The Birth of the Camera Phone – Jonathan Ignatius Green[/caption]
Mozilla, the non-profit organization behind the Firefox browser, is partnering with Rooftop Films to bring a memorable evening of film and discussion called “Terms of Service”to the roof and courtyard of The Old American Can Factory, in beautiful Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, July 21 at 8PM ET. “Terms of Service” is free with RSVP on the Rooftop Films website.
The July 21st screening in New York will be the first of four free screenings in different cities featuring short films relating to the internet. Rooftop Films and Mozilla will also bring short film programs to Austin, Toronto, and Berlin in the fall.
“Mozilla’s not-for-profit mission is to ensure the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all,” said Michaela Smiley, Senior Brand Strategist at Mozilla. “Film is a powerful way to communicate what’s at stake when the web gets unhealthy, which is why we are incredibly excited to partner with Rooftop Films to bring these stories to New Yorkers and beyond.”
“As the subtitle for Mozilla’s IRL podcast states, online life is real life,” said Dan Nuxoll, artistic director of Rooftop Films. “Too often we speak of the internet as if it is something that exists separate from our lived reality, when in fact it is a network interwoven with nearly every aspect of our daily life. The films that we have chosen for this program explore some of the many unexpected connections made possible by the networked world, and we are excited to be partnering with such an innovative organization as Mozilla to connect these films with bigger audiences in New York and all over the world.”
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Mozilla Firefox + Rooftop Films to Present a Film Screening About Society’s Relationship With The Internet on July 21 in NYC
[caption id="attachment_30666" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Birth of the Camera Phone – Jonathan Ignatius Green[/caption]
Mozilla, the non-profit organization behind the Firefox browser, is partnering with Rooftop Films to bring a memorable evening of film and discussion called “Terms of Service”to the roof and courtyard of The Old American Can Factory, in beautiful Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, July 21 at 8PM ET. “Terms of Service” is free with RSVP on the Rooftop Films website.
The July 21st screening in New York will be the first of four free screenings in different cities featuring short films relating to the internet. Rooftop Films and Mozilla will also bring short film programs to Austin, Toronto, and Berlin in the fall.
“Mozilla’s not-for-profit mission is to ensure the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all,” said Michaela Smiley, Senior Brand Strategist at Mozilla. “Film is a powerful way to communicate what’s at stake when the web gets unhealthy, which is why we are incredibly excited to partner with Rooftop Films to bring these stories to New Yorkers and beyond.”
“As the subtitle for Mozilla’s IRL podcast states, online life is real life,” said Dan Nuxoll, artistic director of Rooftop Films. “Too often we speak of the internet as if it is something that exists separate from our lived reality, when in fact it is a network interwoven with nearly every aspect of our daily life. The films that we have chosen for this program explore some of the many unexpected connections made possible by the networked world, and we are excited to be partnering with such an innovative organization as Mozilla to connect these films with bigger audiences in New York and all over the world.”
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Sam Elliott in THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT to World Premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival
Robert D. Krzykowski’s The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot will World Premiere on July 20th, 2018 at the 22nd edition of Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival.
Screen legend Sam Elliott (TOMBSTONE, ROAD HOUSE) stars as Calvin Barr, a legendary World War II veteran who many years ago assassinated Adolf Hitler – an incredible secret that he’s frustratingly unable to share with the world. One day, just as he’s coming to terms with rounding out his life, Calvin gets a visit from the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They need him to take out Bigfoot.
A wondrous feature debut from writer/director Robert D. Krzykowski, featuring visual effects by celebrated two-time Academy Award Winner Douglas Trumbull (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, BLADE RUNNER), who also co-produced alongside genre icons John Sayles and Lucky McKee.
A fantastical discourse on the melancholia of old age and a singular blast of entertaining wit, The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot also stars Aidan Turner, Caitlin FitzGerald, Ron Livingston, and Larry Miller.
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Patriot Releasing Sets October Release Date for Indie Film KINKY Starring Vivica A. Fox
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Vivica A. Fox in Chocolate City[/caption]
The independent romance/drama film ‘Kinky’, starring Vivica A. Fox is set to bow on October 12th nationwide via Patriot Releasing. ‘Kinky’, written and directed by Jean Claude Lamarre (Chocolate City), also starring Dawn Richard (Danity Kane), Robert Ri’Chard (Coach Carter), Eurika Pratts (Black Magic) and Gary Dourdan (CSI), is described as a “racy”, African American ’50 Shades Of Grey’-inspired sex drama. ‘Kinky’ will also serve to launch Patriot Releasing’s broader efforts to distribute 10 films a year that appeal to African American women.
‘Kinky’ is set in the affluent community of Buckhead, Atlanta and tells the story of a Dr. Joyce Richardson, a beautiful African-American surgeon who begins a sexual journey with billionaire investor, Darrin Wethington. After a few months of dating, the couple begin exploring their most kinky sexual fantasies, leading them into a world of BDSM and hardcore sexual exploration.
Having found theatrical success with the indie hit ‘Chocolate City’ through their collaboration with Nulite Entertainment, combined with a new $50 million credit facility, Patriot CEO/Chairman Michael Mendelsohn (Running With The Devil, U.S.S Indianapolis) has also acquired the black female-lead comedy spec, ‘Wedding Guest List’ from Nulite for a 2019 production start date. “The focus of Patriot Releasing is to celebrate, collaborate and support writers and directors with diverse voices,” states Mendelsohn. The company recently wrapped production on the RZA-directed ‘Cut Throat City’ starring Kat Graham, Wesley Snipes, and Terrence Howard. Patriot Releasing has just completed a ‘Chocolate City 3’ sequel, currently in Post production.
Regarding ‘Kinky’, Mendelsohn is confident the movie will resonate with its core audience: “I am thrilled to team up with Jean Claude on another remarkable film. Jean Claude’s ability to write and direct movies that resonate with his locked-in audience is magic, and I want to be remembered for creating magic in Hollywood.”
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2018 Durban International Film Festival Announces Films in Competition and Jury
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Spell Reel[/caption]
The Durban International Film Festival today announced the films and jury members for competition at this year’s 39th edition of the festival, which takes place from July 19 to 29, 2018.
Award categories are Best Feature Film, Best South African Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best SA Documentary, Best Short Film, Best African Short Film, Best South African Short Film, Best Actor Award, Best Actress, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Artistic Bravery, Audience Choice Award, Wavescape Audience Choice Award and the Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award.
Feature films in competition are Clint (India) directed by Harikumar Ramakrishna Pilla, Farewell Ella Bella (SA) directed by Lwazi Mvusi, The Foolish Bird (Ben Niao) (China) directed by Ji Huang, Otsuka Ryuji, High Fantasy (SA) directed by Jenna Bass, Mayfair (SA), directed by Sara Blecher, The Movie Of My Life (O Filme Da Minha Vida) (Brazil) directed by Selton Mello, Pororoca (Romania, France) directed by Constantin Popescu, Rafiki (Kenya, South Africa) directed by Wanuri Kahiu, The Recce (SA) directed by Ferdinand Van Zyl, The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (Palestine, Netherlands, Germany, Mexico) directed by Muayad Muayad, Supa Modo (Germany, Kenya), directed by Likarion Wainaina, The Tale (USA) directed by Jennifer Fox, A Trip To The Moon (Un Viaje A La Luna) (Argentina) directed by Joaquín Cambre.
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Silas[/caption]
Documentary films in competition are We could be Heroes (Denmark, Morocco, Tunisa, Brazil) directed by Hind Bensari, Silas (Canada/South Africa/Kenya) directed by Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman, Whispering Truth To Power (South Africa/Netherlands) directed by Shameela Seedat, New Moon directed by Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann, Kinshasa Makambo (Democratic Republic Of The Congo/France/Switzerland/Germany/Norway) directed by Dieudo Hamadi, Amal (Egypt/Lebanon/Germany) directed by Mohamed Siam, Spell Reel, (Germany/Portugal/France/Guinea-Bissau) directed by Filipa César, Shakedown (Usa) directed by Leilah Weinraub, The Silk and the Flame (Fei’e Pu Huo) (United States) directed by Jordan Schiele, The State Against Nelson Mandela and the Others (France) directed by Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte.
All SA documentaries and features are also eligible for the SA Best Documentary and SA Best Feature awards.
Fiction section jurors are Bongiwe Selane, the award-winning SA producer with a string of credits behind her including her debut SA block buster feature Happiness is a Four-Letter- Word; Hakeem Kae Kazim, the well-known British-Nigerian actor who has gained international acclaim for his performance in the Oscar nominated film Hotel Rwanda. He has countless credits in major international films such as The Triangle with Sam Neill, Pirates of the Caribbean III, X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Hugh Jackman and many more. Nse Ikpe-Etim Nigerian is a multiple award-winning actress who DIFF audiences will remember from her role in the celebrated Meg Rickards’ film Tess.
The documentary film jury includes Uzanenkosi on of the SA’s busiest and most prolific producers, who created InterSEXions the award-winning first of its kind, world over drama series that won an unprecedented 11 SAFTA awards. Nakai Matema, a veteran Zimbabwean Producer who has produced several ground-breaking documentaries including Rehad, Desai’s My Land, My Life and Leo Phiri’s A Fighting Spirit from the STEPS for the Future series. Nigerian filmmaker Mahmood Ali-Balogun who has directed numerous films including multiple award-winning film Tango With Me, and has been on the juries of numerous festivals such as Cairo International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Abuja International Film Festival and African International Film Festival (AFRIFF). Dorothee Wenner is a Berlin-based freelance filmmaker, writer and curator who has been on the selection committee of Berlin’s International Forum since 1990 and serves as the Berlinale’s Delegate for India and sub- Saharan Africa.
The Shorts Jury includes Alicia Price, Head of the Film Department at SAE Cape Town and Leon Van Der Merwe, a founding member, Chief Operating Officer, board member and director of the Cape Town International Film Market and Festival (CTIFMF).
The Amnesty International Durban jury is convened by its chair Coral Vinsen with members Professor Margaret Daymond, Lazola Kati , Betty Rawheath and Nelvia Rawheath.
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Watch Trailer + Poster for Portuguese Horror Film THE FOREST OF THE LOST SOULS
The Portuguese horror film The Forest of the Lost Souls which had its world premiere at the Fantasporto Film Festival on February 26, 2017, will be released in August by Wild Eye Releasing as their first theatrical release.
The psychological “coming of age” horror film is written and directed by directed by José Pedro Lopes.
Ricardo and Carolina are complete strangers that meet seemingly by chance in the “Forest of the Lost Souls”, a place where many people go to commit suicide. These two, a young woman and an old man, are no different than the others as they also came to the forest for this very reason.
They decide to briefly postpone killing themselves in order to explore the forest and also to continue talking to one another, as Ricardo and Carolina find themselves intrigued by one another.
However, as the pair go further into the forest it becomes clear that one of them has other reasons for being in the forest and is not who they would have the other believe them to be and is actually a psychopath…
The Forest of the Lost Souls will open theatrically August 5 in L.A and other cities.
Wild Eye Releasing, whose recent releases include well-received sci-fi thriller Soft Matter and James Klass’s House on Elm Lake, represents horror, exploitation, dark arthouse, cult and documentary films from around the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQXzASuWHzs
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“Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda wins Top Award at 36th Munich International FilmFest
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Shoplifters[/caption]
The 36th Munich International Film festival drew to a close today Saturday, July 7, 2018 with the award ceremony and “Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda won the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film.The Audience Award went to the film “Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric” by Oliver Haffner.
ARRI/Osram Award
“Shoplifters” by Hirokazu Kore-eda received the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film. “In his film ‘Shoplifters’, Hirokazu Kore-eda breaks up the smallest cell of society, the family, into shards that gain the right to rearrange and reinvent themselves. The protagonists change their names and functions, developing their own ethics and morality, not bound by the biological laws of family or ultimately of society. In doing so, ‘Shoplifters’ opens up new possibilities and ultimately offers… hope,” said the jury. The jury of the ARRI/Osram Award was comprised this year of multitalented actress, composer, singer, and performing artist Meret Becker; cult American actress Amanda Plummer; and Blixa Bargeld, co-founder of the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten. The latest films by ten renowned directors were in competition for the ARRI/Osram Award for best international film in the CineMasters section of the festival.CineVision Award
“Border” by Ali Abbasi was honored with the CineVision Award for best new international film. The jury explained its decision thusly: “‘Border’ is not only a very unsettling film; it’s disturbing as well. In the deepest sense of the word, this film disturbs us in the comfort of our certainties and norms and convictions. What is beauty? What is normal? What does monstrosity look like? This film shows us how many wonderful but also horrible things there are all around us that we no longer notice because our senses are dulled. The main character in the wonderful film ‘Border’ has a delicate sense of smell. She is a hounded, anxious outsider whose perspective allows us to take a terrifying look underneath our mask of normality and behold the grotesque face of humanity.” Honorable mention was given to the Taiwanese film “The Great Buddha+” by director Hsin-Yao Huang, who uses “whimsical imagery and fantastical, comic dialogue to illustrate the lives of two naive underdogs who attempt to cope in a completely absurd world while their normality is also full of wonderfully noticed absurdity. It’s an ambiguous view of society that’s given a playful and surprising form,” said the jury.FIPRESCI Prize
“All Good” by Eva Trobisch received the 2018 FIPRESCI Prize. The jury of the International Federation of Film Critics was comprised of Jan Storø from Norway, Peter Krausz from Australia, and Andrzej Fogler from Poland. They explained their decision as follows: “The FIPRESCI Prize goes to “All Good” by Eva Trobisch for its intelligently directed and prescient story of the way a troubling incident experienced by a woman spirals into an increasingly challenging situation.”Audience Awards
The festival’s audience awards were also presented on the final day of the festival. The Bayern 2 and SZ Audience Award went to the film “Wackersdorf – Be Alert, Courageous and Solidaric” by Oliver Haffner. The film depicts the story surrounding the protests against the construction of a nuclear reprocessing plant in Wackersdorf in rural Bavaria in the early 1980s. This year’s Kinderfilmfest Audience Award went to “100% Coco” by Tessa Schram. For the first time, the prize includes the sum of 1,000 euros, sponsored by SZ Familie. The film is about 13-year-old Coco, whose eccentric fashion style appears distasteful until she becomes famous as “Style Tiger”.ONE FUTURE PRIZE
This year’s ONE FUTURE PRIZE, awarded by the Interfilm Academy, went to “A Letter to the President” by Roya Sadat. The jury, comprised of Navina Neverla, Verena Marisa, and Tomasz Rudzik, explained its decision in these words: “‘A Letter to the President’ is a moving, utterly sophisticated film that tells of the contradictions in the Afghan legal system and the inequality of men and women ten years after the official withdrawal of the Taliban. This film tells the story of an unflinchingly strong woman who, in spite of all adversity and deeply rooted patriarchal structures, is prepared to stand up for her own freedom as well as for that of other women. An immediate, convincing story given lots of atmosphere, written dramatically, acted and directed superbly, and told in the sensitive images of classical narrative cinema, ‘A Letter to the President’ tells of one woman’s struggle against deeply rooted prejudice and overpowering patriarchal structures. Her integrity and her courage to resist are an example to us all. All this is told by the equally brave young Afghan director Roya Sadat, the first female practitioner of her craft in the post-Taliban era.” Honorable mention went to the documentary “Welcome to Sodom” by Florian Weigensamer and Christian Krönes. In the jury’s words: “This film tells of a dystopia that has long been part of our globalized reality. ‘Sodom’ is a place that concerns all of us, a global topic that raises the most pertinent questions about environmental politics as well as about social and cultural issues.”
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‘I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians’ Wins Top Prize at 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
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Olmo Omerzu, Jiří Konečný, Ada Solomon, Radu Jude (Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary)[/caption]
“I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” from Romanian film director Radu Jude won the Crystal Globe for Best Feature Film at the 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In the film Radu Jude takes up a massacre perpetrated by the Romanian Administration through the Romanian Army on the Eastern Front in 1941, an actual event that a young activist artist decides to stage. “As we are in the Czech Republic and my film was made with the Czech co-production, I would like to thank all the Czech people involved, primarily Jiří Konečný”, said Radu Jude.
Barry Levinson received the Právo Audience Award for his thirty-year old movie Rain Man. Levinson also received the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinematography at the Closing Ceremony. “This is really a wonderful festival and an incredible experience for us. And also an extraordinary honour for a boy from Baltimore to be now granted an award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema here in the Czech Republic. Film is an artistic form that interconnects the whole world. While differing feelings drive us apart, we should bear in mind that we are in fact all quite similar,” the director expressed his gratitude.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv4q3sWs8wE
The 54th Karlovy Vary IFF will be held from June 28th to July 6th, 2019.
53rd Karlovy Vary IFF Awards
OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION
GRAND JURY Mark Cousins, United Kingdom Zrinka Cvitešić, Croatia Marta Donzelli, Italy Zdeněk Holý, Czech Republic Nanouk Leopold, NetherlandsGRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE (25 000 USD)
“I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” / „Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra cabarbari” Directed by: Radu Jude Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany, 2018SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (15 000 USD)
Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
Olmo Omerzu for the film Winter Flies / Všechno bude Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, 2018BEST ACTRESS AWARD
Mercedes Morán for her role in the film Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018BEST ACTOR AWARD
Moshe Folkenflik for his role in the film Redemption / Geula Directed by: Joseph Madmony, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov Israel, 2018SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Jumpman / Podbrosy Directed by: Ivan I. Tverdovskiy Russia, Lithuania, Ireland, France, 2018SPECIAL JURY MENTION
History of Love / Zgodovina ljubezni Directed by: Sonja Prosenc Slovenia, Italy, Norway, 2018EAST OF THE WEST – COMPETITION
EAST OF THE WEST JURY Peter Badač, Slovakia Iris Elezi, Albania Myriam Sassine, Lebanon Dounia Sichov, France Andrei Tănăsescu, RomaniaEAST OF THE WEST GRAND PRIX (15 000 USD)
Suleiman Mountain / Suleiman gora Directed by: Elizaveta Stishova Kyrgyzstan, Russia, 2017EAST OF THE WEST SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (10 000 USD)
Blossom Valley / Virágvölgy Directed by: László Csuja Hungary, 2018DOCUMENTARY FILMS – COMPETITION
DOCUMENTARY FILMS JURY Raúl Camargo, Chile M. Siam, Egypt Diana Tabakov, Czech RepublicGRAND PRIX FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM (5 000 USD)
Putin’s Witnesses / Svideteli Putina Directed by: Vitaly Mansky Latvia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, 2018DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Walden / Walden Directed by: Daniel Zimmermann Switzerland, Austria, 2018PRÁVO AUDIENCE AWARD
Rain Man / Rain Man Directed by: Barry Levinson USA, 1988 CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA Tim Robbins, USA CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA Barry Levinson, USA FESTIVAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD Robert Pattinson, United Kingdom FESTIVAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO CZECHCINEMATOGRAPHY Jaromír Hanzlík, Czech RepublicNON-STATUTORY AWARDS
AWARD OF INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI)
Awarded by The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). FIPRESCI JURY René Marx, France Marita Nyrhinen, Finland Alejandra Trelles, Uruguay Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018THE ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD
THE ECUMENICAL JURY Michael Otřísal, Czech Republic Milja Radovic, United Kingdom David Sipoš, Slovenia Redemption / Geula Directed by: Joseph Madmony, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov Israel, 2018Commendations
Winter Flies / Všechno bude Directed by: Olmo Omerzu Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, 2018 Miriam Lies / Miriam miente Directed by: Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada Dominican Republic, Spain 2018FEDEORA AWARD
Awarded by the Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean (FEDEORA) to the best film from the East of the West – Competition. FEDEORA JURY Stefan Dobroiu, Romania Natascha Drubek, Germany Nenad Dukić, Serbia Suleiman Mountain / Suleiman gora Directed by: Elizaveta Stishova Kyrgyzstan, Russia, 2017EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL AWARD
For the best European film in the Official Selection – Competition and in the East of the West – Competition. EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL JURY Daira Āboliņa, Latvia Simon Blaas, Netherlands Balázs Kalmanovits, Hungary Jan Makosch, Germany “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” / „Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari” Directed by: Radu Jude Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany, 2018WORKS IN PROGRESS, DOCS IN PROGRESS AND EURIMAGES LAB PROJECT AWARD AT KVIFF 2018
WORKS IN PROGRESS (100,000 Euro) JURY Matthijs Wouter Knol, Germany Rossitsa Valkanova, Bulgaria Rickard Olsson, Sweden During Works in Progress, eleven projects were presented from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and now also the Middle East. A prize in the value of 100,000 Euro will be given to the project. The whole award consists of post-production services in UPP (60,000 Euro), Soundsquare (30,000 Euro), and a cash prize of 10,000 Euro from Barrandov Studio. All This Victory / All This Victory Director: Ahmad Ghossein Producer: Georges Schoucair, Myriam Sassine, Marie-Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Fabian Massah Lebanon, France, GermanyDOCS IN PROGRESS (5,000 Euro)
JURY Tanja Georgieva, Germany Noemi Schory, Israel Shane Smith, Canada Ten projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East were presented within Docs in Progress event which introduced new documentary films that will premiere after the Karlovy Vary IFF. The winning film received a cash prize in the amount of 5,000 Euro. The Projectionist / The Projectionist Director: Yuriy Shylov Producer: Gennady Kofman, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Dirk Simon, Miroslaw Dembinski Ukraine, Germany, Poland A Special Mention was awarded to the Polish project Little Poland by Matej Bobrik.EURIMAGES LAB PROJECT AWARD (50,000 Euro)
JURY David Kořínek, Czech Republic Dorien van de Pas, Netherlands Christoph Terhechte, Germany KVIFF is the first of four international film festivals in Europe to be awarding the Eurimage prize. KVIFF has selected projects for the Eurimage prize that surpass traditional film methods and are based on international cooperation. The prize was awarded in the value of 50,000 Euro. Eight Eurimages projects were presented at the KVIFF. Normal / Normal Director: Adele Tulli Producer: Valeria Adilardi, Laura Romano, Luca Ricciardi Italy, Sweden
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10 Film Finalists to Compete for 3rd Memphis Film Prize $10,000 Grand Prize
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Mattteo Servente, director of WE GO ON, Winner 2017 Memphis Film Prize[/caption]
The 10 film finalists for the 3rd annual Memphis Film Prize (August 3-5) with the top award of $10,000 cash were announced today. The ten finalists will play at the Memphis Film Prize Fest, August 3-4 at the Malco Theater in Overton Square. The ten shorts will play throughout the two days of the festival, and a combination of judges and the audience help determine the Grand Prize winner.
The 10 films (and filmmakers) that will compete for the $10,000 Grand Prize include; Daniel R. Ferrell’s DEAN’S LIST; Donald R. Meyers’s HYPNOTIC INDUCTION; Kevin Brooks’s LAST NIGHT; Will Robbins’s MINORITY; Robb Rokk’s OUTSIDE ARCADIA; Kyle Taubken’s PATRICK; Jason S. Lockridge’s THE STIX; Drew Fleming’s TRAVELING SOLDIER; Arnold G. Edwards II’s WAYWARD SON; and Marcus Santi’s YOU DON’T KNOW JACK SQUAT: THE TRIAL.
“Across the board, these filmmakers poured their hearts and souls into their projects and put the indie film spotlight on Memphis and Shelby County,” said David Merrill, the Memphis filmmaker liaison. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work that was done and of our ten Memphis Film Prize finalists.”
Gregory Kallenberg, founder and executive director of the Film Prize Foundation, said, “This was our largest group of participating filmmakers and, by far, our best crop of rough cuts to choose from. While I don’t envy their task, I can’t wait for our Memphis Film Prize fans to help choose our $10,000 winner in August!”
2018 Memphis Film Prize Jury
Thelma Adams (Journalist and Film Critic – Real Clear/Life, contributing writer for Variety)
Nelson Kim (Journalist and Film Critic – Hammer to Nail)
Victoria Negri ((Writer, Director, Producer, and Actor – GOLD STAR; Director of 2 WEEKS, Producer of THE FEVER AND THE FRET)
Brandon Oldenberg (Academy Award-winning filmmaker – THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE)
Farah White (Producer and Actor – DAYLIGHT’S END, THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE)
The Memphis Film Prize combines elements of a film competition and festival, inviting filmmakers from all over the world to create and present a 5-15 minute short film with just one rule – it must be shot in Shelby County, TN. Filmmakers shot their films beginning in February and submitted them in June, when a rough cut of the films were due to contest organizers.
2018 MEMPHIS FILM PRZE FINALISTS
DEAN’S LIST Director: Daniel R. Ferrell Running Time: 7:02 min A young college student who is coming off his best semester has to deliver a backpack to his eccentric associate so he can attend college for the next year. HYPNOTIC INDUCTION Director: Donald R. Meyers Running Time: 15:00 min A hypnotherapist helps a man quit smoking, but there appears to be something else he needs to quit. LAST NIGHT Director: Kevin Brooks Running Time: 9:47 min A man spends his last day of freedom with his wife and daughter. MINORITY Director: Will Robbins Running Time: 6:07 min A convenience store clerk is frightened by a man minding his own business. OUTSIDE ARCADIA Director: Robb Rokk Running Time: 15:00 min Decades after tragic events, a brother and sister use a peculiar machine to break free. PATRICK Director: Kyle Taubken Running Time: 14:58 min Two strangers with different backgrounds get to know one another over crummy coffee and shared struggles in an old church basement. THE STIX Director: Jaron S. Lockridge Running Time: 9:48 min Two rural county sheriff detectives work a day on patrol due to a manpower shortage. With only 30 minutes before end of shift, they get a call that will forever change their lives. TRAVELING SOLDIER Director: Drew Fleming Running Time: 7:28 min After a shy, lonesome soldier strikes up a conversation with a young waitress, they find themselves wrapped up in an unexpected romance while he’s at war. WAYWARD SON Director: Arnold G. Edwards II Running Time: 14:46 min A PTSD-stricken vet must choose between peacefully waiting out the final days of his house arrest and breaking parole to save a befriended teen from an abusive stepfather. YOU DON’T KNOW JACK SQUAT: THE TRIAL Director: Marcus Santi Running Time: 14:51 min Jack Squat reluctantly takes on the worst team at his University (women’s soccer). He may or may not have crossed lines.
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5 Projects Selected for Sundance Institute ‘s 2018 Documentary Edit and Story Lab
Christopher McNabb, Damon Davis and Sabaah Folayan work on “Whose Streets?” at the 2016 Documentary Editing Lab. © 2016 Sundance Institute | Photo by Jonathan Hickerson. Five projects will convene at the Sundance Resort in Utah for the Sundance Institute flagship Documentary Edit and Story Lab on July 6.
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RIP: Claude Lanzmann Director of Holocaust Documentary SHOAH Dead at 92
French film-maker and journalist Claude Lanzmann, best known for directing the Holocaust documentary Shoah, died today in Paris, he was 92.
His first documentary Pourquoi Israel? (Why Israel?) was released in 1973, and he began filming Shoah, a year later in 1974, conducting a series of filmed interview with death camp survivors all over the world. Lanzmann was reportedly attacked while attempting a covert interview, and was hospitalized for a month.
Over nine hours long and 11 years in the making, Shoah presents Lanzmann’s interviews with survivors, witnesses and perpetrators during visits to German Holocaust sites across Poland, including extermination camps.
Released in Paris in April 1985, Shoah won critical acclaim and many prestigous awards, including the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Non-Fiction Film in 1985, a special citation at the 1985 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, and the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary in 1986. That year it also won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Non-Fiction Film and Best Documentary at the International Documentary Association.
Lanzmann has released four feature-length films based on unused material shot for Shoah.
A Visitor from the Living (fr) (1997) about a Red Cross representative, Maurice Rossel, who in 1944 wrote a favourable report about the Theresienstadt concentration camp.
Sobibor, October 14, 1943, 4 p.m. (2001) about Yehuda Lerner, who participated in an uprising against the camp guards and managed to escape.
The Karski Report (fr) (2010) about Polish resistance fighter Jan Karski’s visit to Franklin Roosevelt in 1943.
The Last of the Unjust (2013) about Benjamin Murmelstein, a controversial Jewish rabbi in the Theresienstadt ghetto during World War II.
Previously unseen Shoah outtakes have also been featured in Adam Benzine’s HBO documentary Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah (2015), which examines Lanzmann’s life during 1973–1985, the years he spent making Shoah.
Lanzmann’s final film, Napalm, which premiered at Cannes in 2017, drew on his earlier visits to North Korea as a young journalist, in which he revealed his brief affair with a North Korean nurse.
Claude Lanzmann received a Honorary Golden Bear at the 2013 Berlin Film Festival, and was made Grand Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honor on July 14, 2011.
Update: Berlinale issued a statement
French director and author Claude Lanzmann has passed away.
“Claude Lanzmann was one of the great documentarists. With his depictions of inhumanity and violence, of anti-Semitism and its consequences, he created a new kind of cinematic and ethical exploration. We mourn the loss of an important personality of the political-intellectual life of our time,” says Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick.
Claude Lanzmann’s film Shoah (1985) made cinematic history as an unparalleled masterpiece of commemorative culture. The nine-and-a-halfhour documentary on the genocide of European Jews was screened in the Berlinale Forum in 1986 and received numerous international awards.
Born in Paris in 1925 to Jewish parents, Claude Lanzmann fought in the Résistance, studied philosophy in France and Germany, and held a lectureship at the then newly founded Freie Universität Berlin in 1948/49. His exploration of the Shoah, anti-Semitism and political struggles for freedom infuse both his cinematic and journalistic work.
His first film was made in 1972, the documentary Pourquoi Israël (Israel, Why; France 1973), in which he illustrates the necessity of Israel’s founding from the Jewish perspective. In the film Tsahal, which screened in the 1995 Berlinale Forum, he focuses on women and men who serve in the Israeli Army. Sobibor, 14 octobre 1943, 16 heures (France 2001), about the 1943 revolt in the Sobibor extermination camp in Poland, was also screened in the Berlinale Forum, in 2002.
In 2013, the Berlinale honoured him with an Homage and awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIV7SYk9mWk
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Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick to Receive Sam Spiegel Intl Film Lab 1st Force-of-Nature Filmmaking Award
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Dieter Kosslick[/caption]
The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab (Son of Saul, The Kindergarten Teacher, Red Cow) will present the first Force-of-Nature Filmmaking Award to longtime Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick. The Sam Spiegel International Film Lab in Jerusalem is a program to promote filmmakers’ projects launched by the Sam Spiegel Film & Television School in 2011. The new Force-of-Nature Filmmaking Award is conceived to honor extraordinary personalities committed to the development of world cinema.
Dieter Kosslick will be presented with the Force-of-Nature Filmmaking Award in Jerusalem on July 6, 2018. “A particular concern of mine has always been the national and international promotion and funding of talent and up-and-coming filmmakers. I’m exceedingly pleased to receive this award,” said Dieter Kosslick.
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Filmmaker and Graphic Designer Kyle Cooper to be Honored at Locarno Film Festival
Filmmaker and graphic designer Kyle Cooper will receive the Vision Award Ticinomoda, dedicated to those who have used their talents to create new perspectives in the world of cinema at the upcoming 71st Locarno Festival. Kyle Cooper will be a guest in Piazza Grande on Sunday August 5, and the tribute will be accompanied by a screening of the film Se7en.
Born in 1962 in Salem, Massachusetts, Kyle Cooper is one of the most original and innovative film title designers in world cinema. Known to the mainstream public for the opening sequence he created for the film Se7en (1995), directed by David Fincher, Cooper has given fresh impetus to the art of movie titling. Over the three decades of his career to date he has directed and produced over 350 titles sequences, working with some of the highest profile filmmakers in global cinema.
After studying graphic design at the Yale School of Art and under the guidance of noted U.S. designer Paul Rand, he named and co-founded one of Hollywood’s most successful creative agencies: Imaginary Forces. His career as director and graphic designer took off with the title sequence for Se7en (1995), a milestone which the New York Times Magazine hailed as “one of the most important design innovations of the 1990s”. Cooper experimented with kinetic typography, reprising the work of Saul Bass and attuning lettering and other elements to each single movie, as with the hieroglyphs of The Mummy (1999) or the cobweb typography of the first Spider-Man movie (2002). He came up with an astonishing range of techniques to capture viewers’ attention during the opening minutes, immersing them in the atmosphere of the film from the very outset. The range of films and genres on which he worked was equally broad: Braveheart (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), Across the Universe (2007), The New World (2005), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Final Destination 5 (2011), Black Mass (2015), Argo (2012), Mission Impossible (1996), Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), Mother! (2017). He also worked for television, with The Walking Dead (2010), American Horror Story (2011), Scream Queens (2015), Limitless (2015), Feud (2017), and lastly for video games, in such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001), Scarface: The World Is Yours (2006), Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015) and Death Stranding (upcoming). He worked also on brand designing brands such as SU2C and Marvel logo animation. In 2003 he left Imaginary Forces and set up the creative agency Prologue Films. In 2008 he was a finalist at the National Design Awards. He has earned five nominations for the Emmy Awards. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and he also holds the title of Royal Designer for Industry from the Royal Society of Arts in London.
Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of the Locarno Festival: “Kyle Cooper is an artist who has single-handedly changed the visual impact of contemporary cinema. His hundreds of creations have been gateways to iconic movies loved by millions of viewers. His title sequences combine experimentation and graphic research, CGI (computer-generated imagery) and details borrowed from often invisible microcosms, breaking down the barriers between auteur and mainstream, crafting and industry. The award is both a mark of our recognition of the significance of his work and an invitation to reassess the role and value of these short films within films.”
Kyle Cooper will receive the Vision Award Ticinomoda in Piazza Grande on the evening of August 5. On the following day, Monday August 6, he will hold a master class. The tribute will also be accompanied by screenings of a selection of films reflecting his career.
In recent years the Locarno Festival has given the Vision Award, introduced in 2013, to Douglas Trumbull (2013), Garrett Brown (2014), Walter Murch (2015), Howard Shore (2016) and José Luis Alcaine (2017).
The 71st Locarno Festival will take place from August 1 to 11, 2018.
https://vimeo.com/9400332