Film Festivals

Documentary Films ZAPPA and MLK/FBI will Bookend 12th Santa Fe Independent Film Festival

Zappa, directed by Alex Winter

The twelfth annual Santa Fe Independent Film Festival (SFiFF) will open on Wednesday, October 14th, 2020 with Zappa, an in-depth documentary directed by Alex Winter, which centers on the life, work, and politics of musician Frank Zappa. With found footage from the Zappa family trust and other archives, Winter gives us a groundbreaking look into the musician’s life, featuring appearances by his widow, Gail Zappa, and musical collaborators like Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, and Ruth Underwood.

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Carlos A. Hurtado’s “CRY” is an Official Selection of Canadian International Fashion Film Festival

“Cry” directed by Carlos A. Hurtado

Carlos A. Hurtado’s fashion film “Cry” is an official selection and nominated for “Best Cinematography” at Canadian International Fashion Film Festival – October 26 and 27, 2020.

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29th Philadelphia Film Festival Announces First Wave of Films, Centerpiece Films – NOMADLAND and AMMONITE

Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Ammonite

Philadelphia Film Society unveiled the first wave of 45 films for the 29th Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF29) that will be available via the Digital Streaming Platform, along with the first announced Centerpiece Films to premiere at the PFS Drive-In at the Navy Yard from October 23 – November 2.

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“Nomadland” and “The Brothers” Win Top Prizes at 21st Woodstock Film Festival

Frances McDormand in the film NOMADLAND. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

The 21st Woodstock Film Festival announced the winners of its annual Maverick Awards competition, with Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao winning the award for Best Narrative Feature and Los Hermanos/The Brothers, directed by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider winning for Best Documentary Feature

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16th Zurich Film Festival Winners – HOCHWALD, SIN SEÑAS PARTICULARES and TIME Win Golden Eyes

Hochwald by Evi Romen

Hochwald by Evi Romen (Austria, Belgium) is the winner of the Golden Eye of the 16th Zurich Film Festival for the best film in focus competition. The film tells the story of Mario, who breaks out of his South Tyrolean homeland with his childhood friend Lenz and visits a gay bar in Rome with him. When Lenz falls victim during an armed attack, Mario returns to his home village, where his life gradually falls apart.

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Ava DuVernay, Rachel Brosnahan, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss Among Lineup for AFI Summit at AFI FEST 2020

Ava DuVernay

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced the program for the AFI Summit that will take place at AFI FEST held online this year from October 15 – 22, 2020. The lineup includes Riz Ahmed, Rachel Brosnahan, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Carey Mulligan and Andy Samberg among panelists; and a conversation with Academy Award® nominee, producer, director and writer Ava DuVernay about elevating and supporting BIPOC filmmakers through her company Array.

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Slamdance 2021 Goes Virtual and Moves to Joshua Tree, California

Cap Rock Hike, Joshua Tree National Park, California. Ken Lund. (Flickr)

Slamdance will take a break from Park City in 2021 by moving virtually to slamdance.com, YouTube and physically to Joshua Tree, California. The festival will run February 12 – 25, 2021 with free viewing, filmmaker revenue share and a new program for creators with disabilities.

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German Actor and Director Til Schweiger Received Golden Eye Award at Zurich Film Festival

German Actor and Director Til Schweiger Receives Golden Eye Award at Zurich Film Festival ©Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Zurich Film Festival

German actor and director Til Schweiger was moved and visibly delighted as he received the Golden Eye Award at The Zurich Film Festival for his filmmaking, “It’s great to be here in Zurich – at last. I am overjoyed and moved to receive the Golden Eye Award tonight. Many thanks again to the festival, this award means a lot to me!”

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THE WEASEL’S TALE and CHOLITAS Win Audience Awards at 36th Chicago Latino Film Festival

Juan José Campanella’s The Weasel’s Tale (El cuento de las comadrejas)

Juan José Campanella’s delightfully dark comedy The Weasel’s Tale won the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature at the 36th Chicago Latino Film Festival held virtually this year. The Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary went to Jaime Murciego and Pablo Iraburu’s moving documentary Cholitas about a group of Aymará who climb Argentina’s Aconcagua Mountain.

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Claudia Sparrow’s Stunning Documentary “MAXIMA” – Screens at Mill Valley Film Festival

MAXIMA directed by Claudia Sparrow

The highly buzzed and acclaimed documentary Maxima directed by Claudia Sparrow follows Peruvian indigenous farmer Máxima Acuña in her fight to protect her land as she stands up to the largest gold producer in the world: US-based Newmont Mining Corporation.

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Twin Cities Film Fest 2020 to Showcase 70+ Movies Online and in Person. Opens with BLACK BOYS Documentary

Poet and activist Malcolm London in the documentary “Black Boys” directed by Sonia Lowman.

Twin Cities Film Fest, set to run October 22-31 via a ‘Hybrid’ format opens on October 22 with the acclaimed documentary Black Boys, an intimate, inter-generational story that offers profound insight into black identity and opportunity at the nexus of sports, education and criminal justice.

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German Premiere of THE GOOD TRAITOR to Open 62nd Nordic Film Days Lübeck

“The Good Traitor” (“Vores mand i Amerika”) directed by Christina Rosendahl

Lübeck Nordic Film Days (Nordische Filmtage Lübeck) will open this year’s 62^nd edition of the festival with the German premiere of “The Good Traitor” (“Vores mand i Amerika”), directed by Christina Rosendahl, on November 4, 2020. Inspired by true events, the film is the story of Henrik Kauffmann, who was the Danish ambassador to the USA at the start of World War II, and who fought for the freedom and independence of Denmark after the Nazis occupied the country. A political rebel and man of the world, Kauffmann is masterfully embodied in the film by Ulrich Thomsen (“The Celebration”, “The World is not Enough”, “The International”). Boasting exquisite camerawork, “The Good Traitor” also looks at Kauffmann’s personal life before his tragic death in 1963.

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