Film Festivals

WIDE TIDE: THE LEGEND OF CULEBRA to Open 20th Sidewalk Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_30496" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Wide Tide: The Legend of Culebra[/caption] Wide Tide: The Legend of Culebra, directed by Theo Love, will open the 20th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival, on Friday, August 24 at the beautiful Alabama Theatre. White Tide tells the larger-than-life story of a desperate Florida familyman who goes on a wild treasure hunt for $2 million worth of cocaine. The fast-paced, stylish, fun and poignant rollercoaster ride of a documentary is the perfect kickoff to Birmingham’s best weekend of the year. Director Theo Love is a Sidewalk Film Festival alum and Producer Bryan Storkel, a regular attendee since 2007, has screened 6 films at Sidewalk. The festival revealed the first feature film selections – Support the Girls directed by Andrew Bujalski, If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynard directed by Stephen Kijak and Damsel directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner. Support the Girls Director: Andrew Bujalski Narrative / Run Time: 90 Minutes / USA Starring: Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula, James Le Gros The general manager at a highway-side ”sports bar with curves” has her incurable optimism and faith, in her girls, her customers, and herself, tested over the course of a long, strange day. If I Leave Here Tomorrow:A Film About Lynyrd Skynard Director: Stephen Kijak Documentary / Run Time: 95 Minutes / USA The authorized documentary explores the music and backstory of the legendary American band. Damsel Directors: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner Narrative / Run Time: 113 Minutes / USA Starring: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska and David Zellner It’s the Wild West, circa 1870. Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel.
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Rasmus Kloster Bro’s Claustrophobic Thriller CUTTERHEAD to World Premiere at Neuchâtel Fantastic Film Festival [Trailer]

Rasmus Kloster Bro’s ‘Cutterhead’ will be making its world premiere in the International Feature Film Competition at the 18th Neuchâtel Fantastic Film Festival, the Swiss festival dedicated to fantasy and related genres. The story in Rasmus Kloster Bro’s feature debut follows Rie, a PR-coordinator visiting a tunnel boring machine to portray the well-oiled European cooperation in the Copenhagen Metro construction. When an accident occurs, she is unable to escape and takes refuge in an airlock with Croatian miner Ivo and Bharan, a worker from Eritrea. They put their lives and bodies in each other’s hands to survive the heat, pressure and mud in the claustrophobic cutterhead. ‘Cutterhead’ is written by the director in collaboration with Mikkel Bak Sørensen, producer is Amalie Lyngbo Quist for Beo Starling, and the cast includes Christine Sønderris, Samson Semere and Krešimir Mikic. Director Rasmus Kloster Bro graduated from the alternative Danish film school Super16. His work includes radio fiction, music videos, video installation and short films, of which ‘Kiss My Brother’ (2010) and ‘Barvalo’ (2012) have won a number of awards. https://vimeo.com/277629882
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Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat to Attend Melbourne International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_30476" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Alia Shawkat[/caption] Actress Alia Shawkat, best known for playing droll teenage con-artist Maeby Fünke in cult TV comedy series Arrested Development, is set to delight Australian fans as a guest of this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival. [caption id="attachment_30475" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Benjamin Dickey and Alia Shawkat star in BLAZE[/caption] In town for the screening of Ethan Hawke-directed biopic Blaze (which tells the story of country and western songwriter Blaze Foley and stars Shawkat as Foley’s love interest), the accomplished former child star will participate in a special In Conversation event at the Comedy Theatre – discussing her life and career and sharing some of the inspiration behind her multi-disciplinary creative course, which has seen her develop as a talented jazz singer, pianist, painter and illustrator. Since wrapping the first iteration of Arrested Development in 2006 and appearing in its more recent Netflix reprisal, the highly sought-after actor has continued to make her mark in film and television: most recently returning to the role of Dory in the cult hit Search Party as well as executive producing, co-writing and starring in the independent psychodrama Duck Butter. Other notable film roles include Green Room, 20th Century Women, Nasty Baby (MIFF 2015) and Whip It, while television appearances include Transparent, Drunk History, Portlandia and Broad City. Moderated by author and broadcaster Lorin Clarke, Alia Shawkat in Conversation will be Shawkat’s only Australian appearance – a not-to-be-missed event for fans of the actress and popular culture alike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXvwFdTTwhI
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Baby Mamas, The Tale, Rafiki Among Durban International Film Festival 2018 Program Lineup

[caption id="attachment_30442" align="aligncenter" width="1474"] Baby Mamas[/caption] This year’s 2018 Durban International Film Festival will offer a focused fare of 180 features films, documentaries, and shorts, along with an insightful industry program that includes Isisphethu for emerging and micro-budget filmmakers, the 11th Talents Durban, in partnership with Berlinale Talents, for pre-selected, semi-established filmmakers as well as the co-production and finance forum the 9th Durban FilmMart, the festival’s partner program with the Durban Film Office. Opening the festival is the first feature film from South African director Jerome Pikwane, the horror flick The Tokoloshe. The LGTBI love-story Rafiki, directed by Kenyan Wanuri Kahiu, will close the festival. Manager of DIFF Chipo Zhou, explains the choice of these two diverse films that have women as their focus. “We wanted to book-end DIFF with films that tell stories about women, their strength and their resilience. We also want to showcase the fact that there are many ways to tell these stories from a cinematic point of view,” said Zhou. “We are in a time of diversity, where women, racial minorities and LGBTI communities who have traditionally been underrepresented in film are having their voices brought to the fore,” says Zhou. “Referencing this global narrative, the films in this year’s festival will reflect these new voices as much as possible.” Among the features in competition this year are South African films Farewell Ella Bella directed by Lwazi Mvusi, which follows a young woman on a journey to bury her father; High Fantasy directed by Jenna Bass, in which a group of young South Africans have to navigate a personal-political labyrinth when they wake up to discover they have swapped bodies; Sara Blecher’s Mayfair, a gangster film about a father and son; and The Recce by Ferdinand van Zyl, which explores the pain and suffering families endured during and after South Africa’s 20-year border war. International features in competition include The Tale (USA) directed by Jennifer Fox, which chronicles one woman’s powerful investigation into her own childhood memories as she is forced to re-examine her first sexual experience; Clint (India) by Hari Kumar, which tells the story of prodigious artist child who died before his seventh birthday, leaving behind 25000 pictures; and the closing film Rafiki (Kenya), directed by Wanuri Kahiu, which is set in Nairobi and tells the touching tale of two very different girls who fall in love. Competition titles in the documentary section include the South African film Silas, a global tale directed by Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman which warns of the power of politics and celebrates the capacity of individuals to fight back, and Whispering Truth to Power, directed by human rights lawyer Shameela Seedat, which tracks Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s first female Public Protector, as she builds her second case against President Jacob Zuma. International documentaries in competition include New Moon (Kenya), directed by Phillippa Ndisi-Herrmann, who explores her journey to Sufi Islam; Amal (Lebanon, Egypt, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark), directed by Mohamed Siam, which follows a teenager as she comes to terms with her identity and sexuality in a post-revolutionary police state; Shakedown (USA) directed by Leilah Weinraub, which chronicles explicit performances in an underground queer club in Los Angeles; and The State Against Nelson Mandela and the Others (France) by Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte, which offers archival recordings that include Mandela’s co-accused at the Rivonia Treason Trial hearings, and which transports the audience back into the courtroom battles. Other South African films on the billing include Durban filmmaker Michael Cross’ award-winning The Fun’s Not Over, about the life of musician James Philips, and Eubulus Timothy’s warm, coming-of-age surf love story Deepend. Sisters of the Wilderness is Karin Slater’s inspiring film which is set in the iMfolozi Wilderness and follows five young Zulu women on a journey of self-discovery. Then there is Oscar-nominated director Darrel Roodt’s horror Siembamba, Stephina Zwane’s comedy Baby Mamas, which revolves around the daily lives and loves of four women and their own real-life baby mama drama, Leli Maki’s comedy Table Manners, in which a wife and mother finds solace and hope in cooking, learning that all she needs is life’s three courses – family, food and love. Prior to each screening, public service announcements will be shown. These are themed around an industry campaign #thatsnotok created by SWIFT (Sisters Working in Film and Television), the SA-based non-profit that works to protect and advance the cause of women in the industry. In 2018 DIFF continues its endeavours to grow cinema audiences and this year free community-based screenings will take place at Solomon Mahlangu Hall (New Germany/Clermont), KwaMashu Fan Park, Umlazi W Section Library and The Workshop Amphitheatre. Other screenings take place at Community ZA (formerly Artspace Gallery in Umgeni) and KZNSA Gallery, Musgrave Ster Kinekor, Suncoast Cine Centre and Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, as well as Ushaka Marine World, where the popular free ocean-focused film festival Wavescapeswill take place in the public area. “With about 400 film-makers in attendance, the public can look forward to a feast of film and some fascinating insights into the world of cinema,” concludes Zhou. The DIFF is organised by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts in partnership with the eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, National Film and Video Foundation, Durban Film Office and other valuable partners. DIFF opens at The Playhouse on July 19 and runs until July 29. The closing film will be screened on July 28, after the competition awards.
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First Look – See New images from Patrick Cunningham’s Surreal Thriller MODEL HOME World Premiering at North Bend Film Festival

Patrick Cunningham has released new cryptic stills from his directorial debut, the surreal thriller Model Home, which will World Premiere at the inaugural North Bend Film Festival. Model Home follows a single mother suffering from bipolar disorder who begins to entertain dangerous fantasies while working as a live-in caretaker of an unsold Model Home. The debut film from director/writer Patrick Cunningham transports us to a surreal world of barren promises where the American Dream becomes the American Nightmare. Following in the cinematic lineage of Kubrick’s The Shining Cunningham’s twisting tale of ostrasization was co-written and produced by William Day Frank (Mickey Keating’s Psychopaths and POD) and stars Monique Curnen (The Dark Knight, Taken the TV series), Emmy award winner Kathy Baker (Take Shelter, Age of Adaline), Luke Ganalon, and Jon Jon Briones (Miss Saigon on Broadway). Model Home will have its World Premiere at the first edition of the North Bend Film Festival running from August 23rd to the 26th 2018 in North Bend, Washington. The North Bend FF is focused on vanguard programming and innovative means of storytelling and providing a platform for emerging filmmakers. Working directly with the town of North Bend, the destination festival will be an event for the local community, Northwest creatives, and national genre film industry to enjoy together. Click to see images from Model Home [gallery ids="30414,30413,30412,30411,30410"]
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3 IDIOTAS, Mexican Remake of Indian Comedy-Drama to Open Jagran Film Festival [Trailer]

3 Idiotas – a Mexican remake of multiple award winning Indian film, 3 Idiots will premiere in India as the opening night film of the 9th Jagran Film Festival (JFF). The heartfelt and relatable instances in the film has made it one of the highest grossing films in Mexico, in 2017. Mexican actors Alfonso Dosal, Christian Vazquez, German Valdez and Martha Higareda play the roles of Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan and Kareena Kapoor respectively, from the Indian version. The plot, much like 3 Idiots, is a coming of age film revolving around a group of close friends who go on a humorous and memorable adventure in search of their close college friend that went missing five years ago, just a day before their graduation ceremony. It showcases the ups and downs in a friendship and the bond they forge while searching for their beloved friend. This year, JFF received nearly 3500 submissions across genres from 100 countries. The curated program will showcase over 200 films. The competition segment will include International and Indian Features, Shorts, Indian Documentaries and Student Films. The non-competitive segment will include Thematic Specials, a Retrospective, Tributes, India Showcase, World Panorama and Hot Shorts. The 2018 edition of the Jagran Film Festival that will connect 18 cities and showcase over 200 films will commence in Delhi and tour to other Indian cities like Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Dehradun, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bhopal, Indore, Gorakhpur, Agra, Ludhiana, Hissar, Meerut and Raipur before concluding in Mumbai in September. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqwR_28VjcA
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RomeFilmFest 2018: Fest Reveals Sneak Previews + Lifetime Achievement Award for Martin Scorsese

The Artistic Director Antonio Monda of Rome Film Fest today announced several sneak previews of the upcoming thirteenth edition which will take place from October 18th to 28th 2018. The complete lineup will be announced at a press conference to be held on Friday October 5th.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Like every year, ample space will be dedicated to the Close Encounters with directors, actors and leading figures in the world of art and culture. The first names announced include:
Martin Scorsese | Lifetime Achievement Award
The thirteenth Rome Film Fest will celebrate Martin Scorsese, one of the finest figures in the history of the seventh art, bestowing him with the Lifetime Achievement Award that will be presented by Paolo Taviani. On this occasion, the American filmmaker, author of a remarkable series of masterpieces from Mean Streets and Taxi Driver to Raging Bull, from Goodfellas to Casino, from Gangs of New York to The Departed, from The Wolf of Wall Street to Silence, will take part in a Close Encounter with the public. In conversation with festival director Antonio Monda, Scorsese will review his fifty-year career and discuss a selection of clips from Italian films that have had a long-lasting effect on his life and his work. Scorsese will also present a newly restored version of a classic of Italian cinema, and have a public conversation with students from the Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”.
Sigourney Weaver
From science fiction to thrillers, from comedy to socially-engaged films: throughout a career that stretches across five decades, Sigourney Weaver has played profoundly different roles thanks to the combination of talent and acting skills that have made her one of the most versatile actresses in contemporary cinema. The list of filmmakers who have directed her, from Ridley Scott to Ivan Reitman, from Mike Nichols to Ang Lee, from Roman Polanski to David Fincher and James Cameron, is impressive. She gave memorable performances in the ‘Alien’ and ‘Ghostbusters’ sagas, in Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl (which won her the Golden Globe), in Death and the Maiden and Avatar, the biggest box-office hit in the history of cinema.
Giuseppe Tornatore
The Sicilian director is one of the most beloved and award-winning auteurs in Italian cinema. His stories have reached beyond the borders of Italy: from the Oscar® with Cinema Paradiso to his nominations for The Star Maker, from Malèna to Baarìa, from The Legend of 1900 to The Unknown Woman, from The Best Offer to Correspondence, Tornatore has produced a universal language based on an personal style, suspended between nostalgia and illusion, intimacy and sensation. At the next Rome Film Fest, the filmmaker will take part in an encounter in which he will discuss with the audience his passion for the noir genre, between literature and cinema.
Pierre Bismuth
Pierre Bismuth’s works include exhibitions and video-installations presenting a revolutionary combination of genres and languages, from sculpture to painting, from collage to architecture all the way to music. The French artist won the Oscar®, with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, for the screenplay of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, considered one of the best films of the past decade. He later made his directorial debut with the feature-length film Where is Rocky II?, half-way between fiction and reality. The Close Encounter with Bismuth will be held at the MAXXI in collaboration with Videocittà.
Luca Bigazzi and Arnaldo Catinari
The cinematographer is one of the most important figures in the production of a film and over the course of the decades, has produced extraordinary “light wizards”, who have won great international acclaim. Two of them will meet for a conversation at the Rome Film Fest: Luca Bigazzi, who earned his place in the history of Italian cinema by winning seven David di Donatello and seven Nastro d’Argento awards, and Arnaldo Catinari, the cinematographer of films such as Light of My Eyes, La vita che vorrei, The Caiman, Tell Me About Love, The Demons of St. Petersburg, Angel of Evil.
Giogiò Franchini and Esmeralda Calabria
Because of its critical role, the theme of film editing has been one of the most highly debated in the field of film theory. The Rome Film Fest will bring two famous Italian film editors face to face: on one side, Giogiò Franchini, who has worked with directors such as Paolo Sorrentino, Jonathan Demme and Giovanni Veronesi and won the David di Donatello Award for The Girl By The Lake by Andrea Molajoli; on the other, Esmeralda Calabria, film editor for auteurs such as Nanni Moretti, Francesca Archibugi and Giuseppe Piccioni, winner of both the David di Donatello and the Nastro d’Argento awards for Romanzo criminale by Michele Placido.
SPECIAL EVENT

Notti Magiche by Paolo Virzì
The acclaimed Tuscan filmmaker – considered one of the greatest heirs of the commedia all’italiana tradition, who directed a series of box-office hits including Hardboiled Egg, Human Capital, The First Beautiful Thing, Tutta la vita davanti, Like Crazy and The Leisure Seeker – sets his latest film in Rome in 1990 during the summer of the football world cup. The film is produced by Marco Belardi for Lotus Production, a division of the Leone Film Group, with Rai Cinema, and will be distributed in Italy by 01 Distribution.
RETROSPECTIVES
The retrospectives of the thirteenth Rome Film Fest, curated by Mario Sesti, will be dedicated to two sophisticated exponents of great European cinema. On the one side, Peter Sellers, the multifaceted English artist, known for his extraordinary comedic talent and the lucid madness of his characters – first and foremost Inspector Clouseau – yet also a respected performer of dramatic roles; on the other, Maurice Pialat, the French filmmaker, winner of the Golden Palm at Cannes for Under the Sun of Satan, author of cinema that deliberately eschews labels, but always deals with themes and feelings charged with exceptional emotional tension. The retrospective on Peter Sellers will be held in collaboration with the British Embassy and the British Council, the one on Maurice Pialat will be organized with the Cineteca di Bologna and the Embassy of France.
FILM RESTORATIONS
Several important Italian films will screen at the next Rome Film Fest in a newly-restored version: among them, Italiani brava gente by Giuseppe De Santis. The filmmaker, one of the founding masters of Neo-Realism, winner of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 1995, evokes the tragedy of Italian soldiers during the Russia campaign in World War II. The restoration was completed by the Cineteca Nazionale.
A PORTRAIT OF MARCELLO MASTROIANNI
Between October and January, the Museum of the Ara Pacis will host an important exhibition dedicated to one of the symbols of Italian cinema in the world: Marcello Mastroianni. The exhibition, curated by Gian Luca Farinelli, is promoted by Musei di Roma, Cineteca di Bologna, Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Equa di Camilla Morabito.
THE FILMS OF OUR LIVES: NOIRS
Like every year, the Artistic Director and the members of the Selection Committee will present the films that influenced their passion for the cinema: after westerns and musicals, this year’s choice is the film noir. Each film will be accompanied by a conversation with directors, actors and guests. Furthermore, before each screening, spectators will enjoy short clips of the most famous and beloved film noirs.
THE ROME FILM FEST IN THE CITY
The Auditorium Parco della Musica has been the heart of the Rome Film Fest since 2006 with the red carpet and the screening venues. Like every year, the Rome Film Fest will extend to several other locations in the city, including the Auditorium of the Rebibbia Prison (Nuovo Complesso) and the Women’s Ward in Rome. Following the success of the pilot-project that took place last year in Via della Frezza, the Rome Film Fest has decided to continue bringing its initiatives into the heart of the city, extending its iconic Red Carpet to a multiplicity of meeting points in the historic city centre of Rome. The project, organized by the communication group HDRA, will be called IT WILL HAPPEN ON THE RED CARPET and its goal will be to promote quality cinema and the city of Rome, bringing together citizens, tourists and international celebrities. The activities, which will focus on cinema, culture, new trends, fashion, design and fine music, will take place along a fascinating itinerary that will wind through the streets of the Capital, with the assistance and collaboration of institutions, merchants’ associations and private sponsors.
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2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Announces Winners, FAUVE Wins Best of the Festival

[caption id="attachment_30392" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Fauve, Jérémy Comte[/caption] After screening 333 short films, the 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest, the largest short film festival and only short film market in North America, announced its Festival award winners on Sunday, June 24, 2018. More than $87,500 in prizes, including $27,000 in cash awards were awarded in 21 categories. “The award winners truly capture the amazing pool of talent and the incredible range of films found at the festival,” said Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “We’re honored to witness and share such a skilled level of filmmaking and can’t wait to do it again next year.”
2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Award Winners

JURY AWARDS
Jury Awards and awards in the non-student and student competition categories were selected by ShortFest jury members Penelope Bartlett (Programmer for the Criterion Collection), Marc-André Grondin (Actor), Brian Hu (Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, Presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Assistant Professor of TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University), Missy Laney (Director of Development at Adult Swim) and Ina Pira (Curator at Vimeo).
BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD
Winner received $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau. The winner of this award may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration. Fauve (Canada), Jérémy Comte Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game with Mother Nature as the sole observer. https://vimeo.com/246704892
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT
Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to the best short produced outside of the U.S. or Canada, Coyote (Switzerland), Lorenz Wunderle The film shows a tragic coyote, who loses his family during an attack by wolves.
BEST NORTH AMERICAN SHORT
Winner received $1,000 and the use of a camera package valued at $60,000 courtesy of Panavision. Awarded to the best short produced in the U.S. or Canada. Caroline (USA), Logan George, Celine Held When plans fall through, a six-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day.
NON-STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS
All first place winners in the non-student categories received a cash award of $2,000 and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Nevada (USA), Emily Ann Hoffman In this stop-motion animated comedy, a young couple’s romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a birth control mishap.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES
Shadow Animals (Sweden), Jerry Carlsson Marall follows her parents to a party and they want her to behave. As the evening progresses she finds the adults’ behavior increasingly strange.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER
Fence (Kosovo/France), Lendita Zeqiraj A chaotic moment in a family gathering of a woman with children and an unexpected visitor with his dog. Special Mention: Nursey Rhymes (Australia), Tom Noakes – On the side of a rural highway, a bizarre encounter with a Metalhead takes a profound turn.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Dulce (Colombia/USA), Guille Isa, Angello Faccini In coastal Colombia, a mother teaches her daughter how to swim so that she may go to the mangroves and harvest the piangua shellfish with the other women in the village. Special Mention: After/Life (USA), Puck Lo – In an Arizona desert, a dystopic collective nightmare unfolds where US domestic and foreign policies collide.
STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS
All first place winners in these categories received a $500 cash prize.
BEST STUDENT ANIMATION
Perfect Town (Switzerland), Anaïs Voirol In search of perfection a whole city obeys to selection. A constant struggle. Trying and trying again. Where is the difference between endurance and madness?
BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES
Satán (Switzerland/Mexico), Carlos Tapia González Everyday, Tiago goes into his garden to feed the crocodile that killed his brother.
BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER
Kira Burning (USA), Laurel Parmet Teenage Kira attempts to take revenge after a heartbreaking betrayal by her ex-best friend.
BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Palenque (Colombia/USA), Sebastián Pinzón Silva Guided by motifs of life and death, Palenque is an ode to a small town that has greatly contributed to the collective memory of Colombia: San Basilio de Palenque, the first town in the Americas to have broken free from European domination.
ALEXIS AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING STUDENT FILMMAKER
The Alexis Award was created in honor of Alexis Echavarria, whose talent as a budding filmmaker and gift for inspiring excellence among his fellow students were cut short suddenly in 2005 at age 16. This year two films were selected to receive the award, which is a cash prize of $500 each. Imfura (Switzerland/Rwanda), Samuel Ishimwe How can one get an idea of the issues connected with the ruined home of a family who is a victim of the Rwandan genocide? A young man returns to the village where his deceased mother was born. He seeks to adopt a bruised collective recollection. Intoned chants all represent voices of possible reconciliation. Cross My Heart (USA/Jamaica), Sontenish Myers An American teenage girl visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves. This film explores the culture of silence amongst women, the kinds of secrets we keep and who they’re actually protecting.
AUDIENCE AWARDS

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Beneath the Ink (USA), Cy Dodson In a time when society’s belief systems are seemingly changing, or even reverting back in time. One Ohio artist Billy Joe White is challenging his Appalachian region by saying: “bring me your mistakes”. Inspired by recent events, White and his tattoo shop are promoting a simple concept: ERASE THE HATE. Beneath the Ink is a timely look at hatred and racism in one Appalachian community and reveals heartfelt stories of change and redemption.
LIVE ACTION SHORT
Trois Pages (Canada), Roger Gariépy An unassuming middle-aged accountant learns he has only weeks to live. Rather than tell everyone, Martin determines to learn the three pages of a Bach adagio for piano he’d abandoned as a child. That accomplished, he performs the piece for his wife and friends, completing his life and thanking those who brightened it along the way.
BEST ANIMATION SHORT
Bilby (USA), Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, JP Sans In the deadly desert of Australia, a lonesome Bilby finds himself tied with a helpless baby bird.
BEST STUDENT SHORT
Untitled Short Film About White People (USA), Nicholas Colia A Drumpf-era comedy about a female yuppie who overcompensates for her white guilt by aggressively trying to befriend the Indian woman who works at her local Brooklyn bodega. It doesn’t go great.
ADDITIONAL PRIZES

FUTURE FILMMAKER AWARD
Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to a filmmaker whose work and vision point ot a bright and prospective career in cinema. Mamartuile (Mexico), Alejandro Saevich The president of Mexico spends his final days in office making plans for his future. Everything looks in order until an international conflict interrupts his pleasant rest. Special Mention: Falling (France), Benjamin Vu – In the winter of 1994 in the French suburbs, Léo and Baptiste, two polar opposite students, meet up one evening to work on a school presentation.
VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD
Films featured in competition are eligible for the Vimeo Staff Pick Award, which includes a $4,000 cash prize. The winning film will be released on Vimeo June 25, 2018. Rewind Forward (Switzerland), Justin Stoneham Reliving the past is sometimes the only way to move forward.
BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD PRESENTED BY CINEMA WITHOUT BORDERS
$2,500 courtesy of Go Energistics; Awarded by the Cinema Without Borders jury to the short that is most successful in bridging and connecting the people of our world closer together. Mon Amour, Mon Ami (Italy/France), Adriano Valerio Is it possible to stage a wedding with someone who really loves you? Special Mentions: The Last Refugees (USA/Jordan), Tanaz Eshaghian – This cinema vérité style documentary follows the Kalajis—originally from the besieged city of Aleppo —allowing for a peek into the lives of those who seek a new life in America. The viewer becomes immersed in this family’s journey as they travel from Jordan to their new home of Philadelphia. Scaffold (Canada), Kazik Radwanksi – Recent immigrants to Canada, working on scaffolding break the routine of their job by observing the people in the the neighbourhood from a unique, precarious and ephemeral vantage point.
YOUTH JURY AWARD
Awarded by ShortFest youth juries composed of local students interested in cinema and the arts. Each winner received a $250 cash prize. Kids’ Choice (Ages 13 and under) – $250 One Small Step (USA/China), Bobby Pontillas, Andrew Chesworth Luna, a young Chinese American girl, dreams of becoming an astronaut. Supported by her humble father, Luna endeavors to make her dreams come true. Young Cineastes (Ages 14-17) – $250 Sin Cielo (USA), Jianna Maarten A modern day Romeo and Juliet story of two star crossed lovers along Mexico’s northern border where Dollars rule and girl’s bodies turn up mysteriously in the river or never at all.
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Stephy Tang to Receive Screen International Rising Star Asia Award at NY Asian Film Festival

Hong Kong’s Stephy Tang will receive the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAF) on July 7th before a screening of her film The Empty Hands. Tang, a former volleyball star and model, started out in the entertainment business as the lead singer of the phenomenally popular girls’ band The Cookies before launching her successful solo career. In addition to concerts, albums and television appearances, she started her own fashion label and wrote a romance novel. In film, she is best known for her pairing with Alex Fong in a series of popular rom-coms directed by Patrick Kong from 2006-2015. NYAFF is celebrating Tang for her recent shift in career direction, taking on a series of more challenging roles. In Cheung Wing-kai’s Somewhere Beyond the Mist, she plays a pregnant policewoman investigating a morbid murder case; in Chapman To’s The Empty Hands, she plays a young woman who reaches self-actualization by stepping back into the ring after the death of her estranged father, a karate master. She trained for six months for the latter role. Tang recently told the South China Morning Post that she hopes The Empty Hands represents a new era of “more female-oriented films in Hong Kong”. She said, “In the last few years, I have been hoping that people would recognize me as an actress rather than as a singer. Of course I still do concerts but, in the past, I made movies as a singer, and now I hope I’m more an actress doing music. I’m determined to make this happen.” Samuel Jamier, NYAFF’s executive director says, “At a time when Hong Kong cinema is reinventing itself and finding a new maturity, we’re excited to award an actress who has also reinvented herself. We believe that Stephy Tang has the talent, determination and charisma to become one of Hong Kong’s leading actors in the years to come.” The previous recipients of the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award were Japan’s Fumi Nikaido in 2014; Japan’s Shota Sometani in 2015; Japan’s Go Ayano, China’s Jelly Lin, and the Philippines’ Teri Malvar in 2016; and Thailand’s Chutimon “Aokbab” Chuengcharoensukying in 2017.
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Damn These Heels, Utah’s LGBTQ Film Festival Unveils Lineup – 1985, THE MISANDRISTS, TRANNY FAG and More

[caption id="attachment_30361" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] THE MISANDRISTS[/caption] Damn These Heels, the longest running LGBTQ Film Festival in the Mountain West, returns for the 15th edition from July 20 to 22, 2018 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. The festival explores LGBTQ issues, ideas, and art through independent, documentary, and foreign films from around the world. New this year, filmmakers of all experience levels are invited to participate in the 48 Hour Film OUT project. On July 13-15, participating film teams are tasked with creating an LGBTQ themed short film in just 48 hours. All films that meet the requirements will be screened during the Festival on Saturday, July 21. The winning film will be screened at Filmapalooza in Paris in 2019 for a chance at the grand prize of screening at the Cannes Film Festival 2019 Short Film Corner. Patrick Hubley, Director of Programming for Utah Film Center, said, “Damn These Heels is a festival that uses the powerful art of film to celebrate inclusivity, community and individual expression. This year’s line up is full of personality and complexity, we are honored to commemorate the Festival’s 15th year with such a strong range of stories that will provoke thought, spark crucial dialogue and shift our perspective.” The films selected to screen in the 2018 Damn These Heels Festival are: 1985 Directed by Yen Tan 85 min | 2018 | USA A closeted young man goes home for the holidays and struggles to reveal his dire circumstances to his conservative family. Official Selection: 2018 SXSW Film Festival Cast: Cory Michael Smith, Aidan Langford, Jamie Chung, Virginia Madsen, and Michael Chiklis ALASKA IS A DRAG Directed by Shaz Bennett 89 min | 2018 | USA Fabulous Leo, an aspiring drag superstar who can throw a punch, is stuck working in a fish cannery in Alaska. Official Selection: 2018 Frameline Film Festival, 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival, 2018 Cast: Martin L. Washington Jr., Maya Washington, Matt Dallas, Christopher O’Shea, Jason Scott Lee, and Margaret Cho ANCHOR AND HOPE (Tierra Firme) Directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet 113 min | 2017 | Spain Two women and their best friend living on a canal boat ask: Can we balance love, family, and life and stay united? Winner: Best Film-2017 Seville European Film Festival; Official Selection: 2018 Guadalajara International Film Festival Cast: Oona Chaplin, Natalia Tena, and Geraldine Chaplin CLOSE KNIT (Karera ga honki de amu toki wa) Directed by Naoko Ogigami 127 | 2017 | Japan A neglected daughter, a gentle uncle, and his transgender lover knitted together into an unconventional family. Winner: Teddy Award-2017 Berlin Film Festival, Chromie Audience Award-2017 Filmfest Homochrom Cast: Toma Ikuta, Kenta Kiritani, Rinka Kakihara FREELANCERS ANONYMOUS Directed by Sonia Sebastián 81 min | 2018 | USA Billie quits her job right before getting married, launching her into a rag-tag world of unemployed women and tech startups. Official Selection: 2018 FilmOut San Diego, 2018 Frameline Film Festival Cast: Jennifer Bartels, Megan Cavanagh, Alexandra Billings, and Grace Rex THE GOSPEL OF EUREKA Directed by Donal Mosher & Michael Palmieri 75 min | 2018 | USA Love, faith, and civil rights collide in the south as evangelical Christians and drag queens explore the meaning of belief. Official Selection: 2018 SXSW Film Festival, 2018 Sheffield International Documentary Festival Preceded by the short film FAITHFUL directed by Dane Christensen IDEAL HOME Directed by Andrew Fleming 91 | 2018 | USA A bickering gay couple must now deal with the unexpected task of raising a ten-year-old boy. Cast: Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Kate Walsh, Alison Pill, Jake McDorman, and Jack Gore JUST CHARLIE Directed by Rebekah Fortune 97 min | 2017 | UK Trapped in the body of a boy, soccer star Charlie is torn between placating her father and shedding this ill-fitting skin. Winner: Best Feature Film for Youth-2017 Zlin Film Festival; Official Selection: 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival, 2017 Frameline Film Festival Cast: Patricia Potter, Scot Williams, HARRY Gilby, and Karen Bryson LEITIS IN WAITING Directed by Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson 72 min | 2018 | USA/Tonga The story of the Tonga Leitis, a group of transgender women fighting intolerance in the South Pacific Kingdom. Official Selection: 2017 Frameline Film Festival, 2018 Festival International Du Film Documentaire Oceanien, 2017 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival MAN MADE Directed by T Cooper 93 min | 2018 | USA A trans men bodybuilding competition reveals unexpected truths about gender, masculinity, humanity and love. Official Selection: 2018 Outfest Los Angeles, 2018 Frameline Film Festival THE MISANDRISTS Directed by Bruce LaBruce 91 min | 2017 | USA Salacious hell breaks loose within the FLA — a feminist terrorist group — when an injured man appears in their midst. Official Selection: 2017 Berlin International Film Festival Cast: Susanne Sachße, Viva Ruiz, Kembra Pfahler MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING (Matrimonio italiano) Directed by Alessandro Genovesi 90 min | 2018 | Italy In this merry movie of matrimony, Antonio brings his fiancé Paulo to meet his headstrong parents and reveal his sexuality. Official Selection: 2018 Seattle International Film Festival Cast: Diego Abatantuono, Monica Guerritore, Salvatore Esposito, Cristiano Caccamo, Dino Abbrescia, and Diana Del Bufalo MY LIFE WITH JAMES DEAN (Ma vie avec James Dean) Directed by Dominique Choisy 108 min l 2017 I France Young director Géraud Champreux goes on a wild and woeful film tour that changes his life. Official Selection: 2018 Brussels Pink Screens, 2018 San Francisco International Film Festival Cast: Johnny Rasse, Mickaël Pelissier, and Nathalie Richard QUIET HEROES Opening Night Film Directed by Jenny Mackenzie, Amanda Stoddard, & Jared Ruga 68 min | 2017 | USA One doctor’s fight against stigma, shame, and ignorance at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis against a conservative religious monoculture. Official Selection: 2018 Sundance Film Festival, 2018 QDoc SHAKEDOWN Directed by Leilah Weinraub 72 min | 2018 | USA | Not Rated The chronicle of Los Angeles’ black lesbian strip club scene, an underground, illegal, and legendary moment. Mature audiences only. Official Selection: 2018 Berlin Film Festival, 2017 The Whitney Museum Biennial SHORT FILM PROGRAM: Reverent 89 min | Various A short film program featuring serious, heartfelt, and touching LGBTQ+ films from around the globe. Films include Top 10 Places to Visit in Sao Paulo, Beauty, A Kitchen Can Take You Back, Sunset, Spark, Crook – “Lavender,” and Something About Alex. SHORT FILM PROGRAM: Irreverent 78 min | Various A short film program featuring hilarious, goofy, crass, but still hard-hitting films from around the globe. Films include Magic H8 Ball, Dropping Penny, I Live Here, Scary Lucy, and Femme. SISTERHOOD Directed by Tracy Choi 97 min | 2017 | Macau/Hong Kong/Taiwan Upon seeing a missing person ad for a friend from her past, Sei decides to revisit Macau and makes a startling discovery. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress Nomination Fish Liew & Best New Performer Nomination Jennifer Yu-36th Hong Kong Film Award Cast: Gigi Leung, Fish Liew, and Jennifer Yu TRANNY FAG (Bixa Travesty) Directed by Kiko Goifman & Claudia Priscilla 75 min | 2018 | Brazil Mc Linn Da Quebrada’s electrifying performances (with plenty of nudity) brazenly take on Brazil’s hetero-normative machismo. Official Selection: 2018 Berlin Film Festival, 2018 Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival Preceded the short film MY PRICE directed by Fabricio Santiago TRANSMILITARY Directed by Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson 93 min | 2018 | USA Four transgender individuals put their careers on the line by coming out in hopes of attaining the equal right to serve. Winner: Documentary Competition Audience Award-2018 SXSW; Official Selection: 2018 Frameline Film Festival WE THE ANIMALS Directed by Jeremiah Zagar 94 min | 2018 | USA Manny, Joel, and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. Winner: Next Innovator Award-2018 Sundance Film Festival, Future/Now Award-2018 Montclair Film Festival Cast: Raúl Castillo, Josiah Gabriel, Isaiah Kristian, Evan Rosado, and Sheila Vand THE WILD BOYS (Les garçons sauvages) Directed by Bertrand Mandico 110 min | 2018 | France Surrealist, adolescent gender-bending sex fueled fantasy nightmare. A maritime adventure. Winner: Best Director-2018 Vilnius International Film Festival Cast: Pauline Lorillard, Vimala Pons, and Diane Rouxe
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Inspiring and Beautiful New Kenyan Film SUPA MODO Goes to ZIFF 2018 [Trailer]

[caption id="attachment_29803" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Supa Modo[/caption] The inspiring and beautiful new Kenyan film, Supa Modo is set to screen at the upcoming Zanzibar International Film Festival, taking place in Stone Town Zanzibar from July 7th to 15th, with generous support from the Kenya Film Commission. The film which had its much-acclaimed world premiere at Berlinale in February has been heralded as a stunning debut for director Likarion Wainaina and its young cast. Acquired by Rushlake Media, the film was produced by Ginger Ink Films Africa in partnership with One Fine Day Films (OFDF). OFDF has released other award-winning African films including Kati Kati and Nairobi Half Life. It was at the One Fine Day Films BrainRoom – a two-week masterclass that allows writers to pitch and develop their ideas – where Wainaina’s story idea for Supa Modo was pitched and selected for production. The Kenya Film Commission will be hosting the screening of the film on Wednesday, July 11th at ZIFF’s main venue of the Old Fort Amphitheatre with various members of the cast and production team in attendance. Kenya Film Commission Ag. CEO, Mr. Timothy Owase had this to say of the importance of the film’s screening at ZIFF. This is part of our commitment to support local filmmakers, we are pleased to premiere Supa Modo outside Kenya and ZIFF provides a better platform for this purpose. We laud the organizers for consideration to screen Supa Modo and reaffirm our commitment to continue supporting Kenyan filmmakers and exporting local content. “Supa Modo” tells the inspiring story of a young girl whose dream of becoming a superhero is threatened by terminal illness, inspiring her village to rally together to make her dream come true. It stars newcomer Stycie Waweru in the lead role, alongside a host of veteran Kenyan thesps, including Maryanne Nungo and Nyawara Ndambia. In a statement, Rushlake’s Philipp Hoffmann described the genre-bending “Supa Modo” as “truly unique.” “It’s all at once a film with a strong female lead, a superhero film, a film about grief and dying, and about community and people coming together,” he said. “I immediately saw great potential for a touching story that attests to beautiful, universal human values and appeals to both young and grown-up audiences.” ZIFF Festival Director Fabrizio Colombo has this to say of the film and its selection for ZIFF, “Supa Modo once again shows just how important and professional Kenya film industry has become. It’s a film that will resonate strongly with ZIFF audiences, for locals especially as a Swahili movie, and universally, as it touches people with heart and deep meaning.” https://youtu.be/Zoua2UFeUqw
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Santa Barbara International Film Festival Announces 2019 Dates for 34th Edition

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) will return for the 34th edition of the festival, from January 30 to February 9, 2019,Official festival screenings and related events will be held throughout Santa Barbara, including the Arlington and Lobero Theatres. “It’s extraordinary and a cause for celebration that SBIFF is heading into its 34th edition. We love that after this past difficult year, Santa Barbara is anxiously ready to welcome once again more world-class filmmakers – and putting together our popular and insightful panels and tributes. Join us,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. Last year’s Tribute Honors were bestowed upon artists including Allison Janney, Margot Robbie, Jordan Peele, Guillermo Del Toro, Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell, and Timothée Chalamet. The festival’s acclaimed Panel Series will return highlighting the year’s most accomplished producers, writers, and women in the entertainment industry.
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