Film Festivals

Toronto’s Diaspora Film Festival to Showcase Music Films, DJANGO, HARMONIA, MORRIS FROM AMERICA

[caption id="attachment_14117" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] MORRIS FROM AMERICA[/caption] The 17th Diaspora Film Festival (DFF) will run from November 2 to 5, 2017 in Toronto under the theme Music of Diaspora. The festival will showcase films where music makes a major element of the storytelling, including DJANGO, HARMONIA, and MORRIS FROM AMERICA. The festival opens with the Toronto premiere of TEHRAN TABOO, which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival 2017 and was nominated for Golden Camera and Critics’ Week prizes. THEY tells the story of young J who is exploring their gender identity. THEY was also nominated for Camera d’Or and Queer Palm at Cannes Film Festival 2017 and is also a Toronto premiere. Along with THEY there are three other films that deal with coming of age challenges. MORRIS FROM AMERICA is a comedy about a young African-American boy trying to fit in with German kids. In BABAI (Father), a young Kosovo boy goes through a difficult journey to Germany to find his dad, while in SON OF SOFIA, a young Russian boy finds a new dad when he decides to move to Greece to live with his mom. All Toronto premieres. HALAL FOR BEGINNERS is a fresh out of production Irish comedy about the first halal meet factory in Ireland, North American premiere. Shahab Hosseini, the winner of Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival 2016, plays an Iranian immigrant in the UK trying to forget his past with no plan for the future in the Toronto premiere of GHOLAM. In a reverse migration, a young Surinamer-Dutch man goes back to his hometown in search of his roots. DFF 17 closes with THE 90 MINUTES WAR, a palestinian-Israeli comedy where the politicians of both sides decide to resolve long-standing conflicts through a soccer match. [caption id="attachment_25245" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Tehran Taboo[/caption] Tehran Taboo Ali Soozandeh, Germany/Austria, 2017, 96 min, in Farsi with English Subtitles Nominated, Camera d’Or and Critics’ Week Grand Prize, Cannes FF 2017; winner, FIPRESCI, Jerusalem FF2017 The lives of three strong-willed women and a young musician cross paths in Tehran’s schizophrenic society where sex, adultery, corruption, prostitution and drugs coexist with strict religious laws. Django Etienne Comar, 2017, France, French, 117min Nominated for Golden Bear, Berlin FF 2017 1943, occupied Paris. Django Reinhardt the brilliant and carefree jazz guitarist plays to standing-room- only crowds. Meanwhile his gypsy brethren are being persecuted throughout Europe. They Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, US, 2017, 80 min Nominated, Camera d’Or, Queer Palm, Cannes FF 2017 Fourteen-year- old J goes by the pronoun ‘They’ and lives with their parents in the suburbs of Chicago. J is exploring their gender identity and has to make a decision whether or not to transition. Diaspora in Short A compilation of award winning short films from around the globe. Harmonia Ori Sivan, Israel, 2016, 98 min, in Hebrew and Arabic with English Subtitles Winner, Best Cinematography, Jerusalem FF 2016; Nominated for four Israeli Film Academy 2016 Harmonia is a modern adaptation of the mythological triangle between the childless Abraham and Sarah and young Hagar. When Hagar, a young horn player from East Jerusalem joins the West Side Orchestra, she bonds with Sarah and offers to have a baby for her from Abraham, her husband. Halal for Beginners Conor McDermottroe, Irland/Germany, 2017, 100 min, in English Partly based on true events, this warm-hearted comedy about Ireland’s first Halal meat factory tells the story of young Muslim Raghdan Aziz trying to find his place in the world of small town Sligo. Gholam Mitra Tabrizian, UK, 2017, 104 min, in Farsi and English with English Subtitles With Shahab Hosseini, winner of Best Actor, Cannes Film Festival 2017 Gholam is an enigmatic quiet Iranian cab driver. Once a war hero, he has disappeared from the battlefield without a trace. He does not want to look back into his past and has no conviction for the future. Babai Visar Morina, Germany/Kosovo, 2015, 104min, In German, Albanian, Serbian, English, with English Subtitles Winner, Best Director, Label Europa Cinema, Karlovy Vary FF 2015; One Feature Prize, Young German Cinema Award, Munich FF 2015 Ten-year- old Nori and his father Gezim roam the streets of Kosovo selling cigarette. When Gezim is lured west to Germany, Nori embarks on a dangerous journey to in search of his father. His tenacity, resilience, and sheer grit must be enough to guide him. Home Is Where the Heart Is Marc Waltman, The Netherlands, 2017, 100 min, in Dutch with English Subtitles Axel is a white Surinamer who has been living in The Netherlands for 20 years. When his mom calls the family back for Christmas Alex reluctantly returns back to Surinam with his wife. Over dinner, however, the situation explodes. Morris from America Chad Hartigan, Germany, 2016, 91 min, in German and English with English Subtitles Winner, Special Jury Award, Sundance FF 2016; Named Top Ten Independent Film by National Board of Review USA, 2016 Morris, a 13-year- old African-American moves to Heidelberg with his dad, a professional soccer coaches. After his attempts to fit in with German kids, he falls for a girl at a youth club. He finds his way to open up with his rapping talent and a help with his new German girlfriend. Son of Sofia Elina Psykou, France/Greece/Bulgaria, 2017, 111min, in Russian and Greek with English Subtitles Winner, Jury Award, Tribeca FF 2017, Special Award, Sarajevo FF 2017 Athens, 2004 summer Olympic Games. 11-year- old Misha arrives from Russia to live with his mother, Sofia. What he doesn’t know is that there is a father waiting for him there. While Greece is living the Olympic dream, Misha will get violently catapulted into the adult world. The 90 Minutes War Eyal Halfon, Israel/Germany/Portugal, 2016, 90 min, in Hebrew, Arabic, English, Portuguese, with English Subtitles After years of bloodshed, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is about to be resolved. A moment before another round of violence, the ideal solution has been reached: a soccer game. One game that will decide who gets to stay in the holy land, and who must leave.
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2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Awards – SWEET COUNTRY Wins Best Dramatic Feature

[caption id="attachment_25238" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton[/caption] Warwick Thornton’s Sweet Country, the story of an Aboriginal stockman in Australia’s fleeing the law after the murder of a white station owner, won the Best Dramatic Feature Award at the 17th imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. The Alanis Obomsawin Award for Best Documentary Work went to Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier directed by Shane Belcourt & Lisa Jackson. The documentary looks at the riveting true story about the crimes of Shelly Chartier, a reclusive young woman from a small Manitoba First Nation who engineered the high profile catfishing case involving an NBA superstar and an aspiring model.
2017 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival Award Winners
The Ellen Monague Award for Best Youth Work RAE by Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs $500 cash award presented by imagineNATIVE Best Audio Work Elcrys by Michael Wilson $500 cash award presented imagineNATIVE Best Dramatic Feature Sweet Country by Warwick Thornton $2,000 cash award presented by Bell Media Jane Glassco Award for Emerging Talent Morit Elena Morit by Inga-Wiktoria Påve & Anders Sunna $2,000 cash award presented by The CJ Foundation Cynthia Lickers-Sage Award for Short Work I Will Always Love You Kingen by Amanda Kernell $500 cash award presented by V-Tape The Alanis Obomsawin Award for Best Documentary Work (Long-Form) Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier by Shane Belcourt & Lisa Jackson $2,000 cash award presented by TVO Best Documentary Short Lelum’ by Asia Youngman $1,000 cash award by CBC Docs The Kent Monkman Award for Best Experimental Work Three Thousand by Asinnajaq $1,000 cash award presented by imagineNATIVE & Kent Monkman Best Digital Media Work Thunderbird Strike by Elizabeth LaPensée $500 cash award presented imagineNATIVE Best Indigenous Language Work Bowhead Whale Hunting With My Ancestors by Carol Kunnuk and Zacharias Kunuk $1,000 cash award presented by Indigenous Media Initiatives The August Schellenberg Award of Excellence Tina Keeper $1,500 cash award presented by ACTRA National, ACTRA Performers’ Rights Society, and generous individual donations Special Jury Prize – Sun Jury Sunday Fun Day by Dianna Fuemana Special Jury Prize – Moon Jury Birth of a Family by Tasha Hubbard The Web Series Live Pitch Competition Spectrum by Darcy Waite and Madison Thomas $30,000 in cash and in kind prizes presented by APTN
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Terrorist Drama ONE LESS GOD Wins Best Film Award at Byron Bay Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_25232" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] One Less God[/caption] One Less God, which tells the personal stories of Taj Mahal Palace hotel guests and staff caught up in the terrorist attack in 2008, took the Best Film Award at the 11th Byron Bay Film Festival. “The film, though gruelling, had been an “absolute hit” with audiences, “sparking debate, passionate commentary and heartfelt appreciation”, said Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke. Other nominations for Best Film included An American in Texas, City of Joy, Loving Vincent, and the Closing Gala feature Rumble: the Indians Who Rocked the World.
2017 Byron Bay Film Festival Awards
BEST FILM AWARD WINNER One Less God Director: Lliam Worthington BEST DRAMATIC FEATURE WINNER Jungle Director: Greg McLean Honourable Mention: An American in Texas Director: Anthony Pedone BEST SURF FILM Heavy Water Director: Michael Oblowitz BEST ANIMATION Loving Vincent Director: Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman BEST ENVIRONMENTAL FILM Blue Director: Karina Holden BEST YOUNG AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER Mwah Director: Nina Buxton BEST BYRON FILM Church of the Open Sky Director: Nathan Oldfield BYRON BAY INTERNATIONALSCREENPLAY AWARD (new category) Broken Head Writer: Clare Sladden BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Radio Dreams Director: Babak Jalali BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM A Dragon Arrives Director: Mani Haghighi BEST SHORT Uncanny Valley Director: Federico Heller BEST INTERACTIVE VR Hue Director: Nicole McDonald BEST CINEMATIC VR Miyubi Director: Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY (new category) RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World Director: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana BEST MUSIC VIDEO Love is a Lonely Dancer Artist: Antony & Cleopatra Director: Alan Masferrer
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‘Liyana’ ‘Red Dog: True Blue’ ‘The Cage’ Win Grand Prizes at 26th Heartland Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_19102" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Red Dog: True Blue[/caption] Red Dog: True Blue is the winner of the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature, and Liyana takes the Grand Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the 26th Heartland Film Festival. The Heartland Film Festival has earned the special designation of being a qualifying festival for the Annual Academy Awards® within the Short Films category. This means that the winner of the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short Film (“The Cage,” directed by Ricky Staub) will qualify for consideration in the Live Action Short Subject category of the Annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. “Congratulations to our international prize winners who came from around the world to share their powerful stories in Indianapolis,” said Heartland Film President Craig Prater. “Feature winners ‘Liyana’ and ‘Red Dog: True Blue’ hail from Swaziland and Australia as short film winners ‘The Cage’, ‘Edges’, and ‘The Wishing Jar’ represent the U.S. and Canada. This year the Heartland Film Festival hosted more film titles and filmmakers than ever before and it is an honor to recognize these films as the best of the best.””
2017 Heartland Film Festival winners
$25,000 Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature “Red Dog: True Blue,” directed by Kriv Stenders (Australia) [caption id="attachment_25121" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Liyana[/caption] $25,000 Grand Prize for Best Documentary Feature “Liyana,” directed by Aaron and Amanda Kopp (Swaziland, USA, Qatar) $5,000 Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short Underwritten by Heartland Film Endowment’s Sparks Vision Award “The Cage,” directed by Ricky Staub (USA) $5,000 Grand Prize for Best Documentary Short Underwritten by Heartland Film Endowment’s Sparks Vision Award “Edges,” directed by Katie Stjernholm and Jonathan Hiller (USA) $5,000 Grand Prize for Best Animated Short “The Wishing Jar,” directed by Denver Jackson (Canada) $3,500 Best Premiere for Narrative Feature “The Drawer Boy,” directed by Arturo Pérez Torres (Canada, Mexico) $3,500 Best Premiere for Documentary Feature “Defining Hope,” directed by Carolyn Jones (USA) $5,000 Indiana Spotlight Winner “Little Warriors,” directed by Sam Miro (USA) $2,000 Summer White Lynch Memorial Award – High School Film Competition Grand Prize Underwritten by Gary D. & Marlene Cohen “Two of Five Million,” directed by Socs and DZ Zavitsanos (Greece, USA) $5,000 Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award Winner “Little Pink House,” directed by Courtney Moorehead Balaker (USA) The Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award honors a single film, selected from the Festival’s feature-length narrative and documentary titles. This film embodies the ongoing legacy of actor and national hero Jimmy Stewart and demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit through determination and the defiance of odds, humble vulnerability, and courage in the face of adversity. Made possible by a partnership with The Stewart Family.
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AFI FEST 2017 Announces Centerpiece Gala Films and Tribute for Filmmaker Errol Morris

[caption id="attachment_23476" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] THE DISASTER ARTIST, JAMES FRANCO[/caption] AFI FEST 2017 today announced the three Centerpiece Galas – CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; THE DISASTER ARTIST and HOSTILES, along with a Tribute for Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris following a screening of WORMWOOD. Errol Morris’credits include the Oscar®-winning THE FOG OF WAR (2003), as well as GATES OF HEAVEN (1978), THE THIN BLUE LINE (1988), A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (1991), TABLOID (2010) and THE UNKNOWN KNOWN (2013). Morris serves on the AFI DOCS Film Festival Advisory Board and, in 2013, was the AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree. The Centerpiece Galas CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (DIR Luca Guadagnino) will take place on Friday, November 10; THE DISASTER ARTIST (DIR James Franco) on Sunday, November 12; and HOSTILES (DIR Scott Cooper) on Tuesday, November 14. On Saturday, November 11, Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris will be honored with the Tribute.
CENTERPIECE GALAS
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME – The new film from Sony Pictures Classics by Luca Guadagnino is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman. It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17-year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th-century villa, transcribing and playing classical music, reading and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel). Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever. THE DISASTER ARTIST – Director James Franco reimagines the tragicomic true story of aspiring filmmaker and infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau — an artist whose passion was as sincere as his methods were questionable — as a celebration of friendship, artistic expression and dreams pursued against insurmountable odds. Based on Greg Sestero’s bestselling tell-all about the making of Wiseau’s cult-classic disaster piece THE ROOM (“The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made”), THE DISASTER ARTIST is a hilarious and welcome reminder that there is more than one way to become a legend — and no limit to what you can achieve when you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing. Franco directs, produces and stars in the film, delivering a transformative performance as Wiseau in this A24 release. HOSTILES – Set in 1892 at the cusp of the Industrial Revolution, the buffalo gone, America’s indigenous population vanquished and the frontier rapidly disappearing into settlements and cities, two bitter adversaries of the Indian Wars are forced into a final, unexpected encounter. Cavalry Captain Joseph Blocker (Christian Bale), a former war hero turned jailer, and Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi), a Northern Cheyenne war chief turned prisoner, are forced to partake in a hollow publicity stunt to bolster the personal and political fortunes of Blocker’s commanding officer. Stuck in Fort Berringer, a miserable New Mexican prison outpost, Yellow Hawk is to be released to Blocker and returned to the Cheyenne homeland in Montana. It’s a particularly cynical gambit, as Yellow Hawk is dying and upon his death, his family will be imprisoned on a reservation. A belligerent Blocker believes the Chief should die in prison and is threatened with court martial when he refuses to accompany his enemy home. The plan is set in motion and Blocker, his men, Yellow Hawk and his family become complicated traveling companions. Not long after their departure, the group happens upon Rosalee Quaid (Rosamund Pike), a traumatized survivor of a Comanche massacre, and she reluctantly joins. Blocker, Yellow Hawk and Quaid turn into the unlikely heart of HOSTILES. They are tenacious fighters who have been shaped by suffering, violence and loss. Compelled to work together to endure and survive a 1,000-mile journey of Odyssey-like proportions, they’re forced to confront their preconceived notions of one another, and realize that the worst of their differences were created by forces beyond their control. Their transformation from a place of antagonism and fear to one of compassion and tolerance is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and our capacity for change. HOSTILES features cinematography by AFI Conservatory alumnus Masanobu Takayanagi (Class of 2002).
TRIBUTE SCREENING
WORMWOOD – Directed by boundary-breaking filmmaker Errol Morris, WORMWOOD explores the limits of knowledge about the past and the lengths we’ll go in our search for the truth in a twisting, evolving story of one man’s 60-year quest to identify the circumstances of his father’s mysterious death. Combining a virtuosic performance by Peter Sarsgaard with Morris’ legendary interview style, WORMWOOD examines this case from every possible angle, bringing the viewer face to face with some of the United States’ darkest secrets. A Netflix Original Story told in six chapters.
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VIDEO: Watch Adam Christian Clark’s Indie Dark Comedy NEWLY SINGLE Trailer + Poster

Check out the trailer and poster for the new dark comedy Newly Single from writer/director Adam Christian Clark. The LA set movie, starring Adam Christian Clark, Jennifer Kim, Molly C. Quinn, Anna Jacoby-Heron, Rémy Bennett, Greg Gilreath, Raychel Diane Weiner, and Marguerite Moreau, debuts in Official Competition at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia on Monday 27th November, 2017. Newly Single is the second feature film by American writer/director Adam Christian Clark. After the successful run of his first film, Caroline and Jackie (Tribeca, 2012), Clark began assembling his next feature, Aaron Baby Superfecta. With considerably more money and A-list talent, Clark was on the verge of the next big step in his career. But when several lead actors dropped out, the financing fell apart, and the film collapsed. Clark found himself newly single, laid-off from a long-term TV directing job, and engulfed in a downward spiral of enthusiastic drinking and restless dating. On the verge of financial collapse and eviction, Clark doubled down, writing and directing the meta-dark-comedy Newly Single. Loosely inspired by recent events in his life, Adam Christian Clark also stepped in front of the camera for the first time to play the bitter and broken Astor Williams Stevenso On the heels of booking a life-changing motion picture, Astor Williams Stevenson drives away his girlfriend and aggressively re-enters the LA dating scene. The film director finds himself alone and prowling; looking for love, sating his lust, and searching through the darkness of downtown Los Angeles. Following Astor on a series of dates with a never ending parade of women, Newly Single explores the inner workings of his heart as well as the modern, urban world of dating, independent filmmaking, and the desire to be anyone but one’s true self. Astor finds himself struggling to compartmentalize the many facets of his life, until his barely restrained acerbic nature, fueled by insecurity and sadness, boils over into his personal and professional lives, leaving both in a flaming pile of ash. A noir-comedy love affair with downtown Los Angeles, Newly Single cuts through the coldness of modern dating, changing male identity, and the mad, sad desire to be loved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3UNCqvCb9U&feature=youtu.be
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First-Ever Meet the Press Film Festival Announces Lineup – “Heroin(e)”, “Election Day 2016,” “Osama and Ayman”

[caption id="attachment_25202" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Osama and Ayman[/caption] The Meet the Press Film Festival in Collaboration with the American Film Institute (AFI) announced its full slate of official selections – 16 short-length political documentaries produced by filmmakers from across the country. The inaugural film festival will be held at the Landmark Atlantic Plumbing Cinema in Washington, D.C. on the evening of November 13. Film screenings will be organized under seven issues and followed by Q&As with the respective filmmakers and an NBC News correspondent. The #1 most-watched Sunday show first announced its collaboration with AFI this past August, as both institutions joined forces in recognition of their milestone anniversaries — 70th and 50th, respectively — at a time when political documentaries are more popular than ever before.
2017 Meet the Press Film Festival Lineup

Battling America’s New Epidemic
“Heroin(e)“: Once a bustling industrial town, Huntington, WV has become the epicenter of America’s modern opioid epidemic, with an overdose rate 10 times the national average. This flood of heroin now threatens this Appalachian city with a cycle of generational addiction, lawlessness and poverty. But within this distressed landscape, Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon (“Hollow”) shows a different side of the fight against drugs — one of hope, highlighting three women working to change the town’s narrative one person at a time.
Love and the Law
“62 Days“: Marlise Muñoz was 33 years old and 14 weeks pregnant with her second child when she died, suffering a pulmonary embolism. Pronounced brain-dead in a hospital in Fort Worth, TX, she had discussed her end-of-life wishes with her husband and did not want to be on life support. Director Sharon Liese tells the story of how, despite this, her family was forced to keep Marlise on mechanical support due to a little-known state law. “Edith + Eddie“: Edith and Eddie, at ages 96 and 95, became America’s oldest interracial newlyweds. Their love story, told by director Laura Checkoway, is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear the couple apart. Life After Prison “Knife Skills“: Over 650,000 people are released from prison every year. Director Thomas Lennon follows the launch of an haute cuisine restaurant in Cleveland, staffed by men and women recently released from behind bars to tell the story of re-entry, second chances and the healing power of fine food.
Higher (Court) Education
“Fight for the First“: Director Rebecca Haimowitz addresses the freedom of the press in the Trump era through the eyes of journalists-in-training at the world’s oldest journalism school. “Gavin Grimm vs.“: Director Nadia Hallgren tells the story of transgender teen Gavin Grimm suing his local school board in 2016 after its members refused to let him use the bathroom of his choice. He was ready to take his case all the way to the Supreme Court — and then the election happened.
The Cost of Justice
“A Debtors’ Prison“: Across the racially segregated landscape of St. Louis County, MO, thousands are routinely sent to jail because they cannot pay local court fines and fees. The vast majority of those fined are poor and black. Directors Brett Story and Todd Chandler follow two plaintiffs in an unfolding court case, as they describe the matrix of controls that subjected them to incarceration for being poor. “Shawna: Life on the Sex Offender Registry“: After having consensual sex with a younger boy while she was still a teenager, Shawna Baldwin found herself one of the 800,000 people on America’s sex offender registries. Director David Feige explores the effects on her life, as she is now in her mid-30s and a mother of three. “219“: A chilling portrait of the inner-workings of the death penalty in America, directed by Ed Hancox and told by the man once known as “the face of executions.” Living in America “Election Day 2016“: After a long and contentious presidential campaign, 10,000 people spontaneously came to pay tribute to Susan B. Anthony’s grave in Rochester, NY. They placed their “I Voted” stickers upon her headstone and expressed their pride and gratitude to America’s most famous suffragette. “Osama and Ayman“: Osama and Ayman are brothers, skateboarders, entrepreneurs, Americans and Muslims. As they skate through the streets of our nation’s capital, they navigate growing Islamophobia with characteristic style and humor in a film directed by Ben Mullinkosson, Sam Price-Waldman and Chris Cresci. “From Aleppo to L.A.“: Director Julia Meltzer tells the story of Dalya and her mother Rudayna fleeing Aleppo for Los Angeles in 2012. Can they hold on to their Islamic traditions in a country that doesn’t embrace them? “Roadside Attraction“: After a very famous airplane arrives at Palm Beach International Airport, an otherwise ordinary stretch of Florida highway attracts an avid cluster of excited onlookers and selfie-takers, directed by Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan.
On the Edge
“Ferryman at the Wall“: Originally proposed as an international peace park with Mexico, Big Bend, TX has a unique relationship with its southern neighbor. For the past 40 years, Mike Davidson has been ferrying tourists across the Rio Grande for a little taste of Mexican life — but now, as director David Freid shows, a great big border wall might divide the park. “Los Lecheros“: The fates of undocumented immigrant workers and Wisconsin’s $43 billion dairy industry are closely intertwined, as director Jim Cricchi tells the story of how both are grappling with their options for survival as fears of ICE raids and deportations under the Trump administration grow. “Monument | Monumento“: Director Laura Gabbert tells the story of Friendship Park, a unique meeting place along the US-Mexico border where family members and loved ones from both countries can see and speak to each other through a meshed fence, but cannot touch.
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Ridley Scott’s ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD Starring Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams to Close AFI FEST 2017

Director and producer Ridley Scott will be honored by AFI FEST 2017 with a Tribute and World Premiere Closing Night Gala screening of his latest film All the Money in the World on Thursday, November 16, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The Tribute will celebrate Scott’s legendary filmmaking career with a moderated discussion of his work followed by the World Premiere screening. Directed by Scott, All the Money in the World stars Michelle Williams, Kevin Spacey, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Charlie Plummer and Timothy Hutton.. “For five decades, Ridley Scott’s tremendous visions of cities, new worlds, histories and science have transformed and influenced not only film, but our culture,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, AFI FEST Director. “We’re honored to be celebrating the artistry of a director whose work has had an indelible influence on cinema culture, and the lexicon of visual style.” All the Money in the World follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Kevin Spacey) to pay the ransom. When Getty, Sr., refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal. With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x62O8A8qHw
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62nd Cork Film Festival to Open with Irish Premiere of THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS

[caption id="attachment_25181" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Man Who Invented Christmas[/caption] Taking place across 10 days from November 10 to 19, 2017, this year’s 62nd Cork Film Festival, will screen more than 200 films, with the majority being Irish premieres. Opening the 2017 Cork Film Festival is the Irish premiere of The Man Who Invented Christmas on Friday, November 10th. Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens assumes the role of Charles Dickens in Bharat Nalluri’s film, a festive romp that recounts how Dickens’ iconic A Christmas Carol was created. The Irish premiere of Alexander Payne’s science-fiction road movie Downsizing will close the Festival on Sunday November 19th. It stars Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig as a husband and wife who decide to shrink themselves to simplify their lives, though things don’t go to plan. Other highlights include Ruben Östlund’s The Square, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year, and Documentary Gala, Promised Land, directed by Eugene Jurecki. The film looks at how America has changed since Elvis Presley died 40 years ago. Celebrating the best of home-grown talent, some of the most celebrated Irish films of the year feature across the 10 days. The screening of Frank Berry’s acclaimed Michael Inside takes place on 16 November, telling the story of an 18-year-old living in Dublin who is sentenced to three months in prison after he is caught hiding drugs for his friend’s older brother. Following its successful screening at the Toronto Film Festival, the Irish premiere of gothic horror The Lodgers, takes place on November 12. The Festival will present the world premiere screening of short films produced under the Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board’s Focus Shorts and Real Shorts schemes. Over 50 Irish short films feature in the program, and for the first time, a selection will be invited to feature on the RTÉ Player post-Festival, as part of RTÉ’s principal media partnership. Shorts submissions, both nationally and internationally, exceeded 3,200 and the Cork Film Festival is the only Irish festival to have two awards with Academy Awards® accreditation. The winner of the Grand Prix Irish Short, presented by RTÉ Supporting the Arts, and the winner of the Grand Prix International Short, will automatically qualify for the Academy Awards® longlist. Speaking ahead of the launch, Cork Film Festival Producer Fiona Clark said: “The 2017 program is a unique opportunity to see some of the best established and emerging talent working in film today.”
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LA Film Festival Moving to September in 2018

The LA Film Festival, previously held in June, will now take place in late September starting in 2018. Submissions for the 24th edition of the Festival will open January 1, 2018, exclusively on Withoutabox, as part of a new multi-year collaboration. “The secret to dramatically changing something is to change it,” said Jennifer Cochis, LA Film Festival Director. “My passion for this Festival is unwavering and the time for an evolution has come. Film Independent is so proud of the work we’ve done in showcasing new American and international cinema that embraces diversity, innovation and unique perspectives, but the fact is that summer is a challenging time for artist driven films, and fall is where we clearly belong. This shift in our dates is an important step in enacting my aim to further develop the LA Film Festival, I sincerely look forward to better serving filmmakers, film lovers, the city and the industry in the fall of 2018 and beyond.” “We are proud to be the home of the LA Film Festival. The festival has been a staple for filmmakers and cinephiles in Los Angeles,” said Gretchen McCourt, Executive Vice President at ArcLight Cinemas. “LA is an entertainment mecca and has been home to ArcLight for over 15 years. It is partnerships like this that continue to make our programming unique. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be with them on this journey.” “Great festivals need great partners, and we couldn’t be happier to be entering a multi-year collaboration with ArcLight Cinema and Withoutabox,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “LA audiences know and love the ArcLight experience, and as our submissions continue to grow, Withoutabox is the ideal service for us to accept and evaluate submissions from filmmakers all over the world.”
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2017 Brooklyn Horror Film Fest Awards – TRAGEDY GIRLS Wins Best Film

[caption id="attachment_24718" align="aligncenter" width="1123"] TRAGEDY GIRLS[/caption] Tyler MacIntyre’s internet-age slasher TRAGEDY GIRLS slashed its way to the top of the 2017 Brooklyn Horror Film Fest, winning the top awards including Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Actress for Brianna Hildebrand and Alexandra Shipp. Twenty feature films and seventeen short films were in competition, with Best Short going to Robin Comisar’s GREAT CHOICE. The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival will haunt the borough once again in October 2018.
FEATURES AWARDS
Best Picture: TRAGEDY GIRLS, dir. Tyler MacIntyre Director: José Pedro Lopes, THE FOREST OF LOST SOULS Score: Julien Mineau, GAME OF DEATH Actress: Brianna Hildebrand & Alexandra Shipp, TRAGEDY GIRLS Actor: Steven Yuen, MAYHEM Screenplay: Chris Lee Hill, Tyler MacIntyre, Justin Olson, TRAGEDY GIRLS Cinematography: Konstantinos Koutsoliotas, THE BOOK OF BIRDIE Editing: Tom Sainty, FASHIONISTA Effects: Blood Brothers and Rémy Couture, GAME OF DEATH Audience Award: 1974, dir. by Victor Dryere
SHORTS AWARDS
Best Short: GREAT CHOICE, dir. Robin Comisar Best Director: Matt Mercer, FEEDING TIME Best Actor: Morgan Spector, GREAT CHOICE Best Actress: Mishka Balilty, INK Best Cinematography: Ellie Smolkin, AMY Best Editing: Alfonso Garcia, iMEDIUM Best Effects: Aislan, A MOTHER OF MONSTERS Best Score: Steve Moore, FEEDING TIME Most Spectacular Location: BESTIA, dir. Gigi Saul Guerrero Special Jury Award: EARWORM, dir. Tara Price
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44th Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival Reveals Lineup, PRICED OUT, LANE 1974, PROOF OF LOYALTY, and More..

This year’s 44th Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival (NWFest44), which takes place November 1 to 5, 2017, will present sixteen features and twenty short form works in the film lineup. Festival film highlights include Portland-based filmmaker Cornelius Swart’s PRICED OUT, a feature-length documentary exploration of the housing crisis in Portland and its disproportion impact on the African-American community; Lucy Ostrander and Don Sellers’ documentary PROOF OF LOYALTY, which relays the story of Kazuo Yamane, a Japanese Nisei, born in Hawaii to Japanese-born immigrants, who, despite suffering prejudice and discrimination after Pearl Harbor, joined up to fight and valiantly serve the US in World War II ; Julie Perini’s THE GENTLEMAN BANK ROBBER: THE STORY OF BUTCH LESBIAN FREEDOM FIGHTER rita bo brown, a portrait of a white, working-class butch from rural Oregon who joined the George Jackson Brigade, a revolutionary prison abolitionist group operating in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970s, and became known as “The Gentleman Bank Robber”; POW WOW, Robinson Devor’s (ZOO, POLICE BEAT) documentary examining an annual country club party that takes place on former Native American land in the Coachella Valley; director SJ Chiro’s coming-of-age adventure LANE 1974, following life on a commune in Northern California, as witnessed through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl; and Matt McCormick’s BUZZ ONE FOUR, which tells the tale of the director’s grandfather and his involvement in a Cold-War era crash of an aircraft with a thermonuclear payload on board. In addition to features, the Festival offers up three programs of short films. Shorts I: This is Here and Shorts II: Alliances, comprised of films from makers from across the Pacific Northwest, including festival alums Salise Hughes, Jodi Darby, Vanessa Renwick, Jon Behrens, and others, are joined by Ethnographic Visions: An Extended Shorts Program, which highlights longer, short films by Emily Wahl, Pam Minty, and Lynne Siefert. Beyond the numerous screenings on offer, the Northwest Filmmakers’ Festival also provides opportunities for aspiring and working filmmakers to interact directly with peers and industry professionals through events at the Northwest Filmmakers’ Summit on November 4. A day of guest speakers, panels, and tech demos, the Summit’s aim is to provide information and discussion of issues and trends in independent filmmaking with a focus on regional opportunities and resources. Subjects explored include a presentation on “The Future of Lighting” by Aputure’s Mark Mathers, a panel discussion on cameras and lenses for professional production use, and a roundtable talk on best practices for sound design, working with composers with post-production in mind. The Summit will also host a VR presentation by Digital One and a special live filmmaking event entitled Moving Picture Oregon in which five groups of filmmakers shoot a roll of Super 8 film based on an artwork in the Portland Art Museum’s Picturing Oregon exhibit. Later that night, the band Party Killer will perform a live soundtrack to the Super 8 films shot at the Moving Picture Oregon event in the Whitsell Auditorium for an event dubbed Party Killer Vs. Kodak. This year’s Summit also includes a panel highlighting six Trailblazing Women of Independent Animation in the Northwest. Featuring Joanna Priestley, Rose Bond, Joan Gratz, Ruth Hayes, Marilyn Zornado, and Gail Noonan, the panel directly connects to a NWFest44 showing of the participants work, which in turn serves as a preview for a series of Northwest Tracking screenings focusing on each individual participant in November and December.
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