Film Festivals

Iranian Film LERD (A MAN OF INTEGRITY) Wins Un Certain Regard Prize at 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

[caption id="attachment_22455" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] (Lerd) A Man Of Integrity[/caption] A Man Of Integrity (LERD) by Mohammad Rasoul of Iran, is the winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Un Certain Regard 2017 presented in competition 18 films hailing from 22 different countries. 6 of the works were first films. The Opening film was Barbara by Mathieu Amalric. Under the presidency of Uma Thurman (actress – United States), the Jury was comprised of Mohamed Diab (director – Egypt), Reda Kateb (actor – France), Joachim Lafosse (director – Belgium) and Karel Och (artistic director of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival – Czech Republic). The Jury commented “We feel enormous gratitude to have had the honor of serving on the Jury for this historic 70th anniversary of the Festival de Cannes. We are proud to present an esthetically diverse and beautiful awards list for Un Certain Regard.“ “UN CERTAIN REGARD” PRIZE LERD (A MAN OF INTEGRITY) by Mohammad Rasoulof Reza (35), having distanced himself from the ur- ban quagmire, leads a simple life along with his wife and sole son, somewhere in a remote village in Northern Iran. He spends his days working in his gold fish farm. Nearby, a private company with close links to the government and local authori- ties, has taken control of nearly every aspect of the regional life. Its shareholders, accumulating wealth, power and economic rents, have been pushing local farmers and small owners to dilap- idate their belongings, farms and estates, to the benefit of the Company’s influential net- work and its monopoly. It is under their pressure that many villagers have them- selves become local rings of the larger network of corruption. PRIZE FOR BEST ACTRESS JASMINE TRINCA for FORTUNATA by Sergio Castellitto Fortunata has a difficult life, a daughter of eight and a failed marriage behind her. She works as a hairdresser in people’s houses, leaving from the outskirts to cross the city, going to the homes of the well-off to do women’s hair. Fortunata fights every day with determination to achieve her dream: opening her own salon and challenging fate, in an attempt at emancipating herself and gaining her independence and the right to some happiness. She knows that to achieve her dreams she has to be firm: she has thought of everything, she is ready for anything, but she had not considered the variable of love, the one subversive force capable of sweeping aside every certainty. Also because, perhaps for the first time, someone looks at her as the woman she is and truly loves her. PRIZE FOR THE BEST POETIC NARRATIVE BARBARA de Mathieu Amalric An actress, Brigitte, is playing Barbara in a film that soon begins shooting. Brigitte works on her character, her voice, the songs and scores, the imitation of her gestures, her knitting, the lines to learn. Things move along. The character grows inside her. Invades her, even… Yves, the director, is also working – via encounters, archival footage, the music. He seems inhabited and inspired by her… But by whom? The actress or Barbara? PRIZE FOR BEST DIRECTION Taylor Sheridan for WIND RIVER WIND RIVER is a chilling thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving the mysterious death. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, WIND RIVER also stars Gil Birmingham, Jon Bernthal, Julia Jones, Kelsey Asbille, and James Jordan. JURY PRIZE LAS HIJAS DE ABRIL (APRIL’S DAUGHTER) by Michel Franco Valeria is 17 and pregnant. She lives in Puerto Vallarta with Clara, her half-sister. Valeria has not wanted her long-absent mother, April, to find out about her pregnancy, but due to the economic strain and the overwhelming responsibility of having a baby in the house, Clara decides to call their mother. April arrives, willing to help her daughters, but soon it will be clear why Valeria had kept her away.
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Cannes Film Festival Announces Winners of 2017 Cinéfondation Prizes

Paul Is Here directed by Valentina Maurel of INSAS, Belgium is the First Prize winner of the 2017 Cinéfondation at the Cannes Film Festival. The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury headed by Cristian Mungiu and including Clotilde Hesme, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Barry Jenkins and Eric Khoo, awarded the 2017 Cinéfondation Prizes during a ceremony held in the Buñuel Theatre, followed by the screening of the winning films. The Cinéfondation Selection consisted of 16 student films, chosen out of 2,600 entries coming from 626 film schools around the world. First Prize Paul Is Here (PAUL EST LÀ) directed by Valentina Maurel INSAS, Belgium Second Prize Animal (HEYVAN) directed by Bahram & Bahman Ark Iranian National School of Cinema, Iran Third Prize Two Youths Died (DEUX ÉGARÉS SONT MORTS) directed by Tommaso Usberti La Fémis, France The Cinéfondation allocates a €15,000 grant for the First Prize, €11,250 for the Second and €7,500 for the Third. The winner of the First Prize is also guaranteed the presentation of his/her first feature film at the Festival de Cannes.
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MICKEY REECE’S ALIEN Tackles Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Marriage at deadCenter Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_22402" align="aligncenter" width="1080"] Mickey Reece’s Alien[/caption] Mickey Reece’s Alien is a part comedy/drama/fantasy feature film that delves into divine existentialism and conveys a unique reimagining of the later years of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s tumultuous marriage. Mickey Reece’s Alien will be showcased on Friday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 10 at 6:00 p.m. at the 17th annual deadCenter Film Festival. The film will screen at the Harkins Theatre in Bricktown. The black-and-white film was written and directed by Mickey Reece and produced by Mickey Reece, Cate Jones, Ron Sutor, James Paulsgrove, Beth Alonso, John Scamehorn, Joe Cappa and Jacob Ryan Snovel in association with Freestyle Creative. “Mickey Reece’s Alien” presents a talented cast, starring Jacob Ryan Snovel (Elvis) and Cate Jones (Priscilla), and featuring Alex Sanchez, John Selvidge and Michaelene Stephenson. Surrounding discussion of existentialism, Reece capitalized on the idea that Elvis was not of this world and rarely understood, yielding the name “Alien.” The indie fiction film started as a passion project on Seed&Spark, a crowdfunding website specifically for filmmakers. Reece said he was inspired by John Carpenter’s “Elvis,” Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood,” Kenneth Anger’s “Scorpio Rising” and Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona.” “When I view the finished product of any movie I’ve made, I know exactly what past film, whether it be an important one or piece of garbage, influenced a particular choice. I think for any cinema buff it is important to see those influences still making it onto the screen in some fashion today,” Reece said. “It’s an Elvis film that digs into Elvis but it’s also fantastical and hilarious,” Snovel said. “There’s no mistake in the movie. There’s an artistic integrity to the film; it wasn’t just ‘Let’s make an Elvis movie.'” The deadCenter Film Festival runs June 8 to 11, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWR2Dk0iur0
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Award Winning Comedy FUTURE ’38 to NY Premiere at Art of Brooklyn Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_22399" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] FUTURE ’38[/caption] FUTURE ’38, which won the Audience Award at this year’s 2017 Slamdance, will have its New York premiere on June 8 at the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. FUTURE ’38 from director/writer Jamie Greenberg, is a technicolor valentine to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and ‘40s, with a sci-fi twist. It’s a time-travel adventure which presents the exotic future-world of 2018 A.D., as imagined by the film-makers of 1938! Starring Betty Gilpin, Nick Westrate, Robert John Burke, Ethan Phillips and Sean Young. ART OF BROOKLYN SCREENING INFORMATION: NY PREMIERE – Thursday, June 8, 9:00pm – St. Francis College, Brooklyn
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LA Film Festival to Host Gala Screening of David F. Sandberg’s ANNABELLE: CREATION

[caption id="attachment_22389" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Annabelle: Creation[/caption] The LA Film Festival will host the Gala Screening of Annabelle: Creation, directed by David F. Sandberg and starring Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson with Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto. Award-winning film company Focus Features will commemorate its 15th anniversary at the LA Film Festival with five movies including revival programming and a newly added advance screening of Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning, with the director in-person for a Q&A. Additional Festival Special Screenings and Events include a conversation with Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, Portlandia: A Look Back and A Look Forward; a conversation with the stars of IFC’s Baroness Von Sketch Show moderated by Lea DeLaria; a day-long screening of every episode of Documentary Now!; and the LA Premiere of Karam Gill’s documentary G-Funk, featuring a post-screening performance with Warren G and special guests. The festival also unveiled the panels for Diversity Speaks and the Global Media Makers. “This year’s program is beautifully rich and varied,” said Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “From Sofia Coppola’s new film The Beguiled, to our expanded Diversity Speaks program, to the legendary Warren G performing after Karam Gill’s G-Funk and Festival Alumnus David F. Sandberg’s Annabelle: Creation, we can’t wait to share it all with Los Angeles.”
Gala Screening
Annabelle: Creation, dir. David F. Sandberg, Advance Screening Several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a doll maker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home. They soon become the target of the doll maker’s possessed creation, Annabelle. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the film in theaters on August 11.
Free Event: Global Media Makers Screening & Panel
Thursday, June 15, ArcLight Culver City Global Media Makers is an innovative cultural exchange program that fosters supportive ongoing relationships between leading U.S. and international filmmaking talent. Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim, dir. Sherif El Bendary, Egypt, LA Premiere Ali believes his late girlfriend’s soul has been reincarnated in a goat. Ali, his goat and his friend Ibrahim embark on a journey of friendship and self-discovery across Egypt to reverse the curse. Post screening panel with producer and Global Media Makers’ Fellow Hossam Elouan, and other filmmakers participating in the program, who will explore filmmaking in the region and discuss the importance of telling stories from an inside perspective. Global Media Makers is supported through a partnership between Film Independent and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Free Event: Diversity Speaks Panels
Saturday, June 17 and Sunday, June 18, Kirk Douglas Theatre Addressing topical issues relating to diversity and inclusiveness both on and off the screen, Diversity Speaks’ focus is to expand the definition of diversity and act as a call to action for the entertainment industry. Cis in a Trans World: Transgender Visibility: Members of the trans creative community will discuss on-screen cis appropriation in depictions of trans stories, panelists include Candis Cayne (The Magicians), Mari Walker (Swim) and Rachel Crowl (And Then There Was Eve). Whitewashing: Asian and Asian-American Representation in Film/TV: Leonardo Nam (Westworld), Kelly Hu (The Scorpion King), Kelvin Yu (Master of None), Ally Maki (Wrecked), Phil Yu (Angry Asian Man blog), Bruce Thierry Cheung (Don’t Come Back from the Moon) and Gloria Fan (VP of Current Programming, FOX) will discuss packaging of Asian cultural properties. The Other: Documenting Marginalized Stories: Panelists Sydney Freeland (Deidra & Laney Rob a Train), Valerie Red-Horse Mohl (Mankiller), Amy York Rubin (Boxed In), Xan Aranda (Room 104) and Marvin Lemus (Gente-fied) will shine a light on how these filmmakers and storytellers work within, and around, the current systems to be seen and heard. Reclaiming Gay for Pay: What It Means to be ‘Out’ in Hollywood: Panelists Lena Waithe (Master of None, Twenties), Keiynan Lonsdale (The Flash), Noah Galvin (The Real O’Neals) and Guy Branum (Talk Show the Game Show) question why it remains difficult to come out in Hollywood and the future of storytelling for the LGBTQ+ creative community. The panel will be moderated by Marc Malkin of E!. State of Emergency: 25 Years After the LA Riots. Panelists Sacha Jenkins (Burn Motherfucker, Burn!), Grace Lee (K-TOWN ‘92), Daniel Lindsay (LA ’92) and T.J. Martin (LA ’92) look back on the LA Riots and the continued impact they have on the city at large and the narratives it produces and inspires.
Additional Festival Screenings & Events
Premieres – added titles: World premieres of fiction and documentary films featuring noteworthy talent. Story of a Girl, dir. Kyra Sedgwick, USA, World Premiere You Get Me, dir. Brent Bonacorso, USA, World Premiere Focus 15 Founded 15 years ago this spring, Focus Features will celebrate its anniversary at the LA Film Festival with revival showings from its library of iconic movies and with screenings of highly anticipated new Focus movies, including the Festival’s Opening Night Film The Book of Henry, directed by Colin Trevorrow, screening on Wednesday, June 14, and Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled. The Beguiled, dir. Sofia Coppola, USA, Special Advance Screening Thursday, June 15, LACMA The story unfolds during the Civil War, at a Southern girls’ boarding school. Its sheltered young women take in an injured enemy soldier. As they provide refuge and tend to his wounds, the house is taken over with sexual tension and dangerous rivalries, and taboos are broken in an unexpected turn of events. Focus Features will release The Beguiled in theatres on June 23. Q&A with Sofia Coppola to follow screening of The Beguiled. A screening of Lost in Translation will follow the screening of The Beguiled. Lost in Translation, dir. Sofia Coppola, USA, 2003 Thursday, June 15, LACMA Shot entirely on location in Japan, Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation is a valentine to the nature of close friendships and to the city of Tokyo. Moonrise Kingdom, dir. Wes Anderson, USA, 2012 Saturday, June 17, ArcLight Culver City Set on an island off the coast of New England in summer 1965, Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. The Kids Are Alright, dir. Lisa Cholodenko, USA, 2010 Wednesday, June 21, ArcLight Culver City Nic and Jules are married with two teenage children. An unexpected new chapter begins for them as family ties are defined, re-defined, and then re-re defined. Portlandia: A Look Back and A Look Forward Thursday, June 15, Kirk Douglas Theatre For the past seven seasons, Portlandia’s observational humor has been one step ahead of the cultural conversation. As the series gears up for its eighth and final installment, we hear from multi-hyphenates Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein about the show’s celebrated history and what’s next in advance of the final season. Baroness Von Sketch Show Friday, June 16, Kirk Douglas Theatre Hailing from north of the border, these Baronesses of the Baroness Von Sketch Show are producing the best comedy you’ve never seen….until now! Catch a sneak peek before the show premieres on IFC. Lea DeLaria (Orange is the New Black) will moderate a conversation with the stars Carolyn Taylor, Meredith MacNeill, Aurora Browne and Jennifer Whalen. Free Event: Documentary Now! Sunday, June 18, ArcLight Culver City Catch every episode back-to-back of IFC’s Documentary Now! on the big screen. Starring Fred Armisen and Bill Hader, the series pays homage to some of the world’s best-known documentaries. G-Funk dir. Karam Gill, USA, LA Premiere Friday, June 16, The Theatre at Ace Hotel This “G-Funkumentary” tells the story of three friends from Long Beach, Warren G, Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg, and their collaboration in creating one of the most essential styles of West Coast hip hop. The screening will be followed by a performance featuring Warren G and special guests. Free Event: Burn Motherfucker, Burn!, dir. Sacha Jenkins, USA Monday, June 19, ArcLight Santa Monica On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles exploded when four police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. But a fire beneath the feet of Angelenos had been melting flesh for years. BURN! chronicles the root causes of disenfranchisement in LA while also examining the role law enforcement has played throughout.
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Laura Poitras Named AFI DOCS 2017 Charles Guggenheim Symposium Honoree

AFI DOCS will pay tribute to Laura Poitras — the groundbreaking director of RISK (2016) and the Academy Award®-winning Edward Snowden portrait CITIZENFOUR (2014) — as the festival’s 2017 Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree. Each year, the AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium honors a master of the nonfiction art form. Taking place at the Newseum on June 16, the Symposium will include an in-depth conversation with Poitras along with clips from her acclaimed works. Poitras’ latest film RISK, a six-year project following WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, was released by Neon on May 5 and will air on Showtime this summer. Poitras’ impressive documentary catalog also includes THE OATH (2010), MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY (2006) and FLAG WARS (2003). “Poitras has the extraordinary instinct and ability to put her camera in the heart of history as it unfolds, regardless of the risk,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director, AFI DOCS. “Using her keen eye, Poitras reveals worlds just beyond what we can see. We are honored to celebrate her remarkable career and dedication to the documentary form.” Poitras’ first feature-length documentary, FLAG WARS, was nominated for an Emmy® and won a Peabody Award, cementing her stature as a top-notch documentarian from the outset. Next, she was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Academy Award® for MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY, the first installment in her post-9/11 trilogy. In 2015, Poitras won the Academy Award® for CITIZENFOUR. That same year, Poitras co-founded Field of Vision, an entity that commissions and creates original short-form nonfiction films about global events. Poitras joins a renowned list of Guggenheim Symposium honorees: Charles Guggenheim (2003), Barbara Kopple (2004), Martin Scorsese (2006), Jonathan Demme (2007), Spike Lee (2008), Albert Maysles (2009), Frederick Wiseman (2010), Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker (2011), Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (2012), Errol Morris (2013), Alex Gibney (2014), Stanley Nelson (2015) and Werner Herzog (2016).
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ON A KNIFE EDGE Coming of Age and Activism Doc on American Indian Young Man to World Premiere at SF DocFest

On A Knife Edge, from director Jeremy Williams, a documentary film five years in the making, follows Guy Dull Knife and his son, George, as George comes of age on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation. The film will world premiere June 10 and June 15 at the 16th annual San Francisco Documentary Film Festival. “On a Knife Edge” is a father-son story about Guy and George Dull Knife that unfolds over the course of George’s coming-of-age journey. Under his father’s guidance, George becomes an activist and organizer, and begins identifying with the role of traditional Lakota warrior, which he views as his family legacy. He commits himself to the fight for social justice, but struggles with adapting the old ways and his father’s expectations to the modern-day realities of growing up on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Told largely through George’s eyes, the film offers a privileged glimpse into the youngest generation of the American Indian Movement, as well as George’s own evolving notions of Native identity, manhood, and duty. His story is interwoven with animated sequences that depict five generations of family history, narrated by his father and based on paintings he has created to explore the continuum of their fight through the generations.
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First Round of Films Announced for 2017 Damn These Heels Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_22366" align="aligncenter" width="1201"] Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall[/caption] The 2017 Damn These Heels Film Festival taking place July 14 to 16, 2017 in Utah at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, revealed the first round of films selected for the festival. The festival features independent, documentary, and foreign films from around the world that explore LGBTQ issues, ideas, and art. The Festival will open with Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall by director Katherine Fairfax Wright. The film follows Todrick Hall as he launches his most ambitious project yet: the full-scale original musical, Straight Outta Oz. Patrick Hubley, Director of Programming for the Utah Film Center said, “Through Damn These Heels screenings and events we hope to continue to foster the spirit of inclusion, unity, and tenacity in the Utah community. These films from all over the world show that now more than ever we need to celebrate our shared humanity no matter our race or sexual orientation. These stories need to be told and we cannot wait to kick off our 14th year with such a thought-provoking program.” The first round of films selected to screen in the 2017 Damn These Heels Festival are: Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall / USA (Director: Katherine Fairfax Wright) Todrick Hall launches his most ambitious project yet: the full-scale original musical, Straight Outta Oz. From a small town in Texas to big-time show business, comes an inspiring documentary of grit, perseverance and the redemptive power of art. We watch him struggle to write songs about growing up gay and black in small-town Texas, his difficult relationship with his mom, and the harsh realities of trying to make it in show business. With limited time and budget the odds are against him, but Todrick’s passion and his team of talented performers overcome all obstacles to bring this story to the world. Utah Premiere Official Selection: 2017 SXSW Film Festival, 2017 Outfest *Opening Night Film **Director Katherine Fairfax Wright will attend the festival for a guided discussion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d7geWHf1x8 Free Cece / USA (Director: Jacqueline Gares) – CeCe McDonald survived a brutal attack, only to be incarcerated for defending her life. After an international movement to free her, CeCe emerged as a leader to interrogate the prison industrial complex and inspire women to fight back when attacked. Utah Premiere Cast: CeCe McDonald, Laverne Cox Audience Award Winner: Feature Documentary – 2016 Blackstar Film Festival I Dream In Another Language / Mexico/Netherlands (Director: Ernesto Contreras) – A young linguist travels to the jungle of Mexico to research a language on the verge of disappearing. Once there, he discoverers its last two speakers clashed 50 years ago, and have refused to speak to each other since. Attempting to reunite them, the researcher discovers a secret past—and a forbidden gay love story. Cast: Fernando Álvarez Rebeil, Eligio Meléndez, Manuel Poncelis, Fátima Molina, Juan Pablo De Santiago, Hoze Meléndez Winner: Audience Award World Cinema (Dramatic) – 2017 Sundance Film Festival Political Animals / USA (Director: John Markowitz, Tracy Wares) – A rousing documentary charting the unstoppable force of four lesbian legislators in California who’ve been fighting for LGBT rights and recognition for decades. Utah Premiere Cast: Carole Migden, Sheila Kuehl, Jackie Goldberg, Christine Kehoe Winner: Audience Award – 2016 Los Angeles Film Festival, Provincetown International Film Festival and 8 other awards. Pushing Dead / USA (Director: Tom E. Brown) – When a struggling writer, HIV-positive for 20+ years, accidentally deposits a $100 birthday check, he is dropped from his health plan for earning too much. In this new era of sort-of universal care, can he take on a helpless bureaucracy or come up with $3000 a month to buy his meds on his own? Utah Premiere Cast: James Roday, Robin Weigert, Danny Glover, Khandi Alexander, Tom Riley Winner: Audience Award – Frameline 40; 2016 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival; 2017 Ashland Independent Film Festival; 2016 Fresno Reel Pride Film Festival Signature Move / USA (Director: Jennifer Reeder ) – A hilarious and heartfelt look at modern families and the complexities of love in its many forms. Utah Premiere Cast: Fawzia Mirza, Shabana Azmi, Sari Sanchez, Audrey Francis, Charin Alvarez Official Selection: 2017 SXSW Film Festival The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin / USA (Director: Jennifer M. Kroot) – Celebrates one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels inspired millions to reclaim their lives. Utah Premiere Audience Award Winner: Documentary Spotlight – 2017 SXSW Film Festival; Jury Award: Best Documentary – 2017 OUTSHINE Film Festival
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ELLE Producer Michel Merkt to Receive Locarno’s 2017 Best Independent Producer Award

Swiss producer Michel Merkt will receive the 2017 The Best Independent Producer Award “Raimondo Rezzonico” at the Locarno Film Festival. Proof of Michel Merkt’s instincts was offered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, which screened no less than 8 feature films in which he was involved, including: Elle by Paul Verhoeven, twofold César winner in 2017 for Best Film and for Isabelle Huppert as Best Female Lead, as well as an Academy Awards 2017 nomination for Best Actress; the Franco-Swiss cartoon Ma vie de Courgette by Claude Barras from Sion (Canton Valais), co-produced with Pauline Gygax’s and Max Karli’s production company Rita, another recent Oscar nominee and winner of a César for Best Animated Film; and Juste la fin du monde, directed by Xavier Dolan, winner of the Jury Grand Prix and Ecumenical Jury Prize at Cannes 2016, with an impressive line-up of stars such as Nathalie Baye, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard and Léa Seydoux. He also collaborated with director Walter Hill, to produce The Assignment, starring Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez. The 70th Locarno Festival will be held from August 2 to 12, 2017.
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Nastassja Kinski to be Guest of Honor at Locarno Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_22356" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Nastassja Kinski[/caption] Nastassja Kinski will be guest of honor at the 70th Locarno Film Festival. She will be presenting Cat People, Paul Schrader’s remake of the horror classic by French director Jacques Tourneur, dedicatee of this year’s Retrospective at Locarno. From the outset of her career, Nastassja Kinski has appeared in films that have become part of cinema history. She was a muse for directors such as Wim Wenders, in Falsche Bewegung (1975) and Paris, Texas (1982), or for Roman Polanski in Tess (1979), and played opposite great actors like Marcello Mastroianni, Gérard Depardieu, Harvey Keitel, Robert Mitchum and Al Pacino. In Paul Schrader’s take on Cat People (1982), adapted from the 1942 masterpiece by Jacques Tourneur, Kinski’s remarkable performance captures the ambiguous, mutant nature of the character originally played by Simone Simon. The venue for the Locarno Retrospective on French iconic filmmaker Jacques Tourneur (1904 – 1977) will be the city’s historic Rex theater, now fully refurbished and ready to re-open for the 70th Festival under its new name, GranRex. The 70th Locarno Festival will be held from August 2nd to 12th, 2017.
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Sheffield Doc/Fest Unveils Music Films in Doc/Rythm Film Lineup

[caption id="attachment_22354" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Bruk Out![/caption] This year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest will feature energetic portraits of dance, music and contemporary culture in the Doc/Rhythm film strand, plus at the Festival’s parties and talks, special guests and live appearances will celebrate resistance, subculture and 50 Years of the Sexual Offences Act. A number of world premieres in the film program feature stories from the music scene – Roy Gurwitz will attend for Sofia Ollins’ Lost In Vagueness; the raw, energetic world of Jamaican Dancehall culture is explored in Bruk Out!, followed by a Dancehall Dance Class with one of the film participants in Tudor Square; and director Yony Leyser will attend for Queercore: How to Punk a Revolution about the 1980s queer fanzine scene and features the stories of Kim Gordon, Peaches, Kathleen Hanna and more. This year a celebration of queer and subculture runs throughout the Festival from opening night Queerama by Daisy Asquith followed by a short performance from John Grant and parties with DJs Cate Le Bon, Jonny Slut and performance by Skinny Girl Diet. Years and Years frontman Olly Alexander will also appear at the Festival to talk about his BBC 3 documentary: Olly Alexander: Growing Up Gay (working title) which explores why the gay community can be vulnerable to mental health issues and talks about his own long-term battle with depression. Also ahead of the World Premiere at Sadler’s Wells later in June, the Festival will present a Special Work-in-Progress Preview of 8 Minutes by Alexander Whitley Dance Company featuring a stunning installation of high-definition imagery from BAFTA award-winning visual artist Tal Rosner, and a specially created score by the electroacoustic music innovator Daniel Wohl.
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THE LOST CITY OF CECIL B. DEMILLE Wins Top Award at 2017 Archaeology Channel International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_22086" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille[/caption] The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille directed by Peter L. Brosnan won the top award – Best Film award at the 2017 Archaeology Channel International Film Festival which took place in Eugene, Oregon, at the Shedd Institute. The Festival featured many of the world’s best films on archaeology and cultural heritage The top jury award (Best Film by Jury) went to The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (Produced by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; directed by Peter L. Brosnan; distributed by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; USA), about a thirty-year battle to prove the existence of a “Lost City,” the monumental movie set built by Cecil B. DeMille for his 1923 silent film, The Ten Commandments, culminating in the world’s first archaeological excavation of a movie set. Representatives of this film described the movie-making process for this film and conducted Q&A for the audience. The Festival jury awarded three Special Mention awards. The Grand Masters of the Chauvet Cave (Produced by Andana Films; directed by Christian Tran; distributed by Andana Films; France) won special mention for promoting awareness of Paleolithic cave art. Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect (Produced by Stéphane Milliere, Gedeon Programmes; directed by Marc Jampolsky; distributed by Terranoa; France) was noted for furthering awareness of architectural history. Stone Age Cinema (Produced by MC4 Productions; directed by Pascal Cuissot and Marc Azema; distributed by ZED; France) impressed the jury with its excellent use of image and imagination in the interpretation of Paleolithic cave art. The Festival audience picked Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, and Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA) as its favorite film. This NOVA film updates the curious story of Oetzi the “Iceman,” Europe’s oldest known natural mummy, murdered more than 5,000 years ago. The following is a complete list of TAC Festival 2017 awards:
Best Film (by Jury)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (Produced by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; directed by Peter L. Brosnan; distributed by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; USA)
Honorable Mention for Best Film Category (in order):
The Destruction of Memory (Produced and directed by Tim Slade; distributed by Autlook Filmsales; USA) Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA) Stone Age Cinema (Produced by MC4 Productions, Jean-Pierre Bailly; directed by Pascal Cuissot and Marc Azema; distributed by ZED; France) The Grand Masters of the Chauvet Cave (Produced by Andana Films; directed by Christian Tran; distributed by Andana Films; France)
Best Narration (by Jury)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (Produced by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; directed by Peter L. Brosnan; distributed by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; USA)
Honorable Mention for Narration (in order):
Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, and Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA) Vikings Unearthed (Produced by Eamon Hardy for WGBH NOVA; directed by Harvey Lilley; distributed by BBC Worldwide; UK) Prayers Long Silent (Produced and directed by Dan Frodsham; distributed by Nanyang Technological University Singapore; UK) Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect (Produced by Stéphane Milliere, Gedeon Programmes; directed by Marc Jampolsky; distributed by Terranoa; France)
Best Animation & Effects (by Jury)
Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, and Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA)
Honorable Mention for Animation & Special Effects (in order):
Naachtun: The Forgotten Mayan City (Produced by Les Films a Cinq; directed by Stephanie Begoin; distributed by Les Films a Cinq; France) Mia (Produced by Spotted Fawn Productions, Inc; directed by Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett; distributed by Winnipeg Film Group; Canada) Stone Age Cinema (Produced by MC4 Productions; directed by Pascal Cuissot and Marc Azema; distributed by ZED; France) Fatal Alchemy (Produced and directed by Martin Freeth; distributed by British Medical Journal; UK)
Best Public Education Value (by Jury)
The Destruction of Memory (Produced and directed by Tim Slade; distributed by Autlook Filmsales; USA)
Honorable Mention for Public Education Value (in order):
The Grand Masters of the Chauvet Cave (Produced by Andana Films; directed by Christian Tran; distributed by Andana Films; France) Stone Age Cinema (Produced by MC4 Productions; directed by Pascal Cuissot and Marc Azema; distributed by ZED; France) The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (Produced by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; directed by Peter L. Brosnan; distributed by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; USA) Honey Hunters (Produced by Ira Rakiz Tuffile; directed by Abdul Hamid Abdullah; distributed by National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS); Malaysia)
Best Script (by Jury)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (Produced by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; directed by Peter L. Brosnan; distributed by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; USA)
Honorable Mention for Script (in order):
Fatal Alchemy (Produced and directed by Martin Freeth; distributed by British Medical Journal; UK) Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect (Produced by Stéphane Milliere, Gedeon Programmes; directed by Marc Jampolsky; distributed by Terranoa; France) Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, and Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA) Honey Hunters (Produced by Ira Rakiz Tuffile; directed by Abdul Hamid Abdullah; distributed by National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS); Malaysia)
Best Cinematography (by Jury)
My Name is Salt (Produced and directed by Farida Pacha; distributed by Documentary Educational Resources; India)
Honorable Mention for Cinematography (in order):
Fatal Alchemy (Produced and directed by Martin Freeth; distributed by British Medical Journal; UK) The Grand Masters of the Chauvet Cave (Produced by Andana Films; directed by Christian Tran; distributed by Andana Films; France) Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, and Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA) Naachtun: The Forgotten Mayan City (Produced by Les Films a Cinq; directed by Stephanie Begoin; distributed by Les Films a Cinq; France)
Best Music (by Jury)
Nowruz in Tajikistan (Produced by Documentary and Experimental Film Center; directed by Mehdi Bemani; distributed by Documentary and Experimental Film Center; Iran)
Honorable Mention for Music (in order):
Fatal Alchemy (Produced and directed by Martin Freeth; distributed by British Medical Journal; UK) Mia (Produced by Spotted Fawn Productions Inc; directed by Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett; distributed by Winnipeg Film Group; Canada) Prayers Long Silent (Produced and directed by Dan Frodsham; distributed by Nanyang Technological University Singapore; UK) Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect (Produced by Stéphane Milliere, Gedeon Programmes; directed by Marc Jampolsky; distributed by Terranoa; France)
Most Inspirational (by Jury)
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (Produced by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; directed by Peter L. Brosnan; distributed by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; USA)
Honorable Mention for Inspiration (in order):
The Grand Masters of the Chauvet Cave (Produced by Andana Films; directed by Christian Tran; distributed by Andana Films; France) Stone Age Cinema (Produced by MC4 Productions; directed by Pascal Cuissot and Marc Azema; distributed by ZED; France) Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, and Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA) Gyptis: A Greco-Massalian Boat Dating Back to the 6th Century BC (Produced and directed by Antoine Chene; distributed by Antoine Chene; France)
Audience Favorite Competition (by Festival audience)
Iceman Reborn (Produced by Bonnie Brennan, Paula Apsell, Julia Cort, and Chris Schmidt; directed by Bonnie Brennan; distributed by PBS; USA)
Honorable Mention in Audience Favorite Competition (in order):
My Name is Salt (Produced and directed by Farida Pacha; distributed by Documentary Educational Resources; India) The Grand Masters of the Chauvet Cave (Produced by Andana Films; directed by Christian Tran; distributed by Andana Films; France) The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille (Produced by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; directed by Peter L. Brosnan; distributed by Peter L. Brosnan and Daniel J. Coplan; USA) Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect (Produced by Stéphane Milliere, Gedeon Programmes; directed by Marc Jampolsky; distributed by Terranoa; France)
Special Mention (by Jury)
The Grand Masters of the Chauvet Cave (Produced by Andana Films; directed by Christian Tran; distributed by Andana Films; France); for Promoting Awareness of Paleolithic Cave Art Chambord: The Castle, the King and the Architect (Produced by Stéphane Milliere, Gedeon Programmes; directed by Marc Jampolsky; distributed by Terranoa; France); for Furthering Awareness of Architectural History Stone Age Cinema (Produced by MC4 Productions; directed by Pascal Cuissot and Marc Azema; distributed by ZED; France); for Excellent Use of Image and Imagination in the Interpretation of Paleolithic Cave Art
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