The thirteenth annual Beaufort International Film Festival will host thousands of film lovers from around the world starting February 19 through February 24, 2019, in the historic coastal town of Beaufort, SC.
BIFF 2019 will be expanded by a day. It is now a six day festival with awards being presented in the areas of features, documentaries (feature and short), short films, student films, screenplays, animation, comedy and audience choice. Also, winners will be named for best actor, best actress, and best director.
In addition to the category and individual awards, the Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to legendary actor, author, cook and opera singer Paul Sorvino. “If you look at his body of work in the film and television industries, his work on broadway, his philanthropic efforts over the past six decades, you can see why we’re so very honored to present the Pat Conroy Lifetime Achievement Award to the legendary entertainer Paul Sorvino,” stated Beaufort Film Society President, Ron Tucker. The award is sponsored by Leslie and Landon Thorne.
South Carolina based Hairdresser and Make-up Artist Joyce Gilliard will be presented with the prestigious “Behind-The-Scenes Award for her notable accomplishments over the past 20 years in the film and television industries.
BIFF 2019 will also present the inaugural Susan A.K. Shaffer Humanitarian Award to the filmmaker whose work best exemplifies the need for positive social, cultural and/or environmental change in our time. This award transcends category and genre.
2019 Beaufort International Film Festival Finalists
Spain will be the country focus at 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), and will see work by new and emerging Spanish filmmakers screen alongside that of the country’s best-known filmmakers with a range of industry and special events complementing the cinema program. The 73rd edition of EIFF runs from June 19 to 30, 2019.
British film and stage actress Charlotte Rampling will receive the Honorary Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival for her lifetime achievement, as well as dedicating the Homage to a selection of her films.
On February 14, 2019, in conjunction with the award ceremony for the Honorary Golden Bear, the festival will be showing Il portiere di notte (The Night Porter, Italy, 1974), directed by Liliana Cavani.
Among the oldest and most influential Jewish film festivals worldwide, the 28th annual New York Jewish Film Festival (NYJFF) will take place January 9 to 22, 2019. Featuring new work as well as restored classics, the festival’s 2019 lineup includes 32 wide-ranging and exciting features and shorts from the iconic to the iconoclastic. Screenings are held at the Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street, NYC.
The NYJFF opens on Wednesday, January 9, with the New York premiere of Eric Barbier’s epic drama Promise at Dawn, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Pierre Niney. This riveting memoir chronicles the colorful life of infamous French author Romain Gary, from his childhood conning Polish high society with his mother to his years as a pilot in the Free French Air Forces.
The Closing Night film is the New York premiere of A Fortunate Man, directed by Academy Award–winner Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror). In it, a gifted but self-destructive young man leaves his suffocating Lutheran upbringing for metropolitan 1880s Copenhagen, where he’s welcomed into a wealthy Jewish family and strives to realize his grand ambitions.
The Centerpiece selection represents the first time an Israeli television series has been presented at the NYJFF with the three-and-a-half-hour miniseries Autonomies, to be presented all at once, binge-style, with a 20-minute intermission. Directed by Yehonatan Indursky, the dystopian drama is set in an alternate reality of present-day Israel, a nation divided by a wall into the secular “State of Israel,” with Tel Aviv as its capital, and the “Haredi Autonomy” in Jerusalem, run by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group. A globally relevant tale of identity, religion, politics, personal freedom, and love, this gripping story follows a custody battle that upends the fragile peace of the country, pushing it to the brink of civil war. Indursky will present a master class in conjunction with the screening of Autonomies.
New to the NYJFF this year is an annual initiative that highlights a film made by a woman filmmaker that deserves broader American recognition. Maria Victoria Menis’s Camera Obscura (2008) tells the story of an immigrant woman whose encounter with an itinerant photographer reveals a sense of self she never knew. The film was shot in the lush forests and lagoons of Buenos Aires province in a mélange of visual styles, including elements of hand-drawn animation, World War I archival footage, and early surrealist black-and-white films.
Filmmaker Amos Gitai returns to the 2019 NYJFF with the U.S. premiere of his thought-provoking new drama, A Tramway in Jerusalem. Gitai uses the tramway that runs through Jerusalem to connect a series of short vignettes, forming a mosaic of Jewish and Arab stories embodying life in the city.
The NYJFF will also present the U.S. premiere of Fig Tree by first-time director Aäläm-Wärqe Davidian. Set in Addis Ababa during the Ethiopian Civil War, the film concerns a young woman who plans to flee to Israel with her brother to reunite with their mother. But she is unwilling to leave her Christian boyfriend behind and hatches a scheme to save him from being drafted.
11 films competed for nine awards in the Competition section as well as six film in the “New Chinese Cinema” for the Best New Chinese-language Film of the Year at the 3rd International Film Festival & Awards Macao (“IFFAM” or the “Film Festival”). The Film Festival screened 54 spectacular films this year and winners were revealed at the Awards Ceremony on Friday night.
The Competition section once again spotlighted first and second-time feature film directors this year, pitting 11 films against each other for nine accolades attributed by the jury and the Macao Audience Choice Award, of which the winner was voted by local audiences. The 11 films include “School’s Out”, “The Guilty”, “Clean up”, “The Good Girls”, “Ága”, “Scarborough”, “Suburban Birds”, “White Blood”, “All Good”, “Jesus” and “The Man Who Feels No Pain” with Best Film awarded to “Clean up.”
The new competition section “New Chinese Cinema” pitted six films against each other including “Dear Ex”, “Baby”, “Xiao Mei”, “Up the Mountain”, “Fly by Night” and “The Pluto Moment”. “Up the Mountain” took home the Best New Chinese-language Film of the Year.
Besides the above awards, an array of other accolades was presented at the Awards Ceremony to commend outstanding films and filmmakers for their achievements. Internationally-acclaimed film director and Jury President of the 3rd IFFAM, Chen Kaige, directed his first film “Yellow Earth” in 1984, which garnered a number of awards and ushered in the new era for Chinese cinema. Recognized as one of the Chinese film classics, his acclaimed masterpiece “Farewell My Concubine” (1993) won the Palme d’Or at the 46th Cannes Film Festival in the same year, making Chen the only Chinese director who has received this top accolade to this day. At the Awards Ceremony, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Alexis Tam, presented the “Spirit of Cinema” Achievement Award to film director Chen Kaige.
In addition, the NETPAC Award went to “Suburban Birds” (presented by Mimi Plauché, Sunny Joseph and Marco Martins, jury members from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC)). The Asian Blockbuster Film 2018 went to the film “Crazy Rich Asians”, whereas the Variety Asian Star: Up Next Award went to five actors and actresses as follows: Anne Curtis, Iqbaal Ramadhan, Zaira Wasim, Xana Tang and Ryan Zheng Kai.
The 22nd Annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF) is scheduled for May 1 – 5, 2019 with events taking place at venues around the Austin, Texas during the five-day festival. As a new program for May’s festival, CLAIFF will present a VR 360º showcase, hosted and sponsored by Originator Studios.
Cine Las Americas is committed to offering a diverse program of national and international feature and short films as well as music videos, experimental, animation selections, and this year a VR 360º video program. The festival showcases films and videos from all the Americas (US, Canada, North Central, South America, and the Caribbean) and the Iberian Peninsula. Selected works screen in competitive and non-competitive sections. There are eleven award categories, including the annual Hecho en Tejas Awards. This year, the coordinating committee is pleased to offer cash awards to prize categories, including for Audience Awards for Best First or Second Dramatic Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Hecho en Tejas Film, and Best Music Video.
As an extension of its mission to support Latinx and Indigenous artists across media arts, Cine Las Americas announced the expansion of our VR 360º video program for the 22nd festival. In 2017 CLAIFF presented Tracy Rector’s 360º video Eagle Bone (Ch’aak’ S’aagi), one of the first VR pieces ever by a Native American filmmaker, hosted by Originator Studios. In 2018, also thanks to Originator Studios’ sponsorship, youth from the Austin-based Latinitas’ organization shared their 360º Latinx Culture in East Austin documentary experience with attendees.
In 2019, Originator Studios will team up with CLAIFF to present an official selection of VR 360º videos at their facilities. Filmmakers are invited to submit their VR 360º videos as part of the festival’s annual call for entries.
Following the festival’s biggest year yet, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival will return October 17 to 24, 2019, for its fourth edition. BHFF will once again grow in 2019 with the addition of Cobble Hill Cinemas as one of the primary screening locations and continue its engagements with Nitehawk Cinema, Made in NY Media Center at IFP, and various locations throughout Brooklyn.
The festival also announced a new partnership with Gunpowder & Sky’s recently launched horror brand, ALTER. Selected short films will be eligible for review for distribution on the platform. “ALTER has quickly established itself as a premium platform for emerging, diverse, and established filmmakers and we couldn’t be more excited to help them discover the great talent we have at the festival.” said Festival Director Justin Timms.
Brooklyn Horror made new staffing changes as Montreal-based Vanessa Meyer, Programming Manager for the Frontières Co-Production Market, joins the programming team, Development Manager Jackie Goldstein will be promoted to Director of Development, and Wynton Wong comes on as Festival Operations Manager.
Submissions are now open via FilmFreeway and Withoutabox for short and feature films, and badges are on sale via the official website.
Overlook Film Festival Co-directors Michael Lerman (L) Landon Zakheim (R)
The Overlook Film Festival, a four-day celebration of all things horror will return to New Orleans for its 3rd edition, taking place May 30 through June 2, 2019. The festival will showcase exciting work in new and classic horror cinema, live events, and it’s trademark interactive activities where attendees can become immersed in the diverse world of the genre space. A summer camp for horror fans, the four days of events and screenings will be located in and around the the famously haunted French Quarter, New Orleans’ oldest neighborhood and home to some of America’s most legendary spooky encounters.
Screenings will take place at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre and at the nearby Regal Cinemas Cinebarre Canal Place 9 Movie Theater. In addition to presenting the best in world genre film, the festival’s dedicated focus on interactive performance will be headlined once again by a weekend long alternate reality game experience. The festival announced the designers of the 2019 game will be guest artists E3W Productions (In Another Room), Eva Anderson (You’re The Worst, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Amos: A Play With Music), Eric Hoff (DryCraeft Los Angeles, Thinkwell Group, Amos: A Play with Music), and Tommy Honton (Stash House, Museum of Selfies). Mali Elfman will produce the experience. For the first time, the festival has made available a new pass tailored to fans of immersive entertainment. The Platinum Immersive Pass is on sale now. Quantity is extremely limited.
“We’re so thrilled to return to New Orleans for the 2019 festival. In addition to it’s notoriously haunted history, the city has been incredibly welcoming to our films, guests and enduring audiences and we can’t wait to share our spooky offerings with them again.” said festival co-director Michael Lerman.
Added festival co-director Landon Zakheim: “We have so much fun in store in terms of our signature programming and live experiences. Our guest immersive designers are responsible for some of the most thrilling experiences we’ve ever seen. We’re overjoyed to bring these groups of dedicated professionals we’ve long admired together to collaborate on a full weekend of interactive activity available to pass holders.”
Past Overlook festivals have included the presentation of awards to Roger Corman, Leigh Whannell and Jason Blum, world premieres of A24’s It Comes At Night, Cinestate’s Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich, Darren Lyn Bousman’s St. Agatha and Rodney Ascher’s Primal Scream, and a closing night screening of horror hit Hereditary, alongside one-of-a-kind theatrical performances, live radio plays, unique virtual reality, storytelling shows and themed experiences.
The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will open with All is True directed by Kenneth Branagh on Friday, January 4, and close with Ladies in Black, directed by Bruce Beresford on Sunday, January 13. The Festival will screen 223 films from 78 countries, with a focus on cinema from France, India and Mexico, Premieres, Talking Pictures, Book to Screen, Special Presentations, FLOS: Foreign Language Oscar Submissions, Gay!La, Local Spotlight, Modern Masters, True Stories, World Cinema Now, a 30-film retrospective of selections from past festivals and more.
In All is True, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen star in Branagh’s intimate, revelatory portrait of William Shakespeare in the last act of his life. His career over, he returns to his home in Stratford-upon-Avon to encounter old ghosts, old loves, and his resentful family. Branagh is expected to attend.
Ladies in Black, set in Sydney in 1959, Oscar®-nominated writer/director Bruce Beresford takes us back to the heyday of glamorous upscale department stores, when a concierge met you at the door and clerks wore gloves. The film from Lumila Films stars Julia Ormond, Angourie Rice, Rachael Taylor, Ryan Corr, Shane Jacobson and Alison McGirr. Beresford, Ormond, Taylor and McGirr are expected to attend.
30th Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Lineup
Damien Chazelle’s remarkable film First Man is the 2018 recipient of the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize, an award that celebrates the compelling depiction of science in a narrative feature film. Presented through a partnership between SFFILM and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this annual award carries a $25,000 cash prize and shines a light on special achievement in rendering the worlds of science and technology through the language of film with a screening event and onstage conversation with the film’s creators and experts in the scientific fields being depicted.
On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling team up again for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight. A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost—on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
Olivia Colman will be presented with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress for The Favourite at the annual Film Awards Gala of the 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF). The award will be presented by her co-star in the film Emma Stone. The Festival runs January 3-14.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
