NO STONE UNTURNED – Alex Gibneyno[/caption]
The Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Symposium taking place October 19 to 22, in Washington, DC will feature a lineup of 13 documentary films that go beyond the headlines to capture riveting stories and confront matters that have been hidden from the public, until now.
The film program is intertwined with a daytime symposium with topics this year including panels on “the real take” on fake news, protecting sources and subjects in newly hostile environments, immersive and undercover reporting, and conversations with leading filmmakers.
“We are excited to bring these probing, new investigative documentaries to Washington audiences,” said Diana Jean Schemo, Double Exposure’s founder and co-director. “This season’s slate explores timely issues in our nation’s political life just now, including race in America, the drug trade, Latin America, and the media itself.”
“The films in this year’s lineup are not only great works of journalism, but great works of cinematic storytelling that bring vivid and distinct focus to a range of topics and issues otherwise left unseen,” said Sky Sitney, Double Exposure co-director.
COCAINE PRISON
Washington, DC Premiere
Director Violeta Ayala
Australia / France / Bolivia / United States
From inside Bolivia’s most notorious prison a cocaine worker, a drug mule and his younger sister reveal the country’s complex and inescapable relationship with cocaine.
DEVIL’S FREEDOM (LA LIBERTAD DEL DIABLO)
Director Everardo González
Mexico
In searing testimony from both victims and perpetrators, this documentary paints an indelible portrait of violence in Mexico. Using masks to protect the identities of his subjects, filmmaker Everardo González brings a rare candor to their tales.
DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?
Washington, DC Premiere
Director Travis Wilkinson
United States
Travis Wilkerson sets out to explore the truth behind a family story: that his white supremacist great grandfather killed a black man in his store in lower Alabama in 1946.
END OF TRUTH
World Premiere
Directors Tricia Todd and Eric Matthies
United States
An emotionally powerful investigation into the political and criminal enterprise of kidnappings as ISIS rose to power in war torn Syria. By intercutting exclusive footage with intimate interviews of negotiators, investigators, fixers and even a used car salesman who are caught up in the confusion, the filmmakers examine the leads that led to lies revealing the terrible consequence of misinformation when lives are at stake.
HALL OF MIRRORS
Washington, DC Premiere
Directors Ena Talakic and Ines Talakic
Italy / United States
Edward Jay Epstein has built a career on taking a deeper look at hidden trends and unquestioned scripts that enter mainstream thinking. In Hall of Mirrors, he delves into Edward Snowden’s historic leak of data on U.S. government surveillance, delighting in the absurdities he discovers.
NO STONE UNTURNED
Centerpiece Film – Washington, DC Premiere
Director Alex Gibney
United States
In 1994, six men were gunned down and five wounded in a pub while watching a World Cup soccer match in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland. With a police investigation that was perfunctory at best, the case remained unsolved. In this non-fiction murder mystery, Academy Award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney reopens the original case to investigate why no culprit was ever brought to justice.
ONE OF US
Opening Night Film – Washington, DC Premiere
Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
United States
Academy Award nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady follow the lives of three people who have chosen to leave the world of Hasidic Judaism. A Netflix Original Documentary.
THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING
U.S. Premiere
Director Mila Turajlic
Serbia
A locked door inside a Belgrade apartment has kept one family separated from their past for over 70 years. As the filmmaker begins an intimate conversation with her mother, the political fault line running through their home reveals a house and a country haunted by history. She fights and secures the release of hidden records that the nationalist government had removed from public archives. The chronicle of a family in Serbia turns into a searing portrait of an activist in times of great turmoil, questioning the responsibility of each generation to the next.
THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR
Washington, DC Premiere
Director Nancy Buirski
United States
Recy Taylor was gang raped by 6 white boys in Alabama in 1944. Unbroken, she spoke up, and with help from Rosa Parks and legions of women, fought for justice. Entwined through family and social ties with local police, Taylor’s rapists were never tried for their crime. The film explores the largely hidden phenomenon of white men raping black women in the south, a crime all but ignored by law enforcement and the press.
TRUSTWHO
World Premiere
Director Lillian Franck
Germany
Is the World Health Organization sick? The filmmaker and mother Lilian Franck reveals clandestine influences by the tobacco, pharmaceutical and nuclear industries on the organization, charged with protecting global health.
VOYEUR
Closing Night Film – Washington, DC Premiere
Directors Myles Kane and Josh Koury
United States
Voyeur follows journalist Gay Talese as he reports on one of the most controversial stories of his career: a Colorado motel owner, Gerald Foos, who spent decades spying on his guests and recording their private moments. A Netflix original documentary.
Film Festivals
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Washington, DC’s Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup
[caption id="attachment_21915" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] NO STONE UNTURNED – Alex Gibneyno[/caption]
The Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Symposium taking place October 19 to 22, in Washington, DC will feature a lineup of 13 documentary films that go beyond the headlines to capture riveting stories and confront matters that have been hidden from the public, until now.
The film program is intertwined with a daytime symposium with topics this year including panels on “the real take” on fake news, protecting sources and subjects in newly hostile environments, immersive and undercover reporting, and conversations with leading filmmakers.
“We are excited to bring these probing, new investigative documentaries to Washington audiences,” said Diana Jean Schemo, Double Exposure’s founder and co-director. “This season’s slate explores timely issues in our nation’s political life just now, including race in America, the drug trade, Latin America, and the media itself.”
“The films in this year’s lineup are not only great works of journalism, but great works of cinematic storytelling that bring vivid and distinct focus to a range of topics and issues otherwise left unseen,” said Sky Sitney, Double Exposure co-director.
COCAINE PRISON
Washington, DC Premiere
Director Violeta Ayala
Australia / France / Bolivia / United States
From inside Bolivia’s most notorious prison a cocaine worker, a drug mule and his younger sister reveal the country’s complex and inescapable relationship with cocaine.
DEVIL’S FREEDOM (LA LIBERTAD DEL DIABLO)
Director Everardo González
Mexico
In searing testimony from both victims and perpetrators, this documentary paints an indelible portrait of violence in Mexico. Using masks to protect the identities of his subjects, filmmaker Everardo González brings a rare candor to their tales.
DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?
Washington, DC Premiere
Director Travis Wilkinson
United States
Travis Wilkerson sets out to explore the truth behind a family story: that his white supremacist great grandfather killed a black man in his store in lower Alabama in 1946.
END OF TRUTH
World Premiere
Directors Tricia Todd and Eric Matthies
United States
An emotionally powerful investigation into the political and criminal enterprise of kidnappings as ISIS rose to power in war torn Syria. By intercutting exclusive footage with intimate interviews of negotiators, investigators, fixers and even a used car salesman who are caught up in the confusion, the filmmakers examine the leads that led to lies revealing the terrible consequence of misinformation when lives are at stake.
HALL OF MIRRORS
Washington, DC Premiere
Directors Ena Talakic and Ines Talakic
Italy / United States
Edward Jay Epstein has built a career on taking a deeper look at hidden trends and unquestioned scripts that enter mainstream thinking. In Hall of Mirrors, he delves into Edward Snowden’s historic leak of data on U.S. government surveillance, delighting in the absurdities he discovers.
NO STONE UNTURNED
Centerpiece Film – Washington, DC Premiere
Director Alex Gibney
United States
In 1994, six men were gunned down and five wounded in a pub while watching a World Cup soccer match in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland. With a police investigation that was perfunctory at best, the case remained unsolved. In this non-fiction murder mystery, Academy Award-winning documentarian Alex Gibney reopens the original case to investigate why no culprit was ever brought to justice.
ONE OF US
Opening Night Film – Washington, DC Premiere
Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
United States
Academy Award nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady follow the lives of three people who have chosen to leave the world of Hasidic Judaism. A Netflix Original Documentary.
THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING
U.S. Premiere
Director Mila Turajlic
Serbia
A locked door inside a Belgrade apartment has kept one family separated from their past for over 70 years. As the filmmaker begins an intimate conversation with her mother, the political fault line running through their home reveals a house and a country haunted by history. She fights and secures the release of hidden records that the nationalist government had removed from public archives. The chronicle of a family in Serbia turns into a searing portrait of an activist in times of great turmoil, questioning the responsibility of each generation to the next.
THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR
Washington, DC Premiere
Director Nancy Buirski
United States
Recy Taylor was gang raped by 6 white boys in Alabama in 1944. Unbroken, she spoke up, and with help from Rosa Parks and legions of women, fought for justice. Entwined through family and social ties with local police, Taylor’s rapists were never tried for their crime. The film explores the largely hidden phenomenon of white men raping black women in the south, a crime all but ignored by law enforcement and the press.
TRUSTWHO
World Premiere
Director Lillian Franck
Germany
Is the World Health Organization sick? The filmmaker and mother Lilian Franck reveals clandestine influences by the tobacco, pharmaceutical and nuclear industries on the organization, charged with protecting global health.
VOYEUR
Closing Night Film – Washington, DC Premiere
Directors Myles Kane and Josh Koury
United States
Voyeur follows journalist Gay Talese as he reports on one of the most controversial stories of his career: a Colorado motel owner, Gerald Foos, who spent decades spying on his guests and recording their private moments. A Netflix original documentary.
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BLACK BEACH/WHITE BEACH, GINGER NATION, KNIFE SKILLS, Among Docs Featured at Cucalorus Festival
[caption id="attachment_24993" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches[/caption]
The 23rd Cucalorus Festival takes over downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, from November 8 to 12 and will feature more than 70 documentaries, including the world premiere of Ricky and Cherie Kelly’s racially-charged motorcycle doc “Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches” and the international premiere of Shawn Hitchins’ fiery, flamboyant stage show-doc “Ginger Nation.”
One of many films crossing the divide between Cucalorus Film and Cucalorus Connect is Thomas Lennon’s “Knife Skills,” about a French restaurant staffed entirely by men and women just out of prison. Lennon shared, “I knew Cucalorus was a creative festival. What I didn’t know is how deep its roots run in its community, its passion to connect each film to an audience in a way that packs the biggest possible punch. They really go the extra mile, which makes the festival even more exciting for us.”
Other documentary debuts include the U.S. premiere of “Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story” by Jon Carey and Adam Darke, chronicling the complex and troubled story of a talented (and openly gay) British soccer player. “The Power of Glove,” from Andrew Austin and Adam Ward, presenting the legacy of the notoriously “bad” Nintendo Power Glove, and “True Conviction” from Jamie Meltzer, depicting a detective agency run by exonerated men to free innocent people, both make their southeast U.S. premieres. “ACORN and the Firestorm,” directed by Reuben Atlas and Sam Pollard, will have it’s North Carolina premiere and documents the amateur journalists who posed as a pimp and prostitute hoping to expose America’s largest grassroots community organizing group via hidden-camera.
Cucalorus also includes 55 short documentaries, including the world premiere of Joanne Hock’s “Martin Hill: Camera Man,” honoring a curator of cameras that shot some of the most iconic films in Hollywood’s past. Other key short docs include “Water Warriors” by Michael Premo, “Under the Mask” by Alex Hoelscher, and “Lonnie Holley: The Truth of Dirt” by Marco Williams.
Feature Docs
“No Dress Code Required (Etiqueta no rigurosa),” Cristina Herrera Borquez “True Conviction,” Jamie Meltzer “Rebels on Pointe,” Bobbi Jo Hart “ACORN and the Firestorm,” Reuben Atlas, Sam Pollard “Working In Protest,” Michael Galinsky, Suki Hawley, David Beilinson “The Power of Glove,” Andrew Austin & Adam Ward “Forbidden Games: The Justin Fashanu Story,” Jon Carey and Adam Darke “Motherland,” Ramona S. Díaz “What Lies Upstream,” Cullen Hoback “Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon “The Road Movie,” Dmitrii Kalashnikov “Ginger Nation,” Shawn Hitchins, Mitch Fillion “Liberation Day,” Morten Traavik, Ugis Olte “The Work,” Gethin Aldous and Jairus McLeary “Purple Dreams,” Joanne Hock “Black Beach/White Beach: A Tale of Two Beaches,” Ricky Kelly
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N. Scott Momaday Documentary RETURN TO RAINY MOUNTAIN to Premiere at Santa Fe Independent Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_24980" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
RETURN TO RAINY MOUNTAIN[/caption]
Return to Rainy Mountain is a documentary celebrating the life and legacy of author N. Scott Momaday and the rich cultural history of the Kiowa people. The film will have its premiere viewing during this year’s Santa Fe Independent Film Festival.
Producer/Director Jill Momaday takes viewers on a visual and poetic journey to places that inform the Kiowa ancestral myths and collective identity. Following the film will be a panel discussion including Dr. Momaday, recipient of the SFIFF Lifetime Achievement Award, Jill Momaday, plus mentors to the film, Chris Eyre, multi-award-winning writer and producer, known for Smoke Signals (1998), Skins (2002) and Edge of America (2003) and moderated by Kirk Ellis, Emmy award-winning writer and producer for the HBO mini-series, John Adams (2008).
Momaday’s legacy includes winning the only Pulitzer Prize for Literature awarded to a Native American writer, for his 1969 novel, House Made of Dawn. Also published in 1969, his bestselling The Way to Rainy Mountain (UNM Press) provided parts of the narrative for this film. Momaday earned a Masters and a PhD in English from Stanford University and has 20 honorary doctorates from esteemed universities. A 2005 award-winning PBS documentary Remembered Earth: New Mexico’s High Desert featured Momaday. He also narrated the 1978 documentary More Than Bows and Arrows, which aired on PBS and the Discovery Channel. Momaday was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2007 by President George W. Bush for his writings and his work that celebrates and preserves Native American art and oral tradition.” Among other notable honors are the Oklahoma Centennial State Poet Laureate in 2007, a Guggenheim Fellowship and UNESCO’s Artist for Peace Award.
Return to Rainy Mountain retraces the sacred journey of the Kiowa to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and Rainy Mountain in southwestern Oklahoma, landmarks that inform the Kiowa oral traditions passed along for generations. Director Jill Momaday was inspired in 2014 when her Kiowa Aunt passed away at the age of 95 and she recognized the urgency and importance of capturing the Kiowa oral tradition on film. She was a great-granddaughter of Sitting Bear, the keeper of stories and knowledge, a powerful and amazing woman. “I realized with her passing, that many stories would be lost. It made a profound impression of the importance of preserving them, as my father has done with his writing,” said Momaday.
As early as 1971, Dr. Momaday was recognized as a pioneer of environmental education, authoring “The American Land Ethic” which noted the tradition of respect for nature practiced by many of America’s native people. Jill Momaday steps into the role of a modern spokesperson for this tradition of respect for nature. The 2015 annual honoree for New Mexico Women in the Arts says, “In addition to sharing the Kiowa history and oral tradition, the film gave me time with my father and a chance to really know him. He was absent much of my life as he carved out his brilliant career and legacy. We’ve been fitting the pieces of a puzzle together to tell one big story which is also the bigger story of Humanity: Man’s relationship to nature, animals, the universe, Creator and each other.” The film follows one story arc of the Kiowa legends and another of the Momaday family reconciliation.
The visual/sound and editing team includes Director of Photography/Editor, Doug Crawford, an Emmy and Peabody Award winning Cinematographer (Surviving Columbus: The Story of the Pueblo People, PBS, 1992) also Director of Photography for The Native Americans (TBS, 1994); David Aubrey, nominated for the EDDIE awards, Best Edited Documentary (Baraka, 1993), and Blackhorse Lowe, cinematographer (Among Ravens, 2014).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrd7c2M7T2A
Only The Brave
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
A drama based on the elite crew of firemen from Prescott, Arizona who battled a wildfire in Yarnell, AZ in June 2013 that claimed the lives of 19 of their members.
Producer Michael Menchel in attendance
Becoming Who I Was
Directed by Moon Chang-Yong, Jeon Jin
Deep in the highlands of northern India, a young Buddhist boy discovers that he is the reincarnation of an ancient Tibetan monk. This documentary explores the boy’s coronation as Rinpoche, the reincarnation of a spiritual leader, and his journey to discover the secrets of his past life.
Sami Blood
Directed by Amanda Kernell
Elle Marja, 14, is a reindeer-breeding Sámi girl. Exposed to the racism of the 1930’s and race biology examinations at her boarding school, she starts dreaming of another life. To achieve this other life, she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture.
Atomic Homefront
Directed by Rebecca Cammisa
A major metropolitan area in the United States lies dangerously close to a large landfill containing radioactive waste and an escalating underground fire.The film documents those (mostly women) who have mobilized to get answers, created a powerful coalition and continue to fight for environmental justice.
The Sensitives
Directed by Drew Xanthopoulos
A loving grandfather struck down by a debilitating, mysterious illness faces an agonizing choice: an uncertain future with his family or the lure of an isolated, safe community built for sensitives like him. As his wife and daughter struggle to keep their family together, we meet others who faced the same impossible choices: an aging mother and her twin sons living in quarantine deep in the desert and an activist in fragile recovery, who advocates for those worse off than herself. The Sensitives is an intimate, verité film focused on three families put to the test by an unknown illness.
On A Knife Edge
Directed by Jeremy Williams
Set against a background of rising tension and protest, a Lakota teenager learns first-hand what it means to lead a new generation and enter adulthood in a world where the odds are stacked against him. Filmed over a five-year period, On a Knife Edge provides a privileged view into the interior world of George Dull Knife as he becomes politically active with the American Indian Movement, confronts the challenges of growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and wrestles with accepting leadership of his storied family from his aging father.
Most Beautiful Island
Directed by Ana Asensio
Most Beautiful Island is a chilling portrait of an undocumented young woman’s struggle for survival as she finds redemption from a tortured past in a dangerous game.
Pinsky
Directed by Amanda Lundquist
North American Premier
In the wake of a bad breakup and the death of her grandfather, Sophia Pinsky moves back home under the martial law of her Russian grandmother and is forced to reevaluate the terms of her adult life.
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Francis Lee’s GOD’S OWN COUNTRY to Compete at 2017 Stockholm Film Festival | Trailer
Director Francis Lee intense new drama God’s Own Country described as the “new Brokeback Mountain” will screen at the 2017 Stockholm Film Festival and participate in the official Stockholm XXVIII Competition. The film has been awarded at the Berlin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival among others.
God’s Own Country takes it’s start in the British countryside where we meet the young farmer Johnny Saxby who numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex. Until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker named Gheorghe ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path…
This is Francis Lee’s feature film debut as a writer and director after leaving his acting career to return to the British countryside where he grew up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sPE9sbXQoQ
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STRONGER, Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Boston Marathon Bombing Hero, to Screen at Rome Film Fest
Stronger, the critically acclaimed film by David Gordon Green, starring Jake Gyllenhaal will screen at the 12th Rome Film Fest, taking place October 26 to November 5, 2017.
The American director brings the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman to the screen, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become a symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. It is Jeff’s deeply personal and heroic journey – a tour de force portrayal by Jake Gyllenhaal – which tests a family’s bond, defines a community’s pride and inspires his inner courage to overcome devastating adversity while rebuilding his life beside his partner Erin, played by Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bauman will attend the Rome Film Fest, and Gyllenhaal will participate in a Close Encounter on-stage conversation with the audience, during which the actor will discuss his career and his complex and profoundly different roles in films such as Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, End of Watch, Prisoners, Nightcrawler, and Nocturnal Animals.
Artistic director Antonio Monda said: “I am extremely happy to present in Rome Stronger, a hymn to life and a splendid film. And I am enthusiastic to have the opportunity to conduct a “Close Encounter” with Jake Gyllenhaal, who in Stronger presents us with one of his greatest and most touching interpretations”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkoM5r9LR14
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2017 Downtown LA Film Festival Awards – A THOUSAND JUNKIES Wins Best Film
[caption id="attachment_24667" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
A Thousand Junkies[/caption]
A Thousand Junkies, Tommy Swerdlow’s bittersweet dark comedy about a day in the life of three Los Angeles addicts — won this year’s top prize, Best Picture at the 2017 DTLA Film Festival.
Best Director for documentary feature was awarded to Miranda Bailey for The Pathological Optimist about the controversial vaccine researcher Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Adam Cushman was awarded Best Director for Restraint, his narrative feature about the dark side of suburbia.
The Best Documentary feature award was given to The Work, a powerful and poignant look at a new therapy changing the lives of convicts at Folsom Prison. The film, directed by Jairus Mcleary, will be released theatrically by The Orchard.
Top acting awards went to Sophia Mitria Schloss for Lane 1974 and Charlie Tahan for Super Dark Times.
Other top prizes announced this evening were Best Screenplay for Zach’s Brown contemporary drama Hard Surfaces, Best Short Film for Reed Van Dyk’s Dekalb Elementary, Best Editing to Carl Ambrose and Francisco Bello for their work on the psychological thriller Most Beautiful Island, and Best Cinematography to Luis Montalvo and Carlos Rossini for the atmospheric documentary The Cloud Forest.
The following special prizes were also announced: Jury Prize for Creative Vision to Art Jones for his drama Forbidden Cuba; Female Pioneer Award to Iranian director Shiva Sanjari for her documentary biopic Here The Seats Are Vacant, and actor Leo Ramsey for his Breakthrough Performance in the contemporary coming-of-age story Blue Line Station.
The festival’s Audience Favorite Award was a tie, given to both Dare To Be Different, director Ellen Goldfarb’s nostalgic look back at influential Eighties radio station WLIR, and The Dating Project, Jonathan Cipiti’s exploration of courtship in the digital age.
2017 DTLA Film Festival Awards
FEATURES
Best Picture: A Thousand Junkies, directed by Tommy Swerdlow Best Actress in a Leading Role: Sophia Mitri Schloss | Lane 1974 Best Actor in a Leading Role: Charlie Tahan | Super Dark Times Best Screenplay: Zach Brown | Hard Surfaces Best Ensemble Cast: Dog Park, directed by Jade Jenise Dixon Best Documentary: The Work, directed by Jairus McLeary Best Director – Documentary Feature: Miranda Bailey | The Pathological Optimist Best Director – Narrative Feature: Adam Cushman | Restraint Best Cinematography: Luis Montalvo and Carlos Rossini | The Cloud Forest Best Foreign Film (TIE): Zoe Panoramas, directed by Rodrigo Guardiola and Gabriel Cruz Rivas Female Pioneer Award Here the Seats Are Vacant, directed by Shiva Sanjari Breakthrough Performance: Leo Ramsey | Blue Line Station Jury Prize for Creative Vision – Feature: Forbidden Cuba directed by Art Jones Audience Favorite Award (TIE): Dare To Be Different, directed by Ellen Goldfarb The Dating Project, directed by Jonathan Cipiti Best Film Editing: Carl Ambrose and Francisco Bello | Most Beautiful Island Best Score: Ben Frost | Super Dark Times Best Actors in Supporting Role: Blake Heron | A Thousand Junkies Matthew Brumlow | Blur Circle Michael Ferrell | Laura Gets A Cat Betty Gilpin | Future ’38SHORTS
Best Short Film: Dekalb Elementary, directed by Reed Van Dyk Jury Prize for Creative Vision – Shorts: The Point System, directed by Conner Bell Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast: Lost Dogs | Chris Lee, Edward Hong, Linda Him, Jen Yim, William Crespo, Joshua Han Best Webisode: Fakers, directed by Ryan Mitchel Best Short Film – Series: Sing For Me, directed by Sama Waham Best Film – Student Shorts: Geeta, directed Sohil Vaidya Best Director – Student Shorts: Noble Creatures, directed by Daniel Lafrentz Jury Prize for Creative Vision – Student Shorts: Light Sight, directed by Seyed M. Tabatabaei
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20th Savannah Film Festival to Honor Salma Hayek, Holly Hunter, Aaron Sorkin + Unveils Lineup
[caption id="attachment_24944" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
MOLLY’S GAME[/caption]
The 2017 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, celebrating it’s 20th anniversary, will run October 28 to November 4, and feature over 131 films. The festival will open with Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut Molly’s Game, and the Centerpiece Gala film is Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird.
This year, SCAD will honor Richard Gere (Lifetime Achievement Award), Zoey Deutch (Rising Star Award), Mariska Hargitay (Humanitarian Award), Ashley Judd (Virtuoso Award), Kyra Sedgwick (Spotlight Award), Andrea Riseborough (Outstanding Supporting Actress Award for “Battle of the Sexes”), Willow Shields (Rising Star Award), Salma Hayek Pinault (Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award), John Boyega (Vanguard Award), Holly Hunter (Icon Award), Robert Pattinson (Maverick Award), Aaron Sorkin (Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award) and Sir Patrick Stewart (Legends of Cinema Award).
2017 Savannah Film Festival Film Lineup
GALA SCREENINGS
Call Me Be Your Name (Director: Luca Guadagino. Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, and Michael Stuhlbarg) Darkest Hour (Director: Joe Wright. Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane and Ben Mendelsohn) Downsizing (Director: Alexander Payne. Cast: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, and Kristin Wiig) Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (Director: Paul McGuigan. Cast: Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, and Vanessa Redgrave) The Florida Project (Director: Sean Baker. Cast: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, and Valeria Cotto) I, Tonya (Director: Craig Gillespie. Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Allison Janney) Into the Rainbow (Director: Norman Stone, Gary Wing-Lun Mak. Cast: Willow Shields, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Wu Lei Leo and Jacqueline Joe) U.S. Premiere Lady Bird (Director: Greta Gerwig. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Lois Smith, and Stephen McKinley Henderson) Last Flag Flying (Director Richard Linklater. Cast: Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne) LBJ (Director: Rob Reiner. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Stahl-David, Rich Sommer, Bill Pullman, C. Thomas Howell, Jeffrey Donovan and Richard Jenkins) The Leisure Seeker (Director: Paolo Virzi. Cast: Helen Mirren, and Donald Sutherland) Molly’s Game (Writer and Director: Aaron Sorkin. Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Kevin Costner) Mudbound (Director: Dee Rees. Cast: Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige and Rob Morgan) The Shape of Water (Director: Guillermo del Toro. Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, and Octavia Spencer) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Director: Martin McDonagh. Cast: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Samara Weaving, John Hawkes, and Zeljko Ivankek) The Upside (Director: Neil Burger. Cast: Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, and Nicole Kidman) Wonderstruck (Director: Todd Haynes. Cast: Oakes Fegley, Julianne Moore, and Millicent Simmonds)DOCS TO WATCH
Expected to attend this year are directors Evgeny Afineevsky (Cries from Syria); Greg Barker (The Final Year); Bryan Fogel (Icarus); Yance Ford (Strong Island); Amanda Lipitz (Step); Brett Morgen (Jane); Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Coral); Laura Poitras (Risk); John Ridley (Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992) Ceyda Torun (Kedi).SIGNATURE SERIES
Beatriz at Dinner (Director: Miguel Arteta. Cast: Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Chloë Sevigny, Connie Britton, David Warshofksy, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, and John Early) The Ballad of Lefty Brown (Director: Jared Moshe. Cast: Bill Pullman) Battle of the Sexes (Director: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Cast: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming, Bill Pullman, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell, and Natalie Morales) The Big Sick (Director: Michael Showalter. Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoey Kazan, Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) Detroit (Director: Kathryn Bigelow. Cast: John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith, Will Poulter, and Jacob Latimore) Flower (Director: Max Winkler. Cast: Zoey Deutch, Adam Scott, and Kathryn Hahn) Gifted (Director: Marc Webb. Cast: Chris Evans, McKenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate, and Octavia Spencer) Good Time (Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie. Cast: Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Benny Safdie, Buddy Duress, and Barkhad Abdi) I Am Evidence (Producer Mariska Hargitay. Director: Trish Adelsic, Geeta Gandhbir) Logan (Director: James Mangold. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, and Dafne Keen) Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (Director: Joseph Cedar. Cast: Richard Gere, Michael Sheen, and Steve Buscemi) Ruby in Paradise (Director: Victor Nuñez. Cast: Ashley Judd, Todd Field, and Bentley Mitchum) Served Like a Girl (Director: Lysa Heslov. Cast: Nichole Alred, Jas Boothe, and Rachel Engler) Story of a Girl (Director: Kyra Sedgwick. Cast: Kevin Bacon, Sosie Bacon, and Ryann Shane) Strange Weather (Director: Katherine Diekmann. Cast: Holly Hunter, Carrie Coon, and Ransom Ashley) Tulip Fever (Director: Justin Chadwick. Cast: Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Jack O’Connell, and Holliday Grainger) The Year of Spectacular Men (Director: Lea Thompson. Cast: Madelyn Deutch, Zoey Deutch, Lea Thompson, and Avan Jorgia)
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THE ARROW OF TIME, Documentary on Mikhail Gorbachev, will World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival
Former President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev will be not be able to attend the World Premiere of his documentary The Arrow of Time directed by Leila Conners, at the Zurich Film Festival.
The Nobel Laureate was strongly advised by his doctors not to travel, and for that reason cancelled his trip. Instead, the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has written a letter to the ZFF, in which he expresses his thanks for the invitation to Zurich and wishes the film, in which he plays a major part, a successful launch.
The director of the documentary film The Arrow of Time, Leila Conners, and further members of this Swiss-American co-production’s crew, will attend the festival in person. The ZFF will host the world premiere of The Arrow of Time in its Special Screenings section.
The former USSR President, whose disarmament negotiations with the USA led to the end of the Cold War, is warning once again of a new nuclear arms race. Director Leila Conners interviewed Gorbachev and other renowned politicians from Germany, France and the USA in her film, which is both a taut and disturbing review of our complicated 20th century world history, and an appeal not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Here is the letter from Mikhail Gorbachev to the Festival (slightly shortened version):
Dear hosts of the Zurich Film Festival!
Dear guests! Dear ladies and gentlemen, my dear friends!
Sadly, I am not in a condition to personally take part in our meeting – doctors have not been cooperative in this regard.
But I am very happy that The Arrow of Time documentary is finally on its way to the viewers. It is released at an uneasy time when the armaments race is gaining momentum again, when there are new attempts to fix global issues by force, often by military means.
The relationship between Russia and the West has fundamental importance in today’s global world. One of the key links in this chain – Russian-American relations. It has been three quarters of a year since the new President of the US assumed office, yet up to date there has been no full-fledged Russian-American meeting at the highest level. This is simply abnormal. I would like to call upon the leaders of our countries to immediately start preparations for such meeting. It will serve as the most crucial turning point to improve the state of affairs in the entire world.
I know what I am talking about. It was the Soviet-American summit in Geneva that paved the road to ceasing the Cold War. At that time, at first nobody believed that the negotiations would end well. But it was there, on the shore of Lake Geneva, that for the first time ever the leaders of USSR and USA said that “the nuclear war is untenable and there will be no winning side”. It was precisely that meeting that played the crucial role in transforming the globe, which was at the time paralyzed in the Cold War.
Unfortunately, due to a number of reasons we find ourselves thrown back in our efforts to build a new world.
Global issues that we face, starting from protecting the peace and safety to climate change, cybersecurity, and terrorism, demand that we rise to the new level of global government that would reflect the challenges of the XXI century. And for that, we need to reform the United Nations.
Many of these ideas might appear Utopian or unachievable in the context of the present political order, and that is precisely because they address the roots of the current issues.
These ideas, essentially presented in the documentary, aim to dispel the fatalistic feeling of helplessness, to show that there is a way forward, and that we will definitely start on that way, be it today by a conscious choice, or in the near future as a result of painful convulsive shocks.
And the clock is ticking…
In conclusion, I would like to thank the makers of the movie: Leila Conners and her entire creative crew, many of my friends and partners in implementation of the new course of action in international relations, for their contribution in creating this important cinematic document.
Mikhail Gorbachev
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VIDEO: Watch New Trailer for Phillip Gelatt’s THEY REMAIN
Here is the new trailer for Phillip Gelatt’s They Remain which will World Premiere at H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival this week in Portland on October 7 and a theatrical release this Fall.
The film starring William Jackson Harper (“Paterson,” “True Story”) and Rebecca Henderson (“Mistress America”) is based on the 2010 short story, “-30-” by award-winning author Laird Barron.
They Remain explores the evolving relationship between Keith and Jessica, two scientists who are employed by a vast, impersonal corporation to investigate an unspeakable horror that took place at the remote encampment of a mysterious cult. Working and living in a state-of-the-art, high tech environment that is completely at odds with their surroundings, they spend their days gathering physical evidence, analyzing it, and reporting on their findings.
The intensity of their work, and their extreme isolation, bring the pair closer. But, when Jessica discovers a mysterious artifact of unknown origin, the dynamic between them changes: secrets are kept, sexual tensions arise, and paranoia sets in. Keith begins to have visions and is unable to distinguish whether they are nightmares or hauntings. Having lost all sense of what is real and what is imagined, all he knows is that the horror he and Jessica have been sent to uncover—a horror that could be biological, psychological, or supernatural— now threatens his very survival.
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Léa Mysius’ AVA is First Film Selected for Stockholm Film Festival Competition | Trailer
Stockholm Film Festival is working hard to promote female directors in the film industry, and has selected Ava by Léa Mysius as the first movie in the Stockholm XXVIII Competition.
Léa Mysius debut drama Ava was nominated for four awards at 2017 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, winning the Palme d’Or for Best Movie in the SADC category as well as the Palm Dog jury prize.
Ava will also have the honor of being the official campaign picture of this year’s Stockholm Film Festival.
Léa Mysius’ captivating drama follows thirteen-year-old Ava who is spending the summer at the Atlantic coast with her mother. But the summer idyll is shattered when Ava is told that she will lose her eyesight in just a few months. To live life to the fullest before turning blind Ava decides to escape – with a young man on the run.
“I’m very proud that we can present an equal lineup in the Stockholm XXVIII Competition. It’s a result of hard work. We review all films directed by women, and for that reason we manage to find fantastic movies that we want to highlight,” says festival director Git Sheynius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF2XRVr2o2c
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Napa Valley Film Festival Unveils 2017 Lineup, Opens with THE UPSIDE
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The Upside[/caption]
The seventh annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) returns this fall with its five-day festival showcasing the year’s best new independent films from November 8 to 12, 2017. The festival’s official opening night film is The Weinstein Company’s The Upside, directed by Neil Berger and starring Bryan Cranston, Nicole Kidman and Kevin Hart. Closing the festival will be the Molly’s Game, directed by Aaron Sorkin and starring Jessica Chastain, Kevin Costner and Idris Elba in the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
This year’s line-up of Celebrity Tributes that salute the highest levels of cinematic achievement includes Charles Krug Legendary Filmmaker Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated, The Intern), Raymond Vineyards Trailblazer Michael Shannon (The Current War, The Shape of Water), and Spotlight Tribute honoree Michael Stuhlbarg (Call Me By Your Name; The Shape of Water). New this year, The Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch Humanitarian Tribute will be presented to Nikki Reed (Twilight, Ian Somerhalder Foundation) and Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries, Ian Somerhalder Foundation). The Celebrity Tributes program will take place on Thursday, November 9 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville and will include video highlight reels and intimate on-stage conversations with Access Hollywood’s Natalie Morales.
In addition to the Celebrity Tributes program, Will Ferrell (Anchorman; Daddy’s Home 2) will be honored with the Caldwell Vineyards Maverick Tribute on Friday, November 10, and the first annual Rising Star Showcase at Materra | Cunat Vineyards on Saturday, November 11 will honor a handful of young talent including Ana de Armas (War Dogs; Blade Runner 2049), Odeya Rush, (Lady Bird, Goosebumps), Austin Stowell (Battle of the Sexes, Bridge of Spies), Gregg Sulkin (Runaways, Faking It) and Alex Wolff (My Friend Dahmer; Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle).
NVFF will kick off with their Sneak Preview Night on Tuesday, November 7 with a special presentation of Fox Searchlight Pictures’ The Shape of Water. The film, directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer and Michael Stuhlbarg, is an other-worldly tale of Elisa whose life is changed forever when she and a co-worker Zelda discover a secret classified experiment at the hidden high-security government laboratory where they work.
The festival will also play host to an incredible selection of films, including many of this year’s award-contenders, such as:
78/52 – (IFC) An unprecedented look at the iconic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), the “man behind the curtain,” and the screen murder that profoundly changed the course of world cinema. Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe.
Call Me By Your Name – (Sony Pictures Classics) In 1983, the son of an American professor is enamored by the graduate student who comes to study and live with his family in their northern Italian home. Together, they share an unforgettable summer full of music, food, and romance that will forever change them. Directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg. Michael Stuhlbarg is expected to attend.
Chappaquiddick – (Entertainment Studios) Ted Kennedy’s life and political career become derailed in the aftermath of a fatal car accident in 1969 that claims the life of a young campaign strategist, Mary Jo Kopechne. Directed by John Curran and starring Jason Clarke, Bruce Dern, Ed Helms and Kate Mara.
Crown Heights – (Amazon Studios) When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend Carl King devotes his life to proving Colin’s innocence. Directed by Matt Ruskin and starring Nnamdi Asomugha and Lakeith Stanfield. Nnamdi Asomugha is expected to attend.
The Current War – (The Weinstein Company) The dramatic story of the cutthroat race between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world. Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon and Katherine Waterston. Michael Shannon is expected to attend.
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool – (Sony Pictures Classics) A romance sparks between a young actor and a Hollywood leading lady. Directed by Paul McGuigan and starring Jamie Bell and Annette Bening.
I, Tonya – (Neon) Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises among the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the sport is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes. Directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Allison Janney, Margot Robbie and Sebastian Stan.
LA 92 – (NatGeo) A look at the events that led up to the 1992 uprising in Los Angeles following the Rodney King beating by the police. Directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin.
The Leisure Seeker – (Sony Pictures Classics) A runaway couple go on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call The Leisure Seeker, traveling from Boston to The Ernest Hemingway Home in Key West. They recapture their passion for life and their love for each other on a road trip that provides revelation and surprise right up to the very end. Directed by Paolo Virzì and starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland.
The rest of the NVFF film line-up is as follows:
Core Competitions
Narrative Features:
American Folk, Directed by David Heinz The Boy Downstairs, Directed by Sophie Brooks The House of Tomorrow, Directed by Peter Livolsi I Can I Will I Did, Directed by Nadine Truong People You May Know, Directed by Shewin Shilati The Sounding, Directed by Catherine Eaton Stuck, Directed by Michael Berry Tater Tot & Patton, Directed by Andrew Kightlinger The Year of Spectacular Men, Directed by Lea ThompsonDocumentary Features:
ACORN and the Firestorm, Directed by Reuben Atlas and Samuel D. Pollard Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise, Directed by Jennifer Townsend Coyote, Directed by Thomas Simmons A Fine Line, Directed by Joanna James The Gateway Bug, Directed by Johanna B. Kelly Laddie: The Man Behind the Movies, Directed by Amanda Ladd-Jones Mighty Ground, Directed by Delila Vallot Skid Row Marathon, Directed by Mark Hayes The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin, Directed by Jennifer M. KrootThe Lounge
Features:
Amanda & Jack Go Glamping, Directed by Brandon Dickerson Class Rank, Directed by Eric Stoltz Coup d’etat, Directed by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse Entanglement, Directed by Jason James A Happening of Monumental Proportions, Directed by Judy Greer Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town, Directed by Christian Papierniak Life Hack, Directed by Sloan Copeland Quest, Directed by Santiago Rizzo The Relationtrip, Directed by Renée Felice Smith and C.A. GabrielSpecial Presentations
40 Years in the Making – The Magic Music Movie, Directed by Lee Aronsohn The Ataxian, Directed by Zack Bennett and Kevin Schlanser Back to Burgundy, Directed by Cédric Klapisch Bernard and Huey, Directed by Dan Mirvish Breakable You, Directed by Andrew Wagner California Typewriter, Directed by Doug Nichol Constructing Albert, Directed by Laura Collado and Jim Loomis Dog Years, Directed by Adam Rifkin Don’t Shoot the Zebra Pony, Directed by Kathryn Lauritzen Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table, Directed by Leslie Iwerks Fermented, Directed by Jon Cianfrani Food Evolution, Directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution, Directed by Jamie Redford Liyana, Directed by Aaron Kopp and Amanda Kopp Man In Red Bandana, Directed by Matthew Weiss Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen, Directed by Rasmus Dinesen New Chefs on the Block, Directed by Dustin Harrison-Atlas Poisoning Paradise, Directed by Keely Shaye Brosnan Rebels On Pointe, Directed by Bobbi Jo Hart Served Like a Girl, Directed by Lysa Heslov Taming Wild: A Girl and a Mustang, Directed by Elsa Sinclair To the Edge of the Sky, Directed by Todd Wider and Jedd Wider Wasted! The Story of Food Waste, Directed by Anna Chai, Nari Kye
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Simon Baker’s BREATH Will Have its European Premiere at Zurich Film Festival
Simon Baker’s directorial debut Breath, will have its European premiere as a Gala Premiere at the 2017 Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) on October 5.
Simon Baker is a Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild-nominated actor and director, honored with Best Actor nominations for the TV series’ THE MENTALIST and THE GUARDIAN, who first gained international attention when he starred in the Academy Award-winning L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.
Notable films he has starred in include Michael Winterbottom’s thriller noir THE KILLER INSIDE ME, alongside with Casey Affleck and Kate Hudson; Ang Lee’s critically acclaimed RIDE WITH THE DEVIL; lauded box office success THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, opposite to Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway; and the Academy Award nominated feature MARGIN CALL, with Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons and Demi Moore.
BREATH
Mid 70’s, in a remote corner of the Western Australian coast. Pikelet (Samson Coulter) and Loonie (Ben Spence) stand on the edge of young adulthood. The boys bond over bikes and daredevil stunts, but their dreams begin to focus on the ocean. One day, the boys encounter the enigmatic Sando (Simon Baker), a former professional surfer, whose effortless grace on the waves and studied detachment on land compels the boys. Pikelet and Loonie begin to learn how to surf. The first time they take their boards out, Sando notices them, offers to store their boards under his house, and the mentorship begins. The challenge quickly becomes to surf Old Smokey, a dangerous break a kilometre out to sea. Pikelet and Loonie’s lives increasingly centre around Sando, his house, and most importantly, his role as guru. Part of Sando’s allure and enigma is that he disappears then reappears, but Eva (Elizabeth Debicki), Sando’s enigmatic wife, is always at the house. A former champion freestyle skier, Eva’s career was cut tragically cut short by a knee injury from which she’s never recovered physically or emotionally. Sando’s forcefulness, Eva’s allure, Loonie’s competitiveness and the spectre of Old Smokey will all force Pikelet to make crucial decisions — to give in to the expectations of those around him, or to become his own person.