German director Wim Wenders (Pope Francis – A Man of His Word) will receive the A Tribute to… Award at the 14th Zurich Film Festival on October 6. A retrospective of twelve of the his most important films will be screened in his honor.
Wenders, who in addition to his activities as a director is also an author, producer and photographer, looks back this year on five decades of filmmaking experience – a period that has witnessed the creation of numerous award-winning feature and documentary films, many of which highlight questions of identity or tackle socially relevant issues.
Born in 1945, Wenders first studied medicine and philosophy before turning his hand to painting and finally, in 1967, to filmmaking, which he saw as “the continuation of painting in another medium”. He first drew worldwide acclaim in 1977 with his feature film THE AMERICAN FRIEND. Wenders has since worked in Europe, the USA, Latin America and Asia, places where he continues to this day to question the world presented to him with thoughtfulness and curiosity.
The films of Wim Wenders have garnered countless international awards, including a Golden Palm and British Academy Film Award for his feature PARIS, TEXAS (1984), the Best Director Award in Cannes for his feature WINGS OF DESIRE (1987) and Academy Award nominations for his documentaries BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999), PINA (2011) and THE SALT OF THE EARTH (2014). His most recent production, the documentary POPE FRANCIS – A MAN OF HIS WORDS (2018), has just hit German-speaking cinemas.
Launched in 2012, the Wim Wenders Foundation brings together the cinematic, photographic, literary and artistic lifework of Wim Wenders. The foundation is responsible for the digital restoration of a large number of the films to be screened in Zurich. It also offers the annually awarded Wim Wenders Grant for the promotion of innovative approaches to cinematic storytelling.
Said Zurich Film Festival co-founders Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri “Wim Wenders was seen at the very beginning of his career as a pioneer of New German Cinema. Fifty years later, he is still regarded as one of the world’s most influential filmmakers. We are delighted to welcome him to this year’s Zurich Film Festival and present him with the A Tribute to… Award.”
Retrospective overview:
THE GOALIE’S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (1972)
ALICE IN THE CITIES (1974)
KINGS OF THE ROAD (1976)
THE AMERICAN FRIEND (1977)
PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
WINGS OF DESIRE (1987)
UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (1991)
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999)
THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL (2000)
DON’T COME KNOCKING (2005)
PINA (2011)
THE SALT OF THE EARTH (2014)-
Director Wim Wenders to Receive A Tribute to… Award at Zurich Film Festival
German director Wim Wenders (Pope Francis – A Man of His Word) will receive the A Tribute to… Award at the 14th Zurich Film Festival on October 6. A retrospective of twelve of the his most important films will be screened in his honor.
Wenders, who in addition to his activities as a director is also an author, producer and photographer, looks back this year on five decades of filmmaking experience – a period that has witnessed the creation of numerous award-winning feature and documentary films, many of which highlight questions of identity or tackle socially relevant issues.
Born in 1945, Wenders first studied medicine and philosophy before turning his hand to painting and finally, in 1967, to filmmaking, which he saw as “the continuation of painting in another medium”. He first drew worldwide acclaim in 1977 with his feature film THE AMERICAN FRIEND. Wenders has since worked in Europe, the USA, Latin America and Asia, places where he continues to this day to question the world presented to him with thoughtfulness and curiosity.
The films of Wim Wenders have garnered countless international awards, including a Golden Palm and British Academy Film Award for his feature PARIS, TEXAS (1984), the Best Director Award in Cannes for his feature WINGS OF DESIRE (1987) and Academy Award nominations for his documentaries BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999), PINA (2011) and THE SALT OF THE EARTH (2014). His most recent production, the documentary POPE FRANCIS – A MAN OF HIS WORDS (2018), has just hit German-speaking cinemas.
Launched in 2012, the Wim Wenders Foundation brings together the cinematic, photographic, literary and artistic lifework of Wim Wenders. The foundation is responsible for the digital restoration of a large number of the films to be screened in Zurich. It also offers the annually awarded Wim Wenders Grant for the promotion of innovative approaches to cinematic storytelling.
Said Zurich Film Festival co-founders Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri “Wim Wenders was seen at the very beginning of his career as a pioneer of New German Cinema. Fifty years later, he is still regarded as one of the world’s most influential filmmakers. We are delighted to welcome him to this year’s Zurich Film Festival and present him with the A Tribute to… Award.”
Retrospective overview:
THE GOALIE’S ANXIETY AT THE PENALTY KICK (1972)
ALICE IN THE CITIES (1974)
KINGS OF THE ROAD (1976)
THE AMERICAN FRIEND (1977)
PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
WINGS OF DESIRE (1987)
UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD (1991)
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999)
THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL (2000)
DON’T COME KNOCKING (2005)
PINA (2011)
THE SALT OF THE EARTH (2014)
-
World Premiere of Damien Chazelle’s FIRST MAN Starring Ryan Gosling to Open 75th Venice International Film Festival [Trailer]
First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash) and starring Ryan Gosling, Jason Clarke and Claire Foy, will World Premiere as the opening night film, in Competition, of the 75th Venice International Film Festival (August 29 – September 8, 2018).
Festival director Alberto Barbera declared: “It is a true privilege to present the world premiere of Damien Chazelle’s new, highly-awaited film. It is a very personal, original and compelling piece of work, wonderfully unexpected within the context of present day epic films, and a confirmation of the great talent of one of the most important contemporary directors of American cinema. Our gratitude goes to Universal Pictures for premiering First Man at the 75th Venice Film Festival.”
Chazelle declared:”I am humbled by Venice’s invitation and am thrilled to return. It feels especially poignant to share this news so close to the moon landing’s anniversary. I eagerly look forward to bringing the film to the festival.”
First Man will be shown in its world premiere screening on Wednesday August 29th, in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia.
On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Y7DTCn7Cc
-
LYNYRD SKYNYRD: IF I LEAVE HERE TOMORROW Documentary To Premiere on Showtime [Trailer]
The documentary Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow, directed by Stephen Kijak takes viewers on a trip through the history, myth and legend of one of the most iconic American rock bands. Featuring Rare And Never-Before-Seen Interviews With Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Leon Wilkeson, Bob Burns, Billy Powell, Ed King, Artimus Pyle And Steve Gaines, the documentary will premiere on Saturday, August 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
ising from the swamps of the Deep South, these good ol’ boys from Jacksonville, Florida came to define an era with their hard-rocking boogie-woogie sound, soulful lyrics, drunken and dangerous antics and their controversial use of the rebel flag. The film also serves as a portrait of late band leader Ronnie Van Zant whose life was cut tragically short, but whose legacy endures to this day in songs like the “Simple Man,” “Country Boy,” and “Whiskey Rock-a-Roller.”
The film is primarily narrated by Gary Rossington, the last of the Street Survivors and founding member along with Van Zant and Allen “Freebird” Collins. Rossington remains the only original member still in the band today. His recollections, from the beginning to the very end, mingle with the tales of drummer Artimus Pyle and “Sweet Home Alabama” co-writer Ed King, interviews with the late drummer Bob Burns, “Honkette” JoJo Billingsley, producer Al Kooper, and recently discovered radio interviews with the late founding members, Leon “Mad Hatter” Wilkeson, Collins and Van Zant. Capturing the band through their own words, stories and memories, Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow vividly explores the makings of this quintessential Southern rock band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loo320c79aI
-
Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA to Premiere in NY as Centerpiece of 56th New York Film Festival
Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA will have its New York premiere as the Centerpiece film of the 56th New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall on Friday, October 5, 2018. ROMA is a Netflix release and will launch globally and in theaters later this year.
In Alfonso Cuarón’s autobiographically inspired film, set in Mexico City in the early ’70s, we are placed within the physical and emotional terrain of a middle-class family whose center is quietly and unassumingly held by its beloved live-in nanny and housekeeper (Yalitza Aparicio). The cast is uniformly magnificent, but the real star of ROMA is the world itself, fully present and vibrantly alive, from sudden life-changing events to the slightest shifts in mood and atmosphere. Cuarón tells us an epic story of everyday life while also gently sweeping us into a vast cinematic experience, in which time and space breathe and majestically unfold. Shot in breathtaking black and white and featuring a sound design that represents something new in the medium, ROMA is a truly visionary work.
New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones said, “I was absolutely stunned by ROMA from beginning to end—by the craftsmanship and the artistry of everyone involved, by the physical power and gravitational force of the images, by the realization that I was seeing something magical: a story of ongoing life grounded within the immensity and mystery of just being here on this planet. Alfonso Cuarón’s film is a wonder.”
“I am honored ROMA has been selected for the Centerpiece slot at this year’s New York Film Festival,” said Cuarón. “NYFF has a longstanding history of celebrating meaningful and compelling filmmaking and it felt right to return to the festival with ROMA—an incredibly personal, illuminating, and transformative project for me.”
The 17-day New York Film Festival taking place September 28 to October 14, 2018, highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent.
-
Long Beach International Film Festival in NY Announces 2018 Lineup, Closes with ROCKAWAY
[caption id="attachment_24999" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Rockaway[/caption]
The Long Beach International Film Festival (LBIFF) in Long Beach, NY, announced its diverse lineup of feature-length documentaries, feature-length narrative films, and short films screening from August 1 to August 4, 2018.
“This festival began seven years ago with the screening of 12 films, and we’ve more than quadrupled in size over the last few years, gaining international interest and exposure. It’s an honor to be a part of this annual event that brings smiles and laughs to the thousands of attendees and their families who travel from near and far to view the talent involved in the festival,” said LBIFF Founder Craig Weintraub.
Four days of industry celebrations and sophisticated culinary events will be held on Long Beach, New York’s pristine, popular beachfront at the glamorous Allegria Hotel. Daily film screenings, including Opening Night and Closing Night, will be hosted at the newly renovated Regal Lynbrook 13 & RPX.
“With Lynbrook’s deep roots in Hollywood’s film history,” Lynbrook Mayor Alan Beach said, “it is only appropriate that Lynbrook host the Film Festival at its new state of the art Movie Theatre. We wish theatre patrons for this year’s Festival a warm welcome, as they shop and dine in Lynbrook,” the Mayor added.
Feature Films
Face of a Nation is the story of Mina Chow, an idealistic American architect, who struggles to help her dream stay alive as she journeys to discover Why America abandoned World’s Fairs? In the Orchard (personal loss & PTSD feature) the story of two strangers from different worlds that find a connection through traumatic events that have happened in their lives. In one encounter they find themselves linked to one another as their relationship evolves. This feature is making is New York premiere. Status Pending, a romantic dramedy of a millennial girl dating her ‘Tinder’ guy, must overcome the high life expectations she’s built from social media to decide today: either take a last-minute voyage, or settle down into a career and relationship with him. Making his East Coast premiere, producer Ben Zolno from New Zealand is available for interviews. Papillon is based on a true story and remake of the 1973 ‘Papillon’, tells the story of a prisoner detained on a remote island and how he plots his escape. This feature is making its Long Island premiere. Monsoon (opened in Long Beach in 2016) is a coming-of-age drama starring Austin Lyon, Katherine Hughes and Yvette Monreal, based in the hot dessert monsoon season of Arizona, best friends John and Sarah have trouble letting go of each other after a tragedy rips them apart. This feature is making its Long Island premiere. Michael Inside (Irish feature) a narrative feature film about an 18-year-old boy Michael living in a Dublin housing estate with his grandfather after his mother died of an overdose and his father is in prison. Michael was caught holding drugs for his friend’s older brother and is sentenced to 3 months in prison.Documentaries
Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with The Future is the biograophy of the forgotten architect, artist, matte painter and visionary Chesley Bonestell (1888-1986), whose futuristic paintings helped inspire America’s space program. Bonestell worked on architecture projects like the Chrysler Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Push is an inspiring documentary of an adventurous athlete and former nanoscientist, Grant Korgan, attempts to become the first spinal-cord injured athlete in history to ski the final degree of latitude to the bottom of the world, only using his arms to propel himself. Slim Aarons spent his life documenting jet setters, movie stars and beautiful people doing beautiful things during the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. In “The High Life,” the story behind some of his most fabulous photographs are revealed among white sand beaches, longing palms and relaxed, gorgeous faces. She is the Ocean a documentary exploring the lives of nine astonishing women ranging from fourteen to seventy and all four corners of the globe as they share one love for the deep love for the Ocean. The Joan Jett documentary named after one of her famous songs Bad Reputation explores the life of the iconic Joan from early years as the founder of The Runaways and first meeting collaborator Kenny Laguna in 1980 to her presence in pop culture as a rock-n-roll pioneer. The film also stars Billie Joe Armstrong, Michael J. Fox and Miley Cyrus The Secret Ingredients are out! This film takes you behind the compelling story of Kathleen and her family of five that live with 21 chronic diseases. After suggestions from doctors and nothing seeming to work Kathleen was determined to find out what was holding back her family. Kathleen takes matters into her own hands as many others, who regain their health and transform their lives after identifying that secret ingredient in their food and making a strong commitment to avoid them. Rockaway is inspired by true events. This film, written and directed by an East Rockaway native, takes you back to the summer of ’94 when a man recounts when he and his brother plotted revenge against their abusive father. Mostly shot on Long Island, this will be the Closing Night film. FREE short films suitable for all ages will be shown at the beach theatre during Shorts on the Beach on Friday, August 3. Attendees will need to register for a ticket in advance for entrance into this FREE event. Short films will be DIVIDED into five programs throughout the festival: comedies, dramas, animation, documentaries, and foreign. In addition to film screenings, tickets for culinary events, Chefs & Shorts: A Pairing of Gastronomy & Film (August 2) and Taste On The Beach (August 3) are available online. The LBIFF premiered in 2012 with just 50 submissions and showcased 12 films with free screenings on the beach. After Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, the LBIFF had just finished its inaugural year and was threatened to collapse before ever fully taking off. Aided by a $25,000 grant from Nassau County, and participation from local celebrity stars like Daniel Baldwin and resilient festival organizers, the festival persevered and expanded each year. It is with the aid of the Village of Lynbrook that this year’s films are being screened at the Regal Lynbrook 13 & RPX, which opened its doors in June 2018.
-
I AM NOT A WITCH, Rungano Nyoni’s Provocative Film on Witchcraft in Zambia to Open on September 7 [Trailer]
[caption id="attachment_25151" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
I AM NOT A WITCH[/caption]
I Am Not a Witch, the debut award-winning feature film from Zambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni is described as a striking satire about witchcraft in contemporary Zambia. The film will open on September 7th at Quad Cinema and BAMCinematek in New York City with additional markets to follow.
Nominated for a 2018 Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film and a Golden Camera Award at Cannes, I Am Not a Witch, from the Zambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni is a striking satire about witchcraft in contemporary Zambia. When eight-year-old Shula turns up alone and unannounced in a rural village, the locals are suspicious. A minor incident escalates to a full-blown witch trial, where she is found guilty and sentenced to life on a state-run witch camp. There, she is tethered to a long white ribbon and told that if she ever tries to run away, she will be transformed into a goat. As the days pass, Shula begins to settle into her new community, but a threat looms on the horizon. Soon she is forced to make a difficult decision – whether to resign herself to life on the camp, or take a risk for freedom.
[caption id="attachment_30908" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Rungano Nyoni[/caption]
At times moving, often funny and occasionally surreal, I Am Not a Witch offers spellbinding storytelling with flashes of anarchic humor, showcasing Nyoni as the birth of a significant new screen voice. Festival audiences and juries also agreed, bestowing more than 20 nominations on I Am Not a Witch, including the AFI Fest Audience Award and a nod for “Best British Independent Film”. It has also captured nine awards from “Best Film” at the 2017 Adelaide Film Festival and “Best Directorial Debut” at the Stockholm Film Festival to “Best Director”, “Breakthrough Producer” (Emily Morgan) at the 2017 British Independent Film Awards and Nyoni’s BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_0NUA0aEpg
SELECT THEATRICAL DATES
9/7: Quad Cinema & BAMcinematek – NYC 9/7-9: Portland Museum of Art – ME 9/14: Laemmle Glendale – Los Angeles 9/14: Northwest Film Forum – Seattle WA 9/14: The Texas Theater – Dallas TX 9/16: Alamo Drafthouse – Yonkers NY 9/21:The Parkway – Baltimore MD 9/21: The Roxie – San Francisco CA 9/21: The Lyric Cinema – Fort Collins CO 9/28: SIE Film Center – Denver CO 9/28: The Hippodrome – Gainesville FL 10/12: Living Room Theater – Portland OR 10/12: State Theater – Modesto CA 10/19: Living Room Theater – Boca Raton FL
-
Watch New Trailer for Thai prison Boxing Film A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN Starring Joe Cole
A24 today released the brand new trailer and poster for Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s A Prayer Before Dawn based on a remarkable true story and set in a real Thai prison. A Prayer Before Dawn starring Joe Cole is available now exclusively on DIRECTV, and will be open in theaters on August 10.
A Prayer Before Dawn is the remarkable true story of Billy Moore, a young English boxer incarcerated in two of Thailand’s most notorious prisons. He is quickly thrown into a terrifying world of drugs and gang violence, but when the prison authorities allow him to take part in the Muay Thai boxing tournaments, he realizes this might be his chance to get out. Billy embarks on a relentless, action-packed journey from one savage fight to the next, stopping at nothing to do whatever he must to preserve his life and regain his freedom. Shot in a an actual Thai prison with a cast of primarily real inmates, A Prayer Before Dawn is a visceral, thrilling journey through an unforgettable hell on earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oywjMHMXids
-
Venice Intl. Film Critics’ Week Unveils 2018 Poster Honoring Stefano Tamburini
The Venice International Film Critics’ Week dedicates the poster of its 33rd edition to the unforgettable and stunning creative genius of Stefano Tamburini. Graphic designer and narrator through images, Tamburini greatly experimented with different techniques and visual languages, both in comics and in editorial and advertising graphic design, until he prematurely passed away in 1986. In his brief but intense career, Tamburini marked the history of Italian and international graphic design. The image chosen to represent the 2018 edition of the Venice Film Critics’ Week was created as an editorial illustration and first appeared in issue 11 of Frigidaire magazine. It shows one of the main techniques used by Tamburini, who ransacked fashion magazines and recreated its images through collages of colored cardboards, with an eye on Matisse’s papier découpé and on the advertising illustrations by futurist artist Fortunato Depero. By choosing Tamburini, the Venice Film Critics’ Week goes back to the future, paying homage to an innovative and avant-garde artist who almost forty decades ago re-invented the world of images with a series of extraordinary, ground-breaking “debut artworks”, that still today, carry an astonishing strength of rupture and freshness.
The General Delegate of the Venice International Film Critics’ Week, Giona A. Nazzaro, explained: “Stefano Tamburini embodies the most lively and creative energy of 1977.’You need muscle to do graphic design,’ he used to say. His work announced a clear break with the past. Politics, fashion, music, comics, and graphic design: nothing will ever be the same after the Tamburini tsunami. On Italian graphic design and comics, he had the same devastating impact as the Sex Pistols did on music: a feverish laboratory, pulsing with life, energy and future. Creator of the controversial anti-hero Ranxerox and author of unprecedented musical cut-ups, he is a rallying call for all the creative insurgencies that signposted ‘77. By paying homage to Tamburini, the Venice Critics’ Week consciously aspires to bridge the gap between yesterday’s creative urges and the best energies of today’s finest cinema. A rite of passage. Because the future is not yet written. And the future of cinema even less so.”
Stefano Tamburini (1955 – 1986) – After his debut in 1974 in the underground magazine Combinazioni, Tamburini starts to collaborate as a graphic designer and illustrator for Stampa Alternativa, a counter-information agency based in Rome. Three years later, he actively participates in the actions and struggle of the ‘77 Movement, depicting its mood in the pages of Cannibale, a magazine he created together with Massimo Mattioli, Filippo Scozzari, Andrea Pazienza and Tanino Liberatore. With Liberatore they soon strengthen a fruitful artistic collaboration that will bring to life Ranxerox, the comic book character that will make him famous. In 1980, with Vincenzo Spagna and Filippo Scozzari he founds the monthly comic magazine Frigidaire, which becomes a true space for his graphic experimentation: from collages with coloured cardboard and leftover printing material found in the typography room, to the use of nail polish on fashion photographs, from distorted photocopies to the manipulation of Polaroids. For Frigidaire he also creates comics with non-conventional techniques: painting on fashion photographs or using distorted photocopies combined with Copy Art technique. Furthermore, Tamburini signs a column under the pseudonym Red Vinyle, with which he incarnates an arrogant and ruthless music critic. In those same years, he starts writing lyrics, put to music by Maurizio Marsico, with whom he creates musical and artistic performances in hip places. While Ranxerox’s popularity grows, expanding his presence in the most important international comic books, Tamburini undertakes new creative paths in advertising and fashion. In 1986, at the peak of his success, he passed away. He is only 33 years old.
The Venice International Film Critics’ Week is the independent and parallel section organized by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) during the 75th Venice International Film Festival (29th August – 8th September 2018).
CREDITS: © 1981-2018 Alessandra and Enrico Tamburini
-
Hong Kong’s Summer Intl Film Festival to Showcase Japanese Anime Master Mamoru Hosoda, Opens with MIRAI
[caption id="attachment_30889" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Mamoru Hosoda[/caption]
A special program featuring Mamoru Hosoda – the Japanese anime master of the new generation will be showcased at the Summer International Film Festival (SummerIFF) – the Summer edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival.
[caption id="attachment_30890" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Mirai[/caption]
His latest feature, Mirai, the first Japanese animated work ever to receive a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, will be the opening film of SummerIFF, which also features four of his acclaimed works. Hosoda will visit Hong Kong for a master class, leading fans into a world of boundless imagination and fascinating stories.
The special program, titled “The World of Mamoru Hosoda,” celebrates the unparalleled achievement of the renowned director as he blazes a new path for Japanese hand-drawn animation. Opening the SummerIFF, Mirai (2018) is his latest ambitious exploration of the circle of life via a single family. This magnificent tale, which centers on a 4-year-old boy taken by his sister from the future into a series of surprising adventures, epitomizes Hosoda’s spellbinding mix of time leap, futuristic fantasy and familial affection.
Hailed as the next Miyazaki Hayao, Hosoda attracted international attention with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), a romantic fantasy that transforms the coming-of-age story into an openhearted fable. Summer Wars (2009) continues to dazzle audiences and critics alike for its eccentric and whimsical imagination of both digital and real worlds. Produced under his own animation house, Studio Chizu, Wolf Children (2012) and The Boy and the Beast (2015) further establish his signature style – a strong sense of family ties, and the growth to greater maturity through perseverance. His ingenuity of combining realistic settings with futuristic stories has earned him global recognition and awards, placing him as one of the leading anime directors in Japan today. The presentation of these earlier acclaimed works from 14 August onwards will give Hong Kong audiences an opportunity to revisit Hosoda’s creative oeuvre as a prelude to his visit and the premiere of his new film.
Hosoda will meet the audience after the screening of Mirai on August 18, and will also attend a master class after the screening of The Boy and the Beast on August 19 to share his creative insights.
In addition, an exhibition under the same title will be held from August 14 to 27, featuring his character designs, sketches of structures as well as re-created sets from his celebrated works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp6IcekfEpo
-
Immersive Storytelling Program and More New Programming Added to 2018 LA Film Festival
The LA Film Festival, which is moving to the fall this year, will include an immersive storytelling program curated by Jacqueline Lyanga, Guest Director, VR and Immersive Storytelling, in partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television; We the People, a two-day summit committed to advancing inclusion within the entertainment industry; a partnership with the International Documentary Association’s biannual conference, Getting Real ’18; and a benefit dinner celebrating 25 years of Project Involve, honoring Effie T. Brown, Jon M. Chu, Cherien Dabis and Charles D. King. The upcoming 24th edition of the Festival, under the leadership of Festival Director Jennifer Cochis, will take place September 20 to 28, 2018.
“The evolution of the LA Film Festival continues!” said Jennifer Cochis, Festival Director. “The new partnerships formed with kindred and beloved organizations like LMU’s School of Film and Television and the International Documentary Association are radical, connecting creators in brand new ways. Jacqueline Lyanga will helm the LA Film Festival’s first foray into immersive storytelling as Guest Director, VR and Immersive Storytelling. She is a talented and distinguished tastemaker in our global festival community. The pieces and experiences she will curate are not just of the moment; these are the storytellers of the future. The Festival is also expanding our inclusion summit, We the People, to allow us to continue to be leaders within the broader industry dialogue as we continue to work towards solutions for parity across Hollywood.”
Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent added, “Project Involve has worked to make this industry more inclusive for a quarter of a century. We are taking this moment to celebrate the work of Project Involve alumni like, Effie T. Brown, Jon M. Chu and Cherien Dabis, as well as industry leaders like Charles D. King. These are the people who are bringing the change, and we’re so happy to honor them at the Festival this year, and to help raise funds to support the program into the future.”
This year marks the launch of an immersive storytelling section of the Festival, in partnership with LMU’s School of Film and Television, Jacqueline Lyanga (former Director, AFI FEST) will curate this section of the Festival as Guest Director, VR and Immersive Storytelling. This section will showcase exemplary, daring new work in a variety of new media platforms including VR, AI and AR. This two-day experience will be free to the public and take place September 22-23, at the new LMU Playa Vista Campus, located in the heart of Silicon Beach, the hub for innovative technology and digital entertainment.
Continuing to advance the inclusion conversation, the Festival is launching We the People, a two-day summit that is a participatory, solution-oriented call to action. Over the course of two days at the Writers Guild Theatre, September 22 and 23, We the People will feature free panel discussions and keynote conversations addressing issues of representation and inclusion in the industry. Panelists include Tre’vell Anderson (LA Times), Russell Boast (president, CSA), Kate Hagan (The Black List), Teresa Huang (SEAL Team), Our Lady J (Pose), Franklin Leonard (The Black List), Nic Novicki (Founder Easterseals Disability Film Challenge), Natasha Rottweil (Insecure), Krista Suh (Co-Founder, Pussyhat movement), Steven James Tingus (board member, RespectAbility), Gail Williamson (talent agent, KMR & Associates) and more to be announced. The conversations will range from the state of the entertainment industry’s inclusion efforts both on screen and behind the camera, in addition to how women, immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ+, Native Americans, people with disabilities and people of color are represented.
On the evening of Saturday, September 22, a benefit dinner will be held to celebrate 25 years of Project Involve, the organization’s mentorship initiative for underrepresented voices in the industry. The benefit dinner will honor Project Involve Fellows Effie T. Brown (Real Women Have Curves, Dear White People), Jon M. Chu (GI Joe: Retaliation, Crazy Rich Asians), Cherien Dabis (Amreeka, Empire) and MACRO’s Founder & CEO Charles D. King (Mudbound, Fences) at the home of Catharine and Jeffrey Soros. The event is chaired by long-time program supporter Chaz Ebert. For more information on tickets and tables, contact Jennifer Murby at jmurby@filmindependent.org.
The Festival is also adding a partnership with the International Documentary Association to expand Film Independent and the Festival’s support of the documentary community. The Festival is introducing a Documentary Pass and centering its documentary programming at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood to make it easily accessible to attendees of the IDA’s conference, Getting Real. Festival Doc Pass holders will receive a discount to Getting Real and vice versa. Film Independent is also launching a documentary track of its Fast Track film financing market, also in partnership with the IDA.
In addition to the traditional Opening and Closing Night Films available to pass holders, the Festival is also programming public screenings that LA audiences can attend on those nights. On September 20, the Festival will feature a night of Project Involve shorts and on September 28, a special Closing Night Documentary will screen. Festival passes go on sale to Film Independent Members on July 24 and to the general public on July 31 at lafilmfestival.com. The Competition Lineup will be announced on July 31.
The 2018 Festival team is comprised of Jennifer Cochis, Festival Director; Rachel Bleemer, Director of Operations; Shawn Davis, Director of Events; Drea Clark, Senior Programmer, Head Programmer, US Fiction; Jenn Wilson, Senior Programmer, Head Programmer, Documentary; Heidi Honeycutt, Head Programmer, Nightfall; Ana Souza, Head Programmer, World Fiction; Landon Zakheim, Head of Shorts; Hasan Foster, Senior Manager, Inclusion and Discourse; Rebecca Green, Programmer, Retrospectives; Aisha Lomax, Programmer, Podcasts and Music Videos; and Spade Robinson, Programmer, Television and Web Content.
Venues for the 2018 Festival include the ArcLight Cinemas in Culver City, Hollywood and Santa Monica, as well as the new LMU Playa Vista Campus (opening this fall), the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the Writers Guild Theater.
-
Watch New Trailer + Poster for Stylized Thriller ELIZABETH HARVEST Starring Carla Gugino
Stylized sci-fi thriller. Gothic love story. Existential mystery. The new trailer and poster dropped today for Elizabeth Harvest starring Carla Gugino, a science fiction thriller told from a young woman’s point of view. The film written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez is described as a modern-day riff on the French folktale of Bluebeard (in which a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives is confronted by a new wife trying to avoid the fate of her predecessors). IFC Films will release Elizabeth Harvest in theatres on Friday, August 10 in New York at IFC Center, and in Los Angeles at Arena CineLounge Sunset; and also On Demand.
Newlywed Elizabeth (Abbey Lee) arrives with her brilliant scientist husband Henry (Ciaran Hinds) to his magnificent estate, where he wows her with lavish dinners and a dazzling tour of the property. The house staff, Claire (Carla Gugino) and Oliver (Matthew Beard), treats her deferentially but she can’t shake the feeling something is off. Henry explains that everything in his world now belongs to her, all is for her to play in — all except for a locked-off room he forbids her from entering. When he goes away for business Elizabeth decides to investigate and finds she may not be who she thinks she is at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrPaMJWF1tg
-
Watch Trailer for DEVIL’S COVE ‘Indie take on Thelma & Louise”
In Devil’s Cove, his award-winning feature directorial debut, opening August 3 in L.A theaters, director Erik Lundmark serves up a roguishly electrifying indie take on Thelma & Louise that pits an interracial lesbian couple, fresh from a killing, against a dark highway.
New girl in town Toni (Christelle Baguidy) is unhappy in her marriage to the vehement Rick. Not surprisingly, her eye catches that of another- Jackie (Chloe Traicos in an award-nominated performance), a woman who recently escaped a jail sentence involving the death of her child.
When Rick (Cameron Barnes) gets wind of the passionate relationship his wife is having with Jackie, he erupts into a fiery rage. In an act of self-defence, Toni and Jackie end Rick’s life. To stay out of jail, the duo hit the road – one with many twists and turns in it.
Made for just $10,000 by Leomark Studios, the truly independent “Devil’s Cove” premiered at the New York City International Film Festival where it was nominated for two Best Actress awards (for Chloe Traicos) and Best Original Screenplay. Director Erik Lundmark also won a Global Accolade at the Global Accolade Awards.
Chloe Traicos, Christelle Baguidy, Cameron Barnes, Westworld’s Michael Keyes and Sammy Anderson co-star in Devil’s Cove, opening in theaters August 3.