND from TIFF2018 [Trailer]
Emma Tammi’s narrative feature film The Wind which made its World Premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival to an enthusiastic Midnight Madness crowd has been acquired by IFC Midnight for release in the US. The Wind will next screen this weekend at Fantastic Fest.
With The Wind, director Emma Tammi and writer Teresa Sutherland have embarked on a nightmarish yet empathetic exploration of domestic solitude, skillfully conjuring — in bone-chilling visual and sonic strokes — an indescribable spectre that seems to emanate from the abyss of the night itself. Hailed by critics as a femme-centric western and supernatural horror, the film stars Caitlin Gerard, Julia Goldani Telles, Ashley Zukerman, Dylan McTee, and Miles Anderson. The Wind not only features an array of talented female creatives at the helm and in front of the camera, it also showcases the work from production designers Hillary and Courtney Andujar, set decorator Elsbeth Mumm along with film editor Alexandra Amick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DPKc8j0ekM
“Emma Tammi’s impressive debut into narrative filmmaking starring a break out performance from Caitlin Gerard packs the kind of fierce ingenuity we are continually searching for when we distribute films. We’re thrilled to bring such an intelligently crafted and distinct vision in the horror genre to audiences around the country,” said Jonathan Sehring and Lisa Schwartz, co-presidents of IFC Films/Sundance Selects.
“IFC’s history of cultivating large audiences for smart, genre-bending films makes them the ideal partner to bring this beautiful, thought-provoking, and ultimately horrifying film to market. It is an important time to champion storytelling that takes risks, and IFC emboldens those narratives that challenge and move us, while entertaining. We are very excited to be part of the family and look forward to working with their talented team to bring The Wind to the U.S. audience,” said in a statement from director Emma Tammi with producers Christopher Alender and David Viste.
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Yen Tan’s Powerful AIDS Drama “1985” to Open 30th Anniversary of NewFest [Trailer]
Yen Tan’s powerful AIDS drama “1985” will open this year’s 30th anniversary of NewFest, one of the world’s most respected LGBT film festivals. “1985” joins a history of notable NewFest Opening Night Films, including “Go Fish” (1994), “High Art” (1998), “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” (2001), “But I’m a Cheerleader” (2000), and “We Were Here” (2011). The film is a return to NewFest for Tan, whose previous films “Ciao” (2008) and “Pit Stop” (2013) have screened at the fest in the past.
Written and directed by Yen Tan, “1985” follows Adrian (Cory Michael Smith, “Gotham”), a closeted advertising executive who, after having been gone for three years, returns to his Texas hometown for the holidays during the first wave of the AIDS crisis. Burdened with an unspeakable tragedy in New York City, Adrian looks to reconnect with his preteen brother Andrew (Aidan Langford) while navigating his relationship with religious parents Eileen (Academy Award Nominee Virginia Madsen) and Dale (Golden Globe Award Winner Michael Chiklis). When he reaches out to his estranged childhood friend Carly (Jamie Chung, “The Gifted”), their unresolved issues force Adrian to confront an uncertain future that will significantly alter the lives of those around him.
Shot on black-and-white super 16mm film, “1985” takes a unique look at a pivotal moment in American history through the prism of empathy, love and family.
“New York’s LGBT Film Festival was born out of the height of the AIDS crisis–when there was a vital need for visibility and positive representation of the LGBTQ community,” said Executive Director Robert Kushner. “So to begin the festival’s 30th Anniversary with Yen Tan’s poignant vision of 1980s life makes our Opening Night all the more resonant.”
Speaking on the selection, NewFest’s Programming & Operations Manager Nick McCarthy said, “Yen Tan’s delicate, reflective, and humanistic portrait ties beautifully into the fibers of NewFest and will make for a powerful and noteworthy celebration. “1985” is a new queer classic, addressing the AIDS crisis in a sensitive, textured and, most importantly, modern light.”
“It’s an extreme honor to have “1985” be the Opening Night selection at NewFest this year, a festival that’s been screening my works since 2008. It’s especially meaningful that our lead character Adrian visits his Texas hometown in the film, but New York is where he could live his most authentic life. “1985” is a story that honors the significance of queer outsiders who moved to bigger cities to find themselves, even at dire times.” said Yen Tan.
“1985” world premiered at SXSW. Wolfe Releasing will release “1985” theatrically in New York City and Los Angeles on October 26th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARcTHTYQyjc
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2018 Toronto International Film Festival Awards – GREEN BOOK Wins People’s Choice Award
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Green Book[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival announced its award winners at the closing ceremony with the People’s Choice Award and $15,000 cash prize going to Peter Farrelly for Green Book. The first runner-up is Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, and the second runner-up is Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA.
2018 Toronto International Film Festival Award Winners
IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Meryam Joobeur’s Brotherhood. The jury remarked, “The film was masterfully executed, layered with bold ideas, rich textures, and nuanced character observations played by an unforgettable cast.” “The film successfully explored complex personal and political themes with compassion for its characters. By employing the intimate prism of a Tunisian family, the film was evidently made with a sense of maturity that points to a bright future from Meryam Joobeur.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen. The jury awarded an honorable mention to Jérémy Comte’s Fauve for its confident visual storytelling and moving performances from the child actors. The short-film awards were selected by a jury comprised of Claire Diao, Molly McGlynn, and Michael Pearce.IWC SHORT CUTS AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
The IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film goes to Sandhya Suri’s The Field. The jury noted, “The film is striking for its aesthetic lyricism, tender performances, and powerful emotional impact.” “It’s a unique and refreshing glimpse into female desire set in rural India that demonstrated a scope greater than its short format.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize, made possible by IWC Schaffhausen. The jury gave honorable mentions to Anette Sidor’s Fuck You, for its acutely observed study of teenage sexuality, and to Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels’s This Magnificent Cake!, for the spectacular level of animation and the surreal humour it uses to explore its complex colonial subject matter. The short-film awards were selected by a jury comprised of Claire Diao, Molly McGlynn, and Michael Pearce.CITY OF TORONTO AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FIRST FEATURE FILM
The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film goes to Katherine Jerkovic’s Roads in February (Les routes en février). The jury remarked it was selected, “For its warm portrayal of a young woman trying to reconnect with her distant heritage after her father’s untimely death, and for the way the film demonstrates how genuine human connections best develop between two individuals when they stand on common ground.” This award carries a cash prize of $15,000, made possible by the City of Toronto. The Canadian awards were selected by a jury comprised of Mathieu Denis, Ali Özgentürk, and Michelle Shephard.CANADA GOOSE® AWARD FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM
The Canada Goose® Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Sébastien Pilote’s The Fireflies Are Gone (La disparition des lucioles). The jury said it was chosen, “For its true-to-life depiction of a young woman’s quest to find meaning and hope in a world that has constantly disappointed her.” This award carries a cash prize of $30,000 and a custom award, sponsored by Canada Goose®. The Canadian awards were selected by a jury comprised of Mathieu Denis, Ali Özgentürk, and Michelle Shephard.THE PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI PRIZES)
The Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for the Discovery programme is awarded to Carmel Winters for Float Like a Butterfly, which the jury called “a pastoral and traditional bucolic film, capturing the familiar angst and anxiety a young adult woman undergoes in order to have her say in the scheme of things in a predominately male-driven patriarchal society.” “Through her spectacular and deft narrative, nuanced understanding of the dilemmas women face, and a pitch-perfect performance by Hazel Doupe, this film is a triumph of free spirit.” Honorable mention goes to Laura Luchetti’s Twin Flower. The Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for Special Presentations is awarded to Guy Nattiv for Skin, which the jury called “a gripping study of a group of extremists and the choices available to them. It’s raw yet intelligently paced, with stunning performances, especially by a near-unrecognizable Vera Farmiga.” honorable mention goes to Louis Garrel’s A Faithful Man.NETPAC AWARD
As selected by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Pacific Cinema for the seventh consecutive year, the NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere in the Discovery and Contemporary World Cinema sections goes to Ash Mayfair’s The Third Wife. The jury remarked, ”Ash Mayfair’s debut feature The Third Wife signaled the emergence of a young female director-writer whose aesthetic sensibilities, cinematic language, and extraordinary ability to illuminate the past for contemporary audiences augur well for the future of Vietnamese and world cinema.” The jury gave honorable mention to Bai Xue’s The Crossing. The jury said, “Bai Xue’s storytelling in her debut film The Crossing shattered cinematic boundaries to create an original visual language that propelled her protagonist’s emotional crossing into adulthood as she crossed the physical boundaries of Hong Kong into mainland China.” EURIMAGES’ AUDENTIA AWARD The Festival and the Council of Europe’s Eurimages Fund present the third Audentia Award for Best Female Director to Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian’s Fig Tree. “Fig Tree is a stunning and illuminating debut,” the jury remarked. “Based on her own experiences, Ethiopian-Israeli writer-director Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian takes us on an unsentimental journey and shows us the tragic effects of civil war on ordinary people. Confidently directed with grit and compassion, Fig Tree is a beautifully rendered, big-hearted story about a Jewish teenage girl’s attempt to save those she loves, but it’s also an intimate coming-of-age story of self-discovery and female empowerment.” This award carries a €30,000 cash prize. Awarding an honorable mention to Camilla Strøm Henriksen’s Phoenix, the jury said: “Phoenix is a courageous debut from Norwegian director Camilla Strøm Henriksen. A visually arresting and emotionally nuanced film, Phoenix focuses on a young teen who assumes an enormous burden of responsibility in the face of her mother’s mental illness and her father’s absence. With a seamless blend of stark realism and cinematic magic realism, Henriksen’s story subtly, yet powerfully, unfolds from the perspective of her mature young protagonist.”TORONTO PLATFORM PRIZE PRESENTED BY AIR FRANCE
This is the fourth year for Platform, the Festival’s juried program that champions directors’ cinema from around the world. The Festival welcomed an international jury comprised of award-winning filmmakers Mira Nair, Béla Tarr, and Lee Chang-dong, who unanimously awarded the Toronto Platform Prize Presented by Air France to Wi Ding Ho’s Cities of Last Things. The jury said, “This is a deeply moving drama from a director who shows great skill in his ability to weave together multiple genres with social and political critique, while telling a story that remains intimately human at its core. For us, this film has a spirit that always feels beautifully close to real life.” “Over the course of the Festival, we’ve had the privilege of watching 12 films that left us excited with the feeling that the future of directors’ cinema is in such capable hands. The great joy of being on the Platform Jury has been participating in a competition celebrating emerging visions that are bold, daring, innovative, and sometimes even challenging. The great difficulty, however, has been selecting only one director to win the Toronto Platform Prize. After much contemplation and thorough discussion, we all agreed together upon one prize winner and one honorable mention.” Awarding an honorable mention to Emir Baigazin’s The River, the jury said: “We were completely absorbed by the singular world this film creates through precise and meticulous craft, breathtaking visuals, and a boldly patient yet engrossing observational style.” The Toronto Platform Prize offers a custom award and a $25,000 cash prize, made possible by Air France.GROLSCH PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS
This year marked the 41st year that Toronto audiences were able to cast a ballot for their favorite Festival film for the Grolsch People’s Choice Award. This year’s award goes to Peter Farrelly for Green Book. The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and custom award, sponsored by Grolsch. The first runner-up is Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk. The second runner-up is Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA. The Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award goes to Vasan Bala’s The Man Who Feels No Pain. The first runner-up is David Gordon Green’s Halloween. The second runner-up is Sam Levinson’s Assassination Nation. The Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award goes to Free Solo, directed by E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. The first runner-up is Tom Donahue’s This Changes Everything. The second runner-up is John Chester’s The Biggest Little Farm.
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13th Rome Film Fest Unveils Official Poster Featuring Comic Genius Peter Sellers
Rome Film Fest today unveiled the official poster of the upcoming thirteenth edition of the festival featuring comic genius Peter Sellers. Peter Sellers will be featured throughout the Rome Film Fest and will also be the focus of a retrospective curated by Mario Sesti and organized in collaboration with the British Embassy and the British Council. The 2018 Rome Film Fest will be held from October 18 to 28, 2018.
Beloved by extremely diverse audiences, who have admired his extraordinary comic talent, the brilliant unpredictability of his performances and his excellent portrayal of dramatic roles, Peter Sellers is pictured as his most famous character, Inspector Jacques Clouseau, lead character of The Pink Panther series. The shot was taken by British photographer Terry O’Neill, renowned internationally for his portraits of countless figures from the worlds of music and film, from the Beatles to the Rolling Stones, from the British Royal Family to Hollywood stars. In the official poster of the 2018 Rome Film Fest, Peter Sellers is caught red-handed by O’Neill, who captures the full range of his irony and astonishment: Inspector Clouseau faces the audience squarely and makes it the star of the event.
“Ever since the first year, I have wanted to distinguish my artistic direction with posters that conveyed elegance, grace and lightness – explained Antonio Monda, artistic director of the Rome Film Fest. – This year I am pleased to add irony to the list, and Peter Sellers was a great master in this sense. Not only was he a comic genius, but a terrific and versatile actor, as demonstrated by his amazing acting performances for masters as different as Stanley Kubrick, Vittorio De Sica, Hal Ashby, Blake Edwards, Alexander Mackendrick and many more”.
Poster credits: Peter Sellers ™ Used with permission from The Lynne Unger Children’s Trust. Photo by Terry O’Neill/Iconic Images/Getty Images
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Mutant Frogs Invade in STRANGE NATURE Trailer Starring John Hennigan
Based on true unsolved outbreaks of wildlife mutations, fall fright-fest Strange Nature marks the directorial debut of fx maestro James Ojala (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Thor, Tron: Legacy) and stars Lisa Sheridan, Stephen Tobolowsky, wrestling superstar John Hennigan, Tiffany Shepis, and Carlos Alazraqui. The film follows Kim (Lisa Sheridan) and son Brody who find themselves in the middle of a horrendous phenomenon where deadly offspring mutations spread from animals to humans, after moving in with her estranged hermit father in the backwoods of a small town
Strange Nature leaps into theaters from Sep 22 (Los Angeles with other cities to follow).
A children’s hiking group in rural Minnesota discover several live, mutated frogs along a pond.
In the same area, a single mother, Kim, and her 11-year-old son, Brody, have just moved in with her estranged father, Chuck. It’s not long before they too start witnessing strange occurrences including a disemboweled deer and the family dog’s deformed puppies.
As the fear rises the rumors begin to fly. Some blame the intimidating disfigured hermit father and daughter who live on a surrounding lake. Environmental science points to the water sources. Possibly causes are pesticides, parasites or both. As the chaos spreads it becomes clear that Chuck’s cabin is a hotspot ground zero for these mutations.
Trent, a grade school science teacher investigating the cases begins to fall for Kim while trying to protect her and Brody from whatever is coming next. Suddenly, a couple of teenagers go missing. Their mutilated bodies are found only a mile away. The attacks are so brutal it doesn’t seem humanly possible.
Then another. Could it be a man or a beast?
Finally, the unthinkable: the first human baby is born with similar horrid birth defects as the animals. Ultrasounds show an increasing number of abnormal fetuses with similar defects on the way. Upon delivery, the mothers start getting sick. Extremely sick.
Fearful for her unborn child and family, Kim searches for answers and a safe escape…
if there is anywhere safe.
Strange Nature builds to an uncompromising climax of the terrors affecting a nice, quiet town and possibly future generations everywhere.
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Watch Susan Sarandon Struggle to Rescue her Son from Terrorists in VIPER CLUB Trailer
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Susan Sarandon and Edie Falco in VIPER CLUB. Courtesy of YouTube Premium and Roadside Attractions[/caption]
YouTube and Roadside Attractions today dropped the trailer for Viper Club starring Susan Sarandon as ER nurse Helen Sterling who struggles to free her grown son, a journalist captured by terrorists in the Middle East. After hitting walls with the FBI and State agencies, she discovers a clandestine community of journalists, advocates, and philanthropists who might be able to help. The film directed by Maryam Keshavarz also stars Matt Bomer and Edie Falco, and will be released in theaters on October 26, 2018.
At her job, veteran emergency room nurse Helen Sterling (Susan Sarandon) is unflappable: she can navigate crises at her hospital with strength and grace. On the inside, though, she’s starting to fall apart. Her son, a freelance journalist named Andy (Julian Morris), has vanished while covering a war zone in the Middle East, and she’s just gotten word from the kidnappers making demands she doesn’t even begin to know how to meet.
Helen first seeks help from the FBI, who demands she tell no one, and warns her it’s illegal to pay terrorist organizations. The State Department is even less help. When she is contacted with a ransom demand for twenty million dollars, her government handlers tell her to stall the terrorists with negotiations, even though they seem to have no plan to rescue Andy.
Unable to share any of her ordeal with her colleagues at work, Helen finds herself connecting with a young patient critically injured in a mass shooting, and the hesitant new resident, Dr. Rahimi (Amir Malaklou), a recent immigrant from Iran. She’s plagued by memories of her lifelong connection to her son, a relationship fraught with Andy’s perpetual need for independence and adventure far away from the sheltered life his mother built for him.
Andy’s ex-girlfriend, Iraqi-American reporter Sheila (Sheila Vand) brings Helen a morsel of hope: a secret fraternity of international journalists called the Viper Club might be able to help. Sheila puts Helen in contact with photojournalist Sam (Matt Bomer) and with Charlotte Spencer (Edie Falco), a wealthy New Yorker whose son also was kidnapped by terrorists. Helen grows close to Andy’s network of friends and colleagues and starts to understand the man her son has become.
Desperate, determined, and disenchanted with bureaucracy, Helen must decide whether to follow the rules of ineffective government officials or to join with her newfound community to get Andy back at all costs.
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7th Ithaca Fantastik Announces First Wave of FIlms – BIRDS OF PASSAGE, BLACK MOTHER, DIAMANTINO and More
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Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano)[/caption]
Ithaca Fantastik today announced the first wave of films for the 7th edition of 10-day festival of genre films, electrifying music and dynamic art, taking place October 26th to November 4th, 2018. Films include Quentin Dupieux’s newest work KEEP AN EYE OUT! (Au Poste!), an uproariously absurd piece of cinema as only the maker of the fondly remembered tire-on-a-rampage comedy RUBBER could deliver, and the Cannes critics week winner DIAMANTINO, directed by Abrantes and Schmidt, with its layers of magical realism and social commentary seen through the eyes of the titular character—a star footballer who sees giant fluffy puppies surrounded by a pink mist… but only when he’s ready to score!
Aaron Schimberg’s NYC indie festival fav CHAINED FOR LIFE challenges the perception of the viewer by creating a cinematic meta-reality where the notion of image and personality is blurred against the backdrop of a horror movie set. Kalik Allah’s BLACK MOTHER will takes you on an anthropological journey into Jamaica to reveal a tale that is truly larger than life. Following their academy award winning film EMBRACE THE SERPENT Gallego and Guerra are back with BIRDS OF PASSAGE (Pájaros de Verano), which depicts tribal life and the destruction of the social fabric of 1970s la Guaija, Colombia as the drug trade begins in South America.
A pitch perfect statement on our narcissistic Western society Alexandros Avranas’s LOVE ME NOT, on par with the best work from Lanthimos, but without the fluff, and we promise it will punch you in the guts with it’s foreboding and uncompromising premise. Incorporating similar visual language, Nicolas Pesce’s sophomore film PIERCING offers a colorful descent into the deranged mind that excites the senses while shocking the heart with its unflinching bleakness.
Yann Gonzales continues to awe and impress audiences with his formidable second feature KNIFE+HEART (shot on 35mm) is the ultimate modern-day Giallo with the alluring setting of the 70s Paris pornography scene. Similarly, Japanese ‘geki-mation’ pioneer Ujicha delivers more of his unique animation blend of child-like innocence and ultra-violence in his own highly stylized second film, VIOLENCE VOYAGER!
IF will also present three delightfully demented BobbyPills productions starting with the vibrant and utterly off-the-wall CRISIS JUNG, that takes audiences on an epic journey and feast of visual extravaganzas à la Fist of the North Star with a dash of smutty humour. BobbyPills scores again with VERMIN, an anthropomorphized buddy cop film with a stench of Peter jackson’s skin crawling musical freak fest MEET THE FEEBLES… What can go wrong? To add a charmingly irreverent cherry on top, viewers can revel in unrestrained positive sexuality with an exclusive look at Bobbypills’ new series, PEEPOODO AND THE SUPER FUCK FRIENDS—come to learn, and you won’t be disappointed! René Manzor’s glorious new transfer of GAME OVER (3615 Père Noël) rounds out our curation of crazy French cinema —an earlier, darker, take on the genius-child-defending-his-home holiday thriller that (adult) fans of Christmas classic Home Alone will devore with love!
Keep an Eye Out! (Au Poste!) East Coast Premiere
Quentin Dupieux / 2018 / France / 73min
When Fugain trips over a dead body in front of his condo, his first impulse is to report it to the police—as any good, logical citizen would. He quickly realizes his mistake when he learns that the obsessive Captain Buron will gleefully grill him until he cracks.
Black Mother Regional Premiere
Khalik Allah / 2018 / USA / 77min
The history of Jamaica retold through the framework of a woman’s pregnancy, Black Mother is a heartfelt look at Jamaican identity that transcends its documentary form to offer an unusual and unique exploration of humanity.
Birds of Passage (Pájaros de verano) Regional Premiere
Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra / 2018 / Colombia / 125min
In La Guija, Colombia in the 1970s, an indigenous Wayuu family gets swept up in the newly-booming marijuana trade. When greed and passion overtake their tribe’s honor, their lives and ancestral traditions are forever fractured.
Chained for Life Regional Premiere
Aaron Schimberg / 2018 / USA / 91min
Freda is an actress cast as the lead in a schlocky horror film. Her co-star and much of the supporting cast are played by actors with disabilities. As she connects with her peers off-screen, she begins to consider if their treatment on set is exploitational and whether our current standards of representation in modern film are really as equal as we would like to believe.
Crisis Jung US Premiere
Baptiste Gaubert and Jérémie Hoarau / 2018 / France / 70min
Jung and Maria are sweethearts enjoying their blossoming love in an innocent world. But their starry-eyed love is imperiled when the malignant Little Jesus kidnaps Maria’s body to build his nefarious temple of pain!
Diamantino Regional Premiere
Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt / 2018 / Portugal / 92min
After missing the penalty shot at the world cup final, footballer Diamantino’s career is over. Floundering, he falls prey to sinister forces offering him a job as a political mascot—shilling the promise to “make Portugal great again”. Hoping for a second chance, he is instead transported on a surreal and satirical journey through a dysfunctional modern landscape.
Game Over (3615 Code Père Noël) East Coast Premiere
René Manzor / 1989 / France / 87min
Thomas, a French kid obsessed with American action films, believes he will be the first kid to catch Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. When a thief dressed as Santa shows up instead of the real deal, Thomas’s vengeance for broken childhood dreams takes on epic proportions in this cornerstone film.
Knife + Heart (Un Couteau Dans Le Coeur) Regional Premiere
Yann Gonzales / 2018 / France / 110min
After producer Anne breaks up with her editor girlfriend, the late 70s low-budget gay French porno they were shooting begins to take an… artistic turn. The sensual film becomes a real-life erotic thriller when one of her adult film stars is brutally murdered. Anne and her sidekick, Archibald, can’t seem to out-maneuver the chaos that ensues.
Love Me Not East Coast Premiere
Alexandros Avranas / 2018 / Greece, France / 99min
An infertile, upper-middle-class couple hires a young woman as a surrogate and all three move into a remote villa. The ladies start to bond, the husband becomes envious, and an unfortunate chain of events turns the table on the already dysfunctional new family dynamic.
Violence Voyager Regional Premiere
Ujicha / 2018 / Japan / 83min
Bobby and Akkun set out for an end-of-school celebration in the mountains where they discover an abandoned amusement park. Surprise! The owner greets them and conveniently offers them free tickets. Against their better judgement, they take him up on his offer.
Piercing Regional Premiere
Nicolas Pesce / 2018 / USA / 81min
Reed takes off from his idyllic life with his wife and baby for a very important business trip. But the business he has in mind is murder! All set with his plan to commit the perfect crime, Reed finds his victim in mysterious call girl Jackie…but Reed may have called the wrong person.
Vermin
Alexis Beaumont / 2018 / France / 81min
A young praying mantis follows in his father’s many footsteps and moves to the big city to become a police officer. A greenhorn kid from the country, young Reggie is totally unequipped for the dangers and temptations of city life. But when Reggie is assigned a partner with a history of drinking and bad police work, the sparks fly and both characters get more than they bargained for.
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Judi Dench to Receive Golden Icon Award + Premiere RED JOAN at Zurich Film Festival [Trailer]
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Judi Dench in Red Joan[/caption]
Judi Dench will be honored with the Golden Icon Award at this year’s Zurich Film Festival and present her latest film, RED JOAN, a drama inspired by the life of Melita Norwood, in which she plays a woman whose tranquil life is suddenly disrupted when she’s arrested by MI5 and accused of providing intelligence to Communist Russia. Dench will present the film alongside co-star Sophie Cookson, who plays Young Joan.
The Golden Icon Award is the Festival’s most prestigious symbol of recognition, given in appreciation of the lifetime achievements of an actor or actress
RED JOAN is directed by legendary director Trevor Nunn (original London production of ‘Les Miserables’, ‘Twelth Night or What You Will’). Judi Dench (SKYFALL, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) co-stars alongside Sophie Cookson (GYPSY, KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE) and both are joined in the film by Stephen Campbell Moore (THE CHILD IN TIME, GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN), Tom Hughes (VICTORIA, LONDON TOWN), Ben Miles (THE CROWN, WOMAN IN GOLD) and Tereza Srbova (EASTERN PROMISES, INKHEART).
The year is 2000 and Joan Stanley is living in contented retirement in suburbia at the turn of the millennium. Her tranquil life is suddenly disrupted when she’s arrested by MI5 and accused of providing intelligence to Communist Russia.
Cut to 1938 where Joan is a Cambridge physics student who falls for young communist Leo Galich and through him, begins to see the world in a new light.
Working at a top-secret nuclear research facility during WWII, Joan comes to the realization that the world is on the brink of mutually assured destruction. Confronted with an impossible question – what price would you pay for peace? – Joan must choose between betraying her country and loved ones or saving them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pblqRd6GfZ0
Since playing Ophelia in HAMLET at The Old Vic Theatre almost 60 years ago, Judi Dench has garnered wide popular and critical admiration for a career marked by outstanding performances in both classical and contemporary roles. She has won numerous major awards – including an Academy Award, ten BAFTA Awards and a record eight Laurence Olivier Awards – for work on both stage and screen, and in recognition of her many achievements she received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 1970, became a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) in 1988, and in 2005 was awarded a Companion of Honor. She has also received the Japan Arts Association’s prestigious Praemium Imperiale Laureate Award for Film and Theatre.
Judi Dench recently wrapped on Disney’s ARTEMIS FOWL, directed by Kenneth Branagh. Last year she appeared in Kenneth Branagh’s MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, for Twentieth Century Fox and starred in VICTORIA & ABDUL, directed by Stephen Frears for Working Title and Focus Features. This latter performance was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG and AACTA International Award. This is the second time in her career she has played Queen Victoria. For her first such performance, directed by John Madden in MRS BROWN, she won BAFTA and Golden Globe awards and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Judi Dench received an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award, both for Best Supporting Actress, for another magisterial performance as Queen Elizabeth I in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, and she has received Academy Award nominations for performances in a further five films: Lasse Hallstrom’s CHOCOLAT, for which she was also nominated for a Golden Globe; IRIS, directed by Richard Eyre, for which she also won a BAFTA Award; MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS, directed by Stephen Frears, for which she was further nominated at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes; NOTES ON A SCANDAL, again directed by Richard Eyre, which also brought her BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations; and PHILOMENA, directed by Stephen Frears and co-starring Steve Coogan, for which she also received BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG award nominations.
Judi Dench is recognised globally for her legendary role as M in seven JAMES BOND films, from GOLDENEYE to SKYFALL.
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Netflix Releases Quincy Jones Documentary Trailer Featuring Mary J. Blige, Tony Bennett, Bono, Will Smith,
Netflix released the trailer for the documentary Quincy, described as an intimate look into the life of icon Quincy Jones, ahead of its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival on September 9.
The film directed by Quincy’s daughter Rashida Jones along with Alan Hicks, seamlessly threads personal vérité moments with private archival footage to reveal a legendary life like no other. A unique force in music and popular culture for 70 years, Jones has transcended racial and cultural boundaries; his story is inextricably woven into the fabric of America. Beyond his own acclaim as a trumpeter, producer, conductor, composer and arranger, Jones’s inimitable gift to discover the biggest talents of the past half of the century is unprecedented. He has mentored and cultivated the careers of young talents, from Lesley Gore and Michael Jackson to Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith.
Quincy features Quincy Jones, Mary J. Blige, Tony Bennett, Bono, Will Smith, Jay Z, Peggy Lipton, Paul McCartney, Oprah Winfrey and many others. The film will launch globally and in select theaters in New York and Los Angeles on September 21.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT7gn6nhsAc