Montclair Film announced the winners of the 2017 Emerging Filmmaker Competition (EFC), a program that screens work by students in grades 4-12 from the Tri-State Area and beyond. This year, over 90 films were submitted in three categories: Cinemaniacs (grades 4-6), Storytellers (grades 7-9), and Visionaries (grades 10-12). Winning films were selected by a group of educators and industry professionals, and all winning films will be screened at the Montclair Film Festival’s EFC Showcase on Saturday, April 29, at 11:00 a.m. at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ.
Montclair Film has also selected 15 students from across the area to participate in the Montclair Film Festival’s Junior Jury. The jurors will review a selection of films, meet with industry professionals to learn about the process of jury deliberation, adjudicate, and select a winning film for the festival’s Junior Jury Award, to be given on Saturday, May 6th, 2017.
The Montclair Film Festival, in conjunction with the Montclair Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC), will also be featuring two Sensory Friendly screenings for families this year. Sensory friendly screenings feature lowered sound, raised house lights, and the freedom for young people with sensory sensitivities to move, speak, and view films in a friendly, judgement-free environment. This year’s screenings will be INTO THE WHO KNOWS!, screening Sunday, April 30 at 11:00 a.m. at the Clairidge (suggested for children ages 6 and up), and SWIM TEAM on Friday, May 5 at 4:30 p.m. at the Bellevue (suggested for ages 12 and up).
The Montclair Film Festival will also feature a public art reception on Saturday, May 6 at 2:00 p.m. at the Investors Bank Film & Media Center, showcasing a collaborative student Air/Water Art Installation, co-presented by the Montclair Cooperative School that focuses on this year’s Community Climate Action Campaign. The piece, featuring thousands of re-purposed plastic bottles and mixed materials, will be on display throughout the Montclair Film Festival on the rear façade of the building, located at 505 Bloomfield Avenue. The reception is free and open to the public.
“As our Education programs continue to grow, we’re incredibly proud of these students, both as filmmakers and film lovers,” said Montclair Film Education Director Sue Hollenberg. “We remain dedicated to creating meaningful experiences for students of all ages, and the diversity and reach of these programs are a demonstration of our commitment to teaching the art of film. We congratulate all of our students on their outstanding work.”
Film Festivals
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Montclair Film Announces Student Winners of 2017 Emerging Filmmaker Competition
Montclair Film announced the winners of the 2017 Emerging Filmmaker Competition (EFC), a program that screens work by students in grades 4-12 from the Tri-State Area and beyond. This year, over 90 films were submitted in three categories: Cinemaniacs (grades 4-6), Storytellers (grades 7-9), and Visionaries (grades 10-12). Winning films were selected by a group of educators and industry professionals, and all winning films will be screened at the Montclair Film Festival’s EFC Showcase on Saturday, April 29, at 11:00 a.m. at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ.
Montclair Film has also selected 15 students from across the area to participate in the Montclair Film Festival’s Junior Jury. The jurors will review a selection of films, meet with industry professionals to learn about the process of jury deliberation, adjudicate, and select a winning film for the festival’s Junior Jury Award, to be given on Saturday, May 6th, 2017.
The Montclair Film Festival, in conjunction with the Montclair Special Education Parents Advisory Council (SEPAC), will also be featuring two Sensory Friendly screenings for families this year. Sensory friendly screenings feature lowered sound, raised house lights, and the freedom for young people with sensory sensitivities to move, speak, and view films in a friendly, judgement-free environment. This year’s screenings will be INTO THE WHO KNOWS!, screening Sunday, April 30 at 11:00 a.m. at the Clairidge (suggested for children ages 6 and up), and SWIM TEAM on Friday, May 5 at 4:30 p.m. at the Bellevue (suggested for ages 12 and up).
The Montclair Film Festival will also feature a public art reception on Saturday, May 6 at 2:00 p.m. at the Investors Bank Film & Media Center, showcasing a collaborative student Air/Water Art Installation, co-presented by the Montclair Cooperative School that focuses on this year’s Community Climate Action Campaign. The piece, featuring thousands of re-purposed plastic bottles and mixed materials, will be on display throughout the Montclair Film Festival on the rear façade of the building, located at 505 Bloomfield Avenue. The reception is free and open to the public.
“As our Education programs continue to grow, we’re incredibly proud of these students, both as filmmakers and film lovers,” said Montclair Film Education Director Sue Hollenberg. “We remain dedicated to creating meaningful experiences for students of all ages, and the diversity and reach of these programs are a demonstration of our commitment to teaching the art of film. We congratulate all of our students on their outstanding work.”
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New York African Film Festival themed “The Peoples’ Revolution” Unveils Lineup, will Open with South African Film VAYA
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Vaya[/caption]
The Film Society of Lincoln Center and African Film Festival, Inc. have joined forces once again, to present the 24th New York African Film Festival, themed “The Peoples’ Revolution,” and taking place May 3 to 9, 2017. The festival’s theme, “The Peoples’ Revolution,” taps into the pulse of protest and the calls for change bubbling up throughout the peoples of the world, a reform charge championed by a new wave of artists throughout Africa and its diaspora.
The festival continues throughout May at Lehman College, Maysles Cinema, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcinématek. Across these venues, the festival will present a total of 25 feature-length films and 36 short films from 25 countries—celebrated African films from the continent and the diaspora.
Opening Night will see the U.S. premiere of award-winning South African director Akin Omotoso’s Vaya, a moving film about three strangers on a train to the city whose lives eventually collide. The film won the Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Film at the 2016 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) and took the Best Screenplay prize at Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards in 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKqTa8i1jCg
Ethiopian filmmaker Sewmehon Yismaw’s drama Ewir Amora Kelabi will have its world premiere as the Centerpiece selection on Friday, May 5. Based on a true story, this remarkable tale is about one’s journey to find a better life and honor one’s family, highlighting the plight of displaced people worldwide.
Other films taking up this theme include the Tunisian dramedy Zizou, set at the outset of the Arab Spring; the South African drama Kalushi, based on a true story during the Soweto uprisings; the South African documentary Uprize!, about a peaceful protest of the apartheid government of South Africa in the 1970s that turned into a slaughter; the documentary Malcolm X: Struggle for Freedom, a rarely screened repertory title chronicling the American leader as he took on global issues; and Footprints of Pan-Africanism, a documentary on the role of Africans in the independence movement.
The FSLC segment concludes with “Art and Activism: Personal Journeys,” a town hall event with artists of various disciplines discussing how their art serves as activism, at the Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center Amphitheater. It includes a digital art exhibition exploring dance and movement via virtual reality.
Following its opening at Film Society of Lincoln Center, the NYAFF heads to other New York City institutions throughout May. On May 10, the festival presents an evening of film and discussion at Lehman College in the Bronx, in conjunction with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media Entertainment’s inaugural “One Book, One New York” program. On May 19, the festival lands at Maysles Cinema in Harlem for a three-day program of documentaries. As is its tradition, the festival concludes over Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-29) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAMcinématek) as part of its popular dance and music festival DanceAfrica.
FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS
All screenings take place at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center (144 West 65th Street) unless otherwise noted Opening Night Vaya Akin Omotoso, South Africa, 2016, 115m Zulu with English subtitles Three strangers on a train traveling from the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal to Johannesburg are bound by interlocking destinies. Nkulu (Sibusiso Msimang), charged with retrieving his father’s remains from the capital for burial, is unaware that a whole other set of relatives have their own plans. Zanele (Zimkhitha Nyoka), chaperoning a young girl en route to reuniting with her singer mother, is given an exciting offer to appear on television that may be more than meets the eye. Nhlanhla (Sihle Xaba), excited by the prospect of getting rich quick, gets caught up in criminal activities. Imagine a South African spin on Amores Perros and you’re on the right path. U.S. Premiere Centerpiece Ewir Amora Kelabi Sewmehon Yismaw, Ethiopia, 2016, 85m Amharic with English subtitles Based on a true story, this film chronicles the life of Major Tibebu Mesfin, who worked for the Dergue Regime in Ethiopia. During this time of ideological struggle and infighting among the regime’s leadership, Tibebu disappears and his wife is captured, imprisoned, and tortured. Years later, fueled by a deep-seated desire to help his ailing mother, Tibebu’s son leaves the town of Gonder to search for work. The result is an unpredictable adventure, the story of how far one man will go to fulfill his destiny, and a tale for the ages about the resilience of the human spirit. World Premiere Preceded by: Hairat Harari and Oromiffa with English subtitles Jessica Beshir, Ethiopia, 2016, 7m For the past 35 years, Yussuf Mume Saleh journeys at night to the outskirts of the walled city of Harar to bond with his beloved hyenas. New York Premiere Ayiti Mon Amour Guetty Felin, Haiti, 2016, 88m Haitian Creole, French, and Japanese with English subtitles Set in Haiti five years after the devastating 2010 earthquake, Guetty Felin’s magical realist tale avoids the kinds of images of the disaster that saturated screens around the world. In his depiction of young Orphée’s grief over the loss of his father beneath the rubble of decimated buildings (represented in ghostly images that float beneath the ocean’s surface), Felin refuses to tell a story of victimhood. Instead, she gives the narrative back to the Haitian people, whose lives cannot be reduced headlines. And as her characters begin to heal, Felin suggests that the island will too. Co-presented with Cinema Tropical. Preceded by: Jojolo Lebert Bethune, Jamaica/USA, 1966, 12m A subtle study of cultural identity following a graceful young woman of Haitian descent who works as a fashion model and actress in cosmopolitan Paris. Cool, light, and lyrical in style, Bethune’s portrait has a deft thematic touch. Footprints of Pan-Africanism Shirikiana Gerima, USA, 2017, 90m The documentary Footprints of Pan-Africanism revisits the era of Ghana’s emergence into independence, when Africans on the continent and in the diaspora participated in building a liberated territory. This movement, rooted in the determination to reassert black people’s humanity and recover from the impact of slavery and colonialism, constituted an essential, indispensable part of the global Pan-African vision for liberation, which in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s ushered in no less than a black political and cultural revolution. Footprints ultimately celebrates the challenges young generations continue to pose to those who have yet to pick up the baton of the great Pan-African dreamers. Co-presented with Africa-America Institute. New York Premiere Preceded by: Accra Power Sandra Krampelhuber, Austria/Ghana, 2016, 49m Accra Power focuses on the creative and artistic strategies of young Ghanaians situated at the crossroads of tradition and various belief systems, high technological and economic growth, infrastructural deficits and current energy crisis. U.S. Premiere Green White Green Abba Makama, Nigeria, 2016, 102m English and Pidgin with English subtitles Shot on location in Lagos, Green White Green humorously explores social and political views commonly held throughout Nigeria, with each character representing one of the country’s three major ethnic groups. A story about classism and how people from different economic and cultural backgrounds think and behave, Green White Green plays with stereotypes to illustrate just how similar we are despite our diversity and prejudices. New York Premiere Kalushi Mandla Dube, South Africa, 2016, 110m English, Afrikaans, and Tsotsi-taal with English subtitles Kalushi is a true story about Solomon Mahlangu, a 19-year-old hawker from the streets of Mamelodi, a ghetto township outside Pretoria, South Africa. After being brutally beaten by police during the 1976 Soweto uprisings, he goes into exile and joins the liberation movement; a series of violent events lead Mahlangu on a journey that culminates in his being forced to stand trial for his life, using the courtroom as his final battlefield. A hero of the struggle against apartheid, Mahlangu would become an international icon of South Africa’s liberation. U.S. Premiere Kemtiyu, Cheikh Anta Ousmane William Mbaye, Senegal, 2016, 94m In Wolof and French with English subtitles “The Universal Man,” “The Capital Contemporary,” “The Giant of Knowledge,” “The Last Pharaoh”: those were some of the newspaper headlines the day after the death of Senegalese historian, doctor, and politician Cheikh Anta Diop on February 7, 1986. Kemtiyu is a portrait of this trailblazing scholar—venerated by some, derided by others, and unknown to most—an honest, enlightened political figure who had an insatiable thirst for science and knowledge. New York Premiere Mapantsula Oliver Schmitz, South Africa, 1988, 100m In English, Sotho, Zulu, and Afrikaans with English subtitles Mapantsula was the first anti-apartheid feature film made by, for, and about black South Africans. Filmed inside Soweto, scored to the urban beat of “Township Jive” music, it has been called a South African The Harder They Come. Mapantsula tells the story of Panic, a petty gangster who gets caught up in the growing anti-apartheid struggle and has to choose between individual gain and standing united with others against the system. This film gives viewers an insider’s tour of township life and a taste of the vibrant popular cinema to come promised by the new, democratic South Africa. Noem My Skollie (Call Me Thief) Daryne Joshua, South Africa, 2016, 125m Afrikaans with English subtitles Daryne Joshua’s debut feature is a portrait of life on the mean streets of Cape Town’s lawless Cape Flats in the 1960s. Barely into their teens, Abraham and his three friends form a gang, more out of self-preservation than malice. As they grow up, Abraham (now played by the intense Dann-Jacques Mouton) and his gang turn to petty thievery. After he is arrested, Abraham’s storytelling abilities protect him from the worst that prison life has to offer. Once he’s out, he hopes to reunite with his childhood sweetheart and get his stories down on paper—if, that is, his gang friends and society give him a chance. Noem My Skollie is both a tribute to the human need for stories—and storytellers—and a realistic look at youth gang behavior. U.S. Premiere Play the Devil Maria Govan, Trinidad, 2016, 90m In Play the Devil, the prevailing poverty and lush beauty of Trinidad and the pulsating rhythms of Carnival are backdrop to a story where dreams and obsession collide. Gifted 18-year-old Gregory is his family’s only hope for financial success. When the naive young man meets James, a powerful, affluent businessman offering friendship and guidance, his world spins out of control. As James’s persistent advances become more intrusive and menacing, Gregory’s initial compliance changes to rejection and the fallout threatens to ruin his future and expose his secrets. Gregory and James face each other once again—on Carnival Monday, when young men cover themselves in blue paint, dress as devils, and become lost in the frenzy of drumming and howling. Co-presented with Cinema Tropical. Uprize! Sifiso Khanyile, South Africa, 2016, 58m On the morning of June 16, 1976, students gathered to protest the use of the Afrikaans language in schools. What started out as a planned peaceful march turned into a bloody confrontation with the police. The student protests spread to other parts of South Africa, causing an economic instability that rapidly plunged the country into crisis. Uprize! looks at the political, social, and cultural conditions that shaped the uprising, how those ideas we transformed into liberatory action, and how those actions helped shape the democratic society we live in today. U.S. Premiere Preceded by: Malcolm X: Struggle for Freedom Lebert Bethune, Jamaica/USA, 1967, 20m Bethune’s film portrays Malcolm X at a time when his views were evolving to include what was going on in the world at large. It features interviews filmed during Malcolm X’s trip to Europe and Africa shortly before his assassination in the United States, interspersed with scenes of African rebellion. Zizou Férid Boughedir, Tunisia/ France, 2016, 99m Arabic and French with English subtitles In Boughedir’s tale of an unlikely hero, young college graduate Aziz, nicknamed “Zizou,” leaves his village on the border of Sahara for the capital in quest of a job. After he becomes a satellite-dish installer, interacting with people from all walks of life, he falls madly in love with a young woman who has ties to a mafia group working closely with the governmental regime. His quest to set her free becomes his reason for living, and he proceeds unconsciously into the growing tide of a revolution about to wash over Tunisia. U.S. PremiereSHORTS PROGRAMS
Shorts Program 1: Quartier Lointains: Justice Total runtime: 87m The following selection was curated by the traveling shorts program Quartiers Lointains, which highlights films from distant quarters throughout Africa. 80 Muhannad Lamin, Libya, 2012, 6m Lamin’s 80 depicts a man on the two most important days of his life: the day he gets caught and imprisoned and the day he escapes. U.S. Premiere The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375 Omar El Zohairy, Egypt, 2014, 18m Aftermath is an adaptation of Death of a Government Clerk, a short story by Anton Chekhov that takes a metaphorical approach to the idea of fear. U.S. Premiere Kanye Kanye Miklas Manneke, South Africa, 2013, 26m In a South African township, where an argument over whether red or green apples are better causes the greatest divide in the town’s history, a young man, Thomas, falls in love with Thandi, who falls into the opposite camp. U.S. Premiere Madama Esther Luck Razanajaona, Madagascar, 2013, 15m After getting fired, Mrs. Esther, a housekeeper in her fifties, may no longer be able to bring her grandson to the sea. So to make extra money, she agrees to harbor clandestine cockfights in her yard. U.S. Premiere A Place for Myself Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, Rwanda, 2016, 22m Five-year-old albino girl Elikia is made to feel unwanted by her classmates and neighbors. But her mother encourages her to embrace her differences. Together, they stand up for themselves and fight back against discrimination. U.S. Premiere Shorts Program 2: Shorts from Senegal Total runtime: 101m Marabout Alassane Sy, Senegal, 2016, 18m Wolof and French with English subtitles Marabout is the story of a police detective in Dakar who pursues a group of street kids after they steal from him, only to learn about the dangers they are exposed to in their daily lives. U.S. Premiere Boxing Girl Iman Djionne, Senegal, 2016, 26m Wolof and French with English subtitles Boxing Girl is a coming-of-age tale about a bored 17-year-old hairdresser who finds red boxing gloves after getting hit by a motorbike in Dakar. As soon as she puts them on, she gets mysteriously carried all over the city. U.S. Premiere Dem! Dem! Pape Bouname Lopy, Marc Recchia, Christophe Rolin, Senegal, 2016, 26m Wolof and French with English subtitles A Senegalese fisherman finds a Belgian passport on a beach in Dakar and decides to use it. He soon crosses paths with N’Zibou, a wise man who measures the clouds and questions the man about his search for identity. Maman(s) Maïmouna Doucouré, Senegal/France, 2016, 20m French with English subtitles The lives of eight-year-old Aida and her family, who live in an apartment in the Parisian suburbs, are turned upside down when the girl’s father returns from their home country of Senegal—and he is not alone. Samedi Cinema Mamadou Dia, USA, 2017, 11m Wolof and French with English subtitles Two young Senegalese boys’ friendship is tested after they are determined to see one last film at the town movie theater before it closes. Shorts Program 3: New York Shorts Total runtime: 89m Adam & Howa Sarra Idris, Sudan, 2015, 8m A couple’s story becomes a metaphor for the relationship between the Sudanese diaspora who fled the country after political turmoil and those who were left behind. U.S. Premiere Farewell Meu Amor Ekwa Msangi, Tanzania/USA, 2016, 10m On the morning of the long-awaited reunion with his exiled family, a man is faced with the heartbreak of a different type—of parting from his lover. U.S. Premiere My Third Eye Nova Scott-James, USA, 2016, 4m This silent meditation on the relationship between a little girl and the male family member sexually abusing her examines the pain of intergenerational black familial trauma, but also the gift of spiritual independence. U.S. Premiere Rest in Power, Malik Carmichael S. Ajay Ram, USA, 2014, 11m In this experimental short, eulogizing the life of 16-year-old Malik, a hypothetical teenager from the west side of Harlem, documentary-style interviews with Malik’s friends and family piece together the exceptional existence and senseless death of a black boy genius. New York Premiere Sketch Mariama Diallo, USA, 2017, 24m A police sketch artist believes he has stumbled upon the suspect from one of his drawings and that he must do the right thing. New York Premiere Ududeagu Akwaeke Emezi, Nigeria, 2014, 2m Igbo with English subtitles This contemporary visual folktale is rooted in concepts of loss, leaving, and loneliness. Emezi collaborated with her father to translate the voiceover, originally written in English, into Igbo, and narrated it herself as an exercise in engaging with the lost fluency of her language. U.S. Premiere Ṣoju Oluwaseun Babalola, USA/Botswana/Nigeria/Sierra Leone, 2016, 30m In this documentary, surfers, metal heads, and guerilla filmmakers explore their identities and culture in Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Nigeria. New York PremiereFREE EXHIBITION AND TOWN HALL EVENT
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater, 144 West 65th Street Digital Art Exhibition Afro Promo #1 (Kinglady) + Afripedia – Dance Battle 360° + Body Mechanics In Afro Promo #1 (Kinglady), performance artist and choreographer Nora Chipaumire explores the influence of comic book heroes on the American immigrant experience to unpack aspects of African masculinity and explore the creation of a Black, African, male-female superhero. This will be accompanied by a new, interactive piece from the Afripedia collective titled Afripedia – Dance Battle 360°, a virtual reality showcase of contemporary African street dance culture, an immersive experience that allows anyone, anywhere to experience dance from the continent firsthand; and Body Mechanics, a short experimental dance film by Brooklyn-based artist Keisha Knight remixing archival films by Thomas Edison to explore early cinema’s fascination with the exotic and the electric. Town Hall Event Art and Activism: Personal Journeys Join us for a panel featuring the most illustrious interdisciplinary artists from the international African diaspora, who will discuss the visual and social themes underscoring the festival. Guests include Zimbabwe-born, Brooklyn-based choreographer Nora Chipaumire (via Skype); Ethiopian and Eritrean film producers Teddy Goitom and Senay Berhe, who produced Afripedia; Darlene and Lizzy Okpo, designers of William Okpo; and Raquel Cepeda, filmmaker and author of Bird of Paradise.
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BMW, Red Bull, CHANEL, Square, Apple, Among 10 Finalists for Tribeca X Award at Tribeca Film Festival
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For Every Kind of Dream: Yassin Falafel (Brand: Square)[/caption]
Ten finalists, 9 short films and 1 Virtual Reality project, were selected from a field of 600 entries that represent the best in storytelling at the intersection of advertising and entertainment from the past year for the second annual Tribeca X Award at the upcoming 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. The award highlights excellence in creative, original and authentic storytelling that is sponsored or underwritten by a brand.
The selected projects were created by acclaimed filmmakers in partnership with a wide-ranging array of brands, including Apple, Beefeater, BMW, CHANEL, Diageo North America, Kenzo, Red Bull, Square, Visit Seattle, and YETI Coolers. The finalists include a futuristic short film with an A-list cast and action-packed driving stunts, a VR experience of an immersive play by “La Despensa” that follows the journey of Ulysses, a short film about a deaf choreographer who experiences and shares music and dance through waves of sound, and a short film that follows a bold woman’s climb to the tops of the Seven Summits. The selected projects can be viewed in a special section on TheAtlantic.com, created by Atlantic Re:think [theatlantic.com/sponsored/tribecax]. The winner will be announced during the Festival at a celebration and screening of the work on Monday, April 24, followed by a dinner supported by WHOSAY.
“Over the past year, branded content has grown leaps and bounds with an explosion of projects and collaborations. These finalists represent the best artist-brand pairings of the past year and demonstrate how authentic, original and creative storytelling truly rises above the rest,” said Andrew Essex, CEO of Tribeca Enterprises.
“Having partnered with some of the world’s most creative brands, Atlantic Re:think is an established arbiter of standout branded content,” said Hayley Romer, SVP and Publisher of The Atlantic. “It’s exciting to now have the opportunity to celebrate the best of the best across the industry – and bring this work to our audience, which has long embraced and engaged with brand storytelling.”
Eligible projects included scripted and documentary work for film, TV, digital, social, and virtual reality and/or augmented reality, in both feature and short length. The winner will be chosen by a jury that includes Joanna Coles, CCO at Hearst; Jae Goodman, CCO and Co-Head of Marketing of CAA; Tim & Eric (Comedy Duo) and Directors at PRETTYBIRD, Founders of Abso Lutely; Jenna Lyons, President and Creative Director of J.Crew; Eli Pariser, CEO of Upworthy; and a proprietary A.I. solution developed by Celtra, providing quantitative creative analysis based on performance data and insights from hundreds-of-thousands of video advertising campaigns powered by Celtra’s creative management platform.
The 10 finalists for the Tribeca X Award are:
BeefeaterXO
Brand: Beefeater
Directed by Jesús Hernandez
BeefeaterXO is an interactive experience inside the creative mind of the 3-Michelin-starred chef Dabiz Muñoz, where the viewer travels through 4 different cities in order to find the secrets behind the most avant-garde cocktails ever made.
Chris Fonseca: Keep It Moving
Brand: Diageo North America
Directed by Zachary Heinzerling
Deaf people are anything but disabled, and this film featuring the real story of deaf dancer Chris Fonseca proves it. Born profoundly deaf, Chris challenges the perceptions of disability as a social barrier by teaching his deaf students how to express themselves on the dance floor, inspiring self-confidence within them and pure awe in all of us.
The Escape
Brand: BMW
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
BMW Films were a groundbreaking series of eight short, online films released in 2001, starring Clive Owen as an enigmatic driver for hire who used a BMW for his thrilling exploits. To celebrate the film’s 15th anniversary, “The Escape” is a modern homage to the originals, with Clive Owen reprising his role as the driver and also starring Jon Bernthal and Dakota Fanning.
Five by Five
Brand: Visit Seattle
Directed by Terence Nance, Martha Stephens, Clea DuVall, Drew Christie and Ian Cheney
Five films by Five Filmmakers each exploring and celebrating Seattle through the lens of one of the five senses. Each film was conceived and directed by a celebrated independent filmmaker. The films cross genres including documentary, experimental, animation and scripted.
For Every Kind of Dream: Yassin Falafel
Brand: Square
Directed by Mohammad Gorjestani
Yassin Terou fled Syria with a suitcase and a few hundred dollars. He knew no one in Knoxville, Tennessee, and he spoke no English, but he went there to rebuild his life and pursue his dream of perfect falafel anyway. Every business starts with a dream, and Square exists to serve them—every kind of dream. “Yassin Falafel” is Square’s first short film chronicling their remarkable sellers and their tireless pursuit of their dreams.
JellyWolf
Brand: CHANEL
Directed by Alma Har’el
JellyWolf is a feminine-spiritual coming of age story told through notes of scent. CHANEL N°5 L’Eau speaks to a new woman, who are often portrayed as beautiful creatures whose only desire is to be desired. This film is to inspire young women to remember their voice and to see each other.
Mavens: Jocelyn Cooper
Brand: Red Bull
Directed by Salima Koroma
Jocelyn Cooper left the top of music industry to start a movement. She is a partner in AFROPUNK, a festival that unifies people through music, film, skate, and art. She inspires perseverance and empowers an underserved population, and that’s what makes her of a true maven.
The Realest Real
Brand: Kenzo
Directed by Carrie Brownstein
With social media ever more present in our lives, blurring the barriers between ordinary and instafamous, Kenzo invited writer and Director Carrie Brownstein to take a look at the invisible digital walls that separate us from our favorite stars, and the curious conceit of a dream come true.
Wasfia
Brand: Apple
Directed by Sean Kusanagi
As the first Bangladeshi to scale the Seven Summits, Wasfia Nazreen doesn’t just climb for the thrill; she climbs for the women of her country. Lyrical and poetic, this short documentary explores what it means to pursue the unknown.
Yeti Presents
Brand: YETI Coolers
John Shocklee: A Fairy Tale
Directed by Ryan Heffernan and Grayson Schaffer
Refusing to act his age has worked out well for John Shocklee. The 52 year old has devoted his life to doing what he loves. Powered by old school hip hop and fresh powder, Shocklee makes turns down untamed slopes with the freedom of a man half his age.
Soul of a City
Directed by Berndt Mader
Austin, TX has a rich artistic history sometimes not seen in a sea of new residents. Neon artist Evan Voyles represents the inventive spirit that makes Austin a creative haven, and his work continues to light up landmarks across our capital city.
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Cannes Film Festival Unveils Controversial Poster Featuring Italian Actress Claudia Cardinale
Here it is, the official poster of the 70th Cannes Film Festival featuring “full of joy” Italian film actress Claudia Cardinale.
The poster immediately received criticism in the French media and on social media accusing the festival of airbrushing the original image, taken in 1959, to make the actress look thinner.
Pour ceux qui veulent comparer avec la photo originale. #Cannes2017 #Cannes70 (v. @IMtheRookie) pic.twitter.com/f5MPsrD1Jq
— So Film (@So_Film) March 29, 2017
Claudia Cardinale appeared not bothered at all, reportedly calling the brouhaha “fake row“. She told the Huffington Post: “This image has been retouched to accentuate this effect of lightness and transpose me into a dream character. This concern for realism has no place here and, as a committed feminist, I see no affront to the female body. There are many more important things to discuss in our world. It’s only cinema.” ‘I am honored and proud to be flying the flag for the 70th Festival de Cannes,’ says Claudia Cardinale, and delighted with this choice of photo. It’s the image I myself have of the Festival, of an event that illuminates everything around. That dance on the rooftops of Rome was back in 1959. No one remembers the photographer’s name… I’ve also forgotten it. But this photo reminds me of my origins, and of a time when I never dreamed of climbing the steps of the world’s most famous cinema hall. Happy anniversary!’ With Monica Bellucci as Mistress of Ceremonies and Pedro Almodóvar as the President of the Jury, the Festival de Cannes will kick off on Wednesday May, 17, 2017 and runs through May 28, 2017.Why the need to alter Claudia Cardinale’s body so dramatically for #Cannes2017 official poster? pic.twitter.com/jvMEfejZUc
— Anna Rose Holmer (@BARFH) March 29, 2017
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Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam to Celebrate its 6th Edition, April 5 to 9
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The Other Side of Hope[/caption]
From April 5 through 9, 2017, Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam (CIFFR) will unspool for the sixth time in Willemstad. CIFFR presents an interesting mix of local and regional talent and highlights from IFFR 2017. Added to the mix are some fresh new titles that have kicked up a storm at other film festivals, such as Silver Bear winner The Other Side of Hope by Aki Kaurismäki, which opens the festival on April 5.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHjcWLCZuWs
The festival – an initiative by Fundashon Bon Intenshon organized in cooperation with International Film Festival Rotterdam – seeks to inspire film-lovers and help young film talent from the region to get ahead.
Festival director Bero Beyer: “We are particularly pleased that this festival is being realized for the sixth time: it is a feast of cinema and reflection. CIFFR is a wonderful opportunity to see the world from a different perspective thanks to the many beautiful visions cinema serves up to us. The combination of films that are setting the tone internationally with local filmmakers gives the festival extra sparkle and depth. We are thrilled that, in its sixth year, CIFFR enjoys such broad support, and is therefore able to make a wide audience enthusiastic about daring films.”
For the fifth time in succession, CIFFR will present the Yellow Robin Award Competition in which feature films by talented, up-and-coming filmmakers from the Caribbean and Latin America compete for the Yellow Robin Award. The nominees are Angélica by Marisol Gómez Mouakad (Puerto Rico); Bad Lucky Goat by Samir Oliveros (Colombia); El hombre que cuida (The Man Who Cares) by Alejandro Andújar (Dominican Republic); Keyla by Viviana Gómez Echeverry (Colombia) and Melocotones by Héctor M. Valdez (Dominican Republic). The winning film gets a spot in the Bright Future program at IFFR 2018, as well as at the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico. In addition, the Award comes with a $10,000 prize for the filmmaker.
A new feature of this sixth edition is the Caribbean Shorts Competition – the result of a cooperation initiated by the festival in 2016 with six film festivals from the region: in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago. These festivals exchange international professionals and organize workshops and competitions in order to share knowledge and experience. Each of these six festivals submitted a film for the inaugural edition of the Caribbean Shorts Competition. The winning short film will screen at all of the festivals.
But CIFFR offers much more alongside its competitions: such as the themed program Poetry in Motion; a series of music documentaries under the Music Calls banner; an extensive educational program; special film screenings in community centers and some twenty highlights of IFFR 2017, including Barry Jenkins’ audience smash hit Moonlight, as well as films such as Jackie by Pablo Larraín and Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson.
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Inaugural Tribeca Games Festival to Debut April 28 to 29 During Tribeca Film Fest
Tribeca Games is partnering with Kill Screen to launch the Tribeca Games Festival, an event to bring together New York City’s passionate gaming community.
The festival will include behind-the-scenes looks back at some of the most fascinating games of the past year, and conversations with cultural leaders and game industry insiders, including a conversation with legendary game creator, Hideo Kojima.
The inaugural Tribeca Games Festival will take place April 28-29 during the Tribeca Film Festival at The Tribeca Festival Hub at Spring Studios. The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 19-30.
The festival will kick off with the New York premiere of Telltale Games’ first-ever crowd play of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale series, Episode 1 and a concert headlined by British electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist Mura Masa.
The Tribeca Games Festival program includes “X Post Conversations,” a series of cross-cultural conversations, each pairing a creator from the gaming community with someone of equal stature from an outside field; “Retro Active,” a series of talks that take a look back on some of the greatest titles from 2016, exploring every element from art, design and sound to storytelling; “Sneak Peeks,” previews of new and unreleased work from some of the most dynamic independent game studios from around the world, and an interactive arcade allowing attendees to get hands-on with new and unreleased games.
Hideo Kojima is widely celebrated as the godfather of the stealth action game genre, having created theMetal Gear franchise 30 years ago this July. He was awarded the Game Developers Choice Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2009, inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Science’s Hall of Fame in February 2016 and, most recently received The Game Awards’ Industry Icon Award this past December. Hideo Kojima leads a robust schedule of conversations to take place at the Festival, including additional keynote conversations given by Quantum Break, Alan Wake and Max Payne creator Sam Lake and BioShock director/writer Ken Levine, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of virtual reality-themed movie The Lawnmower Man with filmmaker Brett Leonard, principal filmmaker for VR at Google Jessica Brillhart and Cy Wise from Job Simulator’s Owlchemy Labs, and discussions with developers of recent and upcoming games such as Overwatch, The Banner Saga, Firewatch, The Stanley Parable,Watch Dogs 2, What Remains of Edith Finch and several more.
In 2011, Tribeca was the first film festival to welcome gaming to the official program with the World Premiere of L.A. Noire, a detective-based Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3) game. It has continued to support artists in the gaming world with the premiere of Beyond: Two Souls, a PS3 fantasy role-playing game led by Oscar® nominee Ellen Page (2013); a panel series on innovation and storytelling in gaming with League of Legends’ designers, artists, producers, and musicians (2015); a partnership with Games for Change that illustrated how new and innovative platforms can serve the social good with participants including Morgan Spurlock, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn (A Path Appears), Chief Scientist of Oculus VR Michael Abrash, and the developers of Rovio’s blockbuster mobile game Angry Birds (2015, 2016); and more.
The Tribeca Games Festival program follows:
OPENING NIGHT
A celebration of games, play and interactivity set to the music of British electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist Mura Masa, who inspires game makers and players globally, and an exclusive Telltale crowdplay experience
KEYNOTE CONVERSATIONS
Intimate conversations some of the top game creators on the future of games and storytelling.
Hideo Kojima
The legendary creator of the Metal Gear franchise, on what’s next for him and the influences of cinema on his work.
Ken Levine
Director and Writer of the BioShock series, Levine reflects on his two decades in videogames and the legacy his work has created for interactive story-telling.
Sam Lake
The creator of Max Payne, Alan Wake and Quantum Break, on his unique approach to storytelling in games.
X POST CONVERSATIONS
Cross-cultural conversations, pairing a creator of the gaming community with leading artists and filmmakers.
Winslow Porter, Milica Zec and Tracy Fullerton
Virtual reality directors Winslow Porter and Milica Zec and Director of USC’s Game Innovation LabTracy Fullerton discuss how to create real-world environmental awareness in digital worlds
Ian Dallas
Giant Sparrow’s creative director Ian Dallas takes the stage to discuss his upcoming game, What Remains of Edith Finch. Combining a family drama with famous supernatural Japanese tales, he will discuss how creators are making mysticism relevant to the modern world.
Robin Hunicke with Maureen Fan
Robin Hunicke, founder of indie studio Funomena, and Baobab Studios CEO Maureen Fan show how to create delight and joy in VR
RETRO ACTIVE
By breaking down each title piece by piece – exploring every element from art, design and sound to storytelling – we take a look back on the some of the greatest titles from 2016.
Firewatch / Campo Santo
The Firewatch team at Campo Santo dissects their award-winning debut with a focus on narrative design with writer and studio director Sean Vanaman.
Overwatch /Michael Chu
Overwatch senior game designer Michael Chu discuss how characters come into being in one of the best-selling PC games of all-time.
The Stanley Parable / Davey Wreden
The Stanley Parable creator Davey Wreden on how he designs virtual spaces that are perfectly suited for his unique narratives and how that’s pushed him to explore the everyday.
The Banner Saga / John Watson
Stoic co-founder John Watson on how classic films like Disney’s Sleeping Beauty inspired the Norse world of The Banner Saga series
Watch Dogs 2 / Jonathan Morin
Watch Dogs 2 creative director Jonathan Morin tackled issues like surveillance, the Silicon Valley housing crisis, and diversity in tech in their ground-breaking title. He’ll talk about how the team built a simulation where everything is connected.
SPECIAL CONVERSATIONS
25th Anniversary of The Lawnmower Man + The Past, Present & Future of VR
Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of The Lawnmower Man, a special conversation on how Lawnmower Man influenced a generation of digital creators and to how capture images of the future with the tools of today with Brett Leonard, director of The Lawnmower Man, Jessica Brillhart, Principal Filmmaker for VR at Google, and Cy Wise from Job Simulator’s Owlchemy Labs.
SNEAK PEEK AND THE ARCADE
A preview of new and unreleased work with some of the most dynamic independent game studios from around the world like Might & Delight, Finji Games, and Giant Sparrow, and additional hands-on play with unreleased and newly-released titles.
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Florida Film Festival to Feature 182 Films, Opens with THE HERO
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The Hero[/caption]
The upcoming 26th Florida Film Festival taking place April 21 to 30, 2017, in Maitland and Winter Park, Florida, will feature a lineup of 182 films.
The festival will open with the feature film The Hero, directed by Brett Haley, preceded by the Florida premiere of the short film 5 Films About Technology directed by Peter Huang.
2017 OFFICIAL SELECTION:
OPENING NIGHT FILM:
The Hero – Directed by Brett Haley, USA, 2016, 96 minutes Preceded by: 5 Films About Technology – Directed by Peter Huang, Canada, 2016, 5 minutes, Florida PremiereSPOTLIGHT FILMS:
Bitch – Directed by Marianna Palka, USA, 2017, 93 minutes, Florida Premiere Buster’s Mal Heart – Directed by Sarah Adina Smith, USA, 2016, 98 minutes, In English and Spanish with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere Colossal – Directed by Nacho Vigalondo, Canada/Spain, 2016, 110 minutes The Commune – Directed by Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands, 2016, 111 minutes, In Danish with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere Dean – Directed by Demetri Martin, USA, 2016, 87 minutes, Rated PG-13 The Exception – Directed by David Leveaux, UK, 2016, 107 minutes, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Showing Manifesto – Directed by Julian Rosefeldt, Germany, 2017, 95 minutes, Southeast Premiere Menashe – Directed by Joshua Z. Weinstein, USA, 2017, 81 minutes, In Yiddish with English Subtitles Paris Can Wait – Directed by Eleanor Coppola, USA, 2016, 92 minutes, In English and French with English Subtitles, Rated PG Patti Cake$ – Directed by Geremy Jasper, USA, 2017, 108 minutes Soul on a String – Directed by Zhang Yang, China/Tibet, 2016, 142 minutes, In Tibetan with English Subtitles,East Coast Premiere Step – Directed by Amanda Lipitz, USA, 2017, 83 minutes, Rated PGNARRATIVE FEATURES COMPETITION:
The Archer – Directed by Valerie Weiss, USA, 2017, 86 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Camera Obscura – Directed by Aaron B. Koontz, USA, 2017, 95 minutes, World Premiere Dave Made a Maze – Directed by Bill Watterson, USA, 2017, 81 minutes, Southeast Premiere Girl Flu. – Directed by Dorie Barton, USA, 2016, 94 minutes Katie Says Goodbye – Directed by Wayne Roberts, USA, 2016, 88 minutes My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea – Directed by Dash Shaw, USA, 2016, 75 min, Southeast Premiere Pushing Dead – Directed by Tom E. Brown, USA, 2016, 111 minutes Some Freaks – Directed by Ian MacAllister-McDonald, USA, 2016, 97 minutes, Florida Premiere The Strange Ones – Directed by Lauren Wolkstein and Christopher Radcliff, USA, 2017, 80 minutes A Stray – Directed by Musa Syeed, USA, 2016, 82 minutes, In English and Somali with English Subtitles,Southeast PremiereDOCUMENTARY FEATURES COMPETITION:
8 Borders, 8 Days – Directed by Amanda Bailly, USA/Lebanon, 2017, 60 minutes, In Arabic with English Subtitles, World Premiere Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape – Directed by Zack Taylor, USA/Germany/Netherlands/UK, 2016, 92 minutes,East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Circus Kid – Directed by Lorenzo Pisoni, USA, 2016, 71 minutes, Southeast Premiere For Ahkeem – Directed by: Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest, USA, 2017, 90 minutes, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Showing The Peacemaker – Directed by James Demo, USA, 2016, 90 minutes, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Showing Rat Film – Directed by Theo Anthony, USA, 2016, 82 minutes Strad Style – Directed by Stefan Avalos, USA, 2017, 104 minutes, Southeast Premiere This Cold Life – Directed by Darren Mann, USA, 2017, 88 minutes, US Premiere Woman on Fire – Directed by Julie Sokolow, USA, 2016, 84 minutes, Southeast PremiereDOCUMENTARY SHORTS COMPETITION:
116 Cameras – Directed by Davina Pardo, USA, 2017, 16 minutes, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Showing All Good Things – Directed by Chloe Domont, USA, 2017, 26 minutes, Florida Premiere Bayard & Me – Directed by Matt Wolf, USA, 2017, 16 minutes, Florida Premiere Brillo Box (3¢ Off) – Directed by Lisanne Sklyer, USA, 2016, 40 minutes, Florida Premiere The Carousel – Directed by Jonathan Napolitano, USA, 2016, 12 minutes, Southeast Premiere The Christmas Light Killer – Directed by James P. Gannon, USA, 2016, 7 minutes, Southeast Premiere/2nd US Showing Clean Hands – Directed by Lauren DeFilippo, USA, 2017, 9 minutes, East Coast Premiere The Collection – Directed by Adam Roffman, USA, 2017, 11 minutes Commodity City – Directed by Jessica Kingdon, USA, 2017, 11 minutes, In Mandarin with English Subtitles The Hama Hama Way – Directed by Treva Wurmfeld, USA, 2017, 12 minutes, Southeast Premiere Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405 – Directed by Frank Stiefel, USA, 2016, 40 minutes, East Coast Premiere High Chaparral – Directed by David Freid, USA/Sweden, 2016, 9 minutes, Florida Premiere The John Show – Directed by Julie Sokolow, USA, 2017, 13 minutes, East Coast Premiere Long Term Parking – Directed by Lance Oppenheim, USA, 2017, 8 minutes, Florida Premiere Oddball – Directed by Joshua Moore, USA, 2016, 5 minutes, East Coast The Rabbit Hunt – Directed by Patrick Bresnan, USA, 2017, 12 minutes Refugee – Directed by Joyce Chen and Emily Moore, USA/Senegal, 2016, 28 minutes, In English, Wolof, and French with English Subtitles, Florida Premiere Richard Twice – Directed by Matthew Salton, USA, 2017, 10 minutes, East Coast PremiereNARRATIVE SHORTS COMPETITION:
August – Directed by Caitlyn Greene, USA, 2017, 8 minutes, Florida Premiere The Candidate – Directed by Michael Hilf, USA, 2016, 6 minutes Cat Killer – Directed by Wes Jones, USA, 2017, 11 minutes, World Premiere Cul-de-Sac – Directed by Damon Russell, USA, 2016, 15 minutes, Florida Premiere Cycle – Directed by Caleb Wild, USA, 2017, 10 minutes, World Premiere Get the Life – Directed by Ozzy Villazòn, USA, 2016, 12 minutes Good Crazy – Directed by Rosa Salazar, USA, 2017, 14 minutes, East Coast Premiere Hijo Por Hijo – Directed by Juan Avella, USA/Venezuela, 2016, 11 minutes, In Spanish with English Subtitles,East Coast Premiere Horseshoe Theory – Directed by Jonathan Daniel Brown, USA, 2017, 12 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Hot Seat – Directed by Anna Kerrigan, USA, 2017, 13 minutes, Southeast Premiere I’m in Here – Directed by Willy Berliner, USA, 2017, 12 minutes, Southeast Premiere It’s Been Like a Year – Directed by Cameron Fay, USA, 2017, 9 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Judy – Directed by Ariel Gardner and Alex Kavutskiy, USA, 2016, 10 minutes, Southeast Premiere La Ramona – Directed by Antonio De Jesus Sanchez, USA, 2017, 27 minutes, In Spanish with English subtitles,World Premiere Laurels – Directed by David Brundige, USA, 2017, 7 minutes, North American Premiere The Lemon Tree – Directed by Amanda Yam, USA, 2016, 11 minutes, Florida Premiere Mrs. Nebile’s Wormhole – Directed by Pinar Yorgancioğlu, USA/Germany/Turkey, 2016, 14 minutes, In Turkish and German with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere New Neighbors – Directed by E.G. Bailey, USA, 2017, 9 minutes, East Coast Premiere Night Shift – Directed by Marshall Tyler, USA, 2017, 16 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing No Other Way to Say It – Directed by Tim Mason, USA, 2016, 7 minutes, East Coast Premiere Red Apples – Directed by George Sikharulidze, USA/Georgia/Armenia, 2016, 15 minutes, In Armenian with English Subtitles, East Coast Premiere Rosie, Oh – Directed by Andy Koeger and Apple Xenos, USA, 2016, 9 minutes, East Coast Premiere Scooter Joe – Directed by Steve Collins, USA, 2017, 7 minutes, World Premiere Shift – Directed by Kristen Hester, USA, 2016, 9 minutes, Southeast Premiere Surrogate – Directed by Olivia Hamilton, USA, 2016, 16 minutes, East Coast Premiere, 2nd US Showing Tiny Mammals – Directed by Dagny Looper, USA, 2017, 8 minutes, World Premiere The Visitor – Directed by Ferran Mendoza Soler, USA, 2016, 16 minutes, North American Premiere Vitamins for Life – Directed by Grier Dill, USA, 2016, 2 minutes, Southeast Premiere You Can Go – Directed by Christine Turner, USA, 2016, 10 minutes, Florida Premiere Your Day – Directed by Ginger Gonzaga, USA, 2017, 32 minutes, Florida Premiere Zaar – Directed by Ibrahim Nada, USA, 2016, 11 minutes, Southeast Premiere Zero-Zero – Directed by Randall Whittinghill, USA, 2017, 15 minutes, World PremiereANIMATED SHORTS COMPETITION:
149th and Grand Concourse – Directed by Andy & Carolyn London, USA, 2016, 3 minutes, 2nd US Screening The Biggest Wad is Mine – Directed by: Sam Gurry, USA, 2016, 3 minutes, East Coast Premiere Chella Drive – Directed by Adele Han Li, USA, 2016, 3 minutes, Southeast Premiere Cop Dog – Directed by Bill Plympton, USA, 2017, 6 minutes, World Premiere Fabricated – Directed by Brett Foxwell, USA, 2016, 19 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Have Sex with Us – Directed by: Rob Frese, USA, 2016, 6 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing The History of Magic: Ensueño – Directed by Josè Luis González, USA, 2016, 5 minutes, In English and Spanish with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere Hot Dog Hands – Directed by Matt Reynolds, USA, 2017, 7 minutes, East Coast Premiere Insect Bite – Directed by Grace Nayoon Rhee, USA/South Korea, 2016, 2 minutes, Southeast Premiere It’s a Date – Directed by Zachary Zezima, USA, 2016, 7 minutes, Southeast Premiere Legal Smuggling with Christine Choy – Directed by Lewie Kloster, USA, 2016, 4 minutes Slow Wave – Directed by Andy Kennedy, USA, 2016, 4 minutes, Florida Premiere Summer Camp Island – Directed by Julia Pott, USA, 2016, 9 minutes Trouble Brewing – Directed by Timothy Heath, USA, 2017, 8 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Vocabulary 1 – Directed by Becky James, USA, 2016, 4 minutes, Southeast PremiereINTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE FEATURES:
I Dream in Another Language (Sueño en Otro Idioma) – Directed by Ernesto Contreras, Mexico/Netherlands, 2017, 101 minutes, In Spanish with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere Pop Aye – Directed by Kirsten Tan, Thailand/Singapore, 2017, 101 minutes, In Thai with English Subtitles,Southeast Premiere Sami Blood – Directed by Amanda Kernell, Sweden/Norway/Denmark, 2016, 107 minutes, In Swedish and South Sami with English Subtitles, East Coast Premiere White Sun – Directed by Deepak Rauniyar, Nepal/USA/Qatar/Netherlands, 2016, 89 minutes, In Nepali with English SubtitlesINTERNATIONAL SHORTS:
5 Films About Technology – Directed by Peter Huang, Canada, 2016, 5 minutes, Florida Premiere Add Contact – Directed by David Oeo, Spain, 2016, 3 minutes, In Spanish with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere Fish Story – Directed by Charlie Lyne, UK, 2017, 14 minutes, East Coast Premiere Gryla – Directed by Tomas Heidar Johannesson, Iceland, 2016, 6 minutes, In Icelandic with English Subtitles, Florida Premiere Home – Directed by More Raça, Kosovo, 2016, 23 minutes, In Albanian with English Subtitles, East Coast Premiere Irregulars – Directed by Fabio Palmieri, Italy, 2015, 9 minutes, Florida Premiere Jonah the Wet Nurse – Directed by Shalom Hager, Israel, 2015, 30 minutes, In Hebrew with English Subtitles,North American Premiere The Other Side – Directed by Griselda San Martin, Spain, 2017, 6 minutes, In Spanish with English Subtitles, East Coast Premiere Overtime – Directed by Craig D. Foster, Australia, 2016, 9 minutes, Florida Premiere Pria – Directed by Yudho Aditya, Indonesia, 2017, 22 minutes, In Bahasa with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere Saigo – Directed by TOCHKA (Takeshi Nagata, Kazue Monno), Japan, 2015, 2 minutes, Florida Premiere/2nd US Showing Searching for Wives – Directed by Zuki Juno Tobgye, Singapore, 2016, 12 minutes, In English and Tamil with English Subtitles, Southeast Premiere Slapper – Directed by Luci Schroder, Australia, 2016, 15 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Stallion (Hingsten) – Directed by Ninja Thyberg, Sweden, 2016, 15 minutes, In Swedish with English Subtitles,World Premiere Supot – Directed by Phil Giordano, Philippines/USA, 2015, 13 minutes, In Tagalog with English Subtitles, North American Premiere White – Directed by Paul Cioran, Romania, 2016, 20 minutes, In Romanian with English Subtitles, North American PremiereINTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORTS:
The Absence of Eddy Table – Directed by Rune Spaans, Norway, 2016, 12 minutes, Florida Premiere Arts + Crafts Spectacular #3 – Directed by Sébastien Wolf and Ian Ritterskamp, Germany, 2015, 4 minutes,Southeast Premiere Curse of the Flesh – Directed by Yannick Lecoeur and Leslie Lavielle, France, 2016, 16 minutes, No Dialogue,North American Premiere Decorado – Directed by Alberto Vázquez, Spain/France, 2016, 11 minutes, In Spanish with English Subtitles,Florida Premiere Fears – Directed by Nata Metlukh, Canada, 2015, 2 minutes, No Dialogue, Florida Premiere How Long, Not Long – Directed by Michelle and Uri Kranot, Denmark, 2016, 6 minutes, Southeast Premiere Jonas and the Sea – Directed by Marlies van der Wel, Netherlands, 2015, 12 minutes, No Dialogue, Southeast Premiere Journal Animé – Directed by Donato Sansone, France, 2016, 4 minutes, No Dialogue, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Nou Nen Feat.Utae – Directed by Sawako Kabuki, Japan, 2016, 3 minutes, No Dialogue, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Pussy – Directed by Renata Gąsiorowska, Poland, 2016, 8 minutes, No Dialogue, Southeast Premiere SimSim (The Realm of Deepest Knowing) – Directed by Seunghee Kim, South Korea, 2017, 4 minutes, No Dialogue, World Premiere This is Not an Animation – Directed by Federico Kempke, Canada/Mexico, 2016, 5 minutes, Florida PremiereMIDNIGHT FEATURES:
68 Kill – Directed by Trent Haaga, USA, 2017, 93 minutes, Southeast Premiere Bad Black – Directed by Nabwana IGG, Uganda, 2016, 70 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Bad Day For The Cut – Directed by Chris Baugh, UK/Northern Ireland, 2017, 99 minutes, East Coast Premiere Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Psiconautas) – Directed by Alberto Vázquez and Pedro Rivero, Spain, 2015, 76 minutes, In Spanish with English Subtitles, US PremiereMIDNIGHT SHORTS:
Bad Dog – Directed by Tom Putnam, USA, 2017, 4 minutes, World Premiere Death Metal – Directed by Chris McInroy, USA, 2016, 5 minutes Do No Harm – Directed by Roseanne Liang, New Zealand, 2017, 12 minutes, East Coast Premiere Feeding Time – Directed by Matt Mercer, USA, 2016, 13 minutes, East Coast Premiere Girl #2 – Directed by David Jeffery, USA, 2016, 9 minutes Hold Me (Ca Caw Ca Caw) – Directed by Renee Zhan, USA, 2016, 11 minutes, Southeast Premiere Horses – Directed by Leah Shore, USA, 2016, 1 minutes, World Premiere The Investment – Directed by Steve Collins, USA, 2017, 4 minutes, East Coast Premiere It is My Fault – Directed by Liu Sha, China, 2016, 5 minutes, East Coast Premiere Ivan’s Need – Directed by Manuela Leuenberger, Veronica L. Montaño, and Lukas Suter, Switzerland, 2015, 6 minutes, Florida Premiere Pigskin – Directed by Jake Hammond, USA, 2016, 13 minutes Pinky Toe – Directed by Lina July, USA, 2016, 1 minutes, Florida Premiere Showing it All – Directed by Lasse Persson and Lisa Tulin, Sweden, 2017, 2 minutes, World Premiere Sisyphus – Directed by Grace Nayoon Rhee, USA, 2016, 3 minutes, East Coast Premiere/2nd US Showing Summer’s Puke is Winter’s Delight – Directed by Sawako Kabuki, Japan, 2016, 3 minutes, Florida Premiere We Together – Directed by Henry Kaplan, USA, 2016, 7 minutes, Southeast PremiereSPECIAL SCREENINGS:
FAMILY FILMS:
Albion: The Enchanted Stallion – Directed by Castille Landon, USA/Bulgaria, 2016, 103 minutes, Florida Premiere Big Booom – Directed by Marat Narimanov, Russian Federation, 2016, 4 minutes, Southeast Premiere Supergirl – Directed by Jessie Auritt, USA, 2016, 80 minutesFOOD FILMS:
Bugs – Directed by Andreas Johnsen, Denmark/Netherlands/France/Germany, 2016, 73 minutes New Chefs on the Block – Directed by Dustin Harrison-Atlas, USA, 2017, 96 minutes, Florida Premiere One Hundred Thousand Beating Hearts – Directed by Peter Byck, USA, 2016, 15 minutes, Florida Premiere MUSIC FILMS:
Honky Tonk Heaven: The Legend of the Broken Spoke – Directed by Sam Wainwright Douglas and Brenda Mitchell, USA, 2016, 75 minutes, Southeast Premiere Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World – Directed by Catherine Bainbridge and Alfonso Maiorana, Canada, 2017, 103 minutes, Florida Premiere Vinyl Revival – Directed by Shasta Ford, USA, 2016, 10 minutes, World PremiereFLORIDA FILMS:
FLORIDA SHORTS: THE BEST OF BROUHAHA:
Amerigo – Directed by Todd Thompson, 2016, 19 minutes, In Italian with English Subtitles Bad Town – Directed by Daniel Smith, 2016, 13 minutes, Southeast Premiere Blackface – Directed by Malcolm Baity, 2016, 7 minutes Burp – Directed by Benjamin L. Gill, 2016, 6 minutes Cartoon Characters – Directed by Carey Kight, 2016, 9 minutes The D in David – Directed by: Michelle Yi and Yaron Farkash, 2016, 2 minutes Dorothy’s Video Application – Directed by Sara Ambra, 2017, 4 minutes Dust Buddies – Directed by Beth Tomashek and Sam Wade, 2016, 4 minutes Flora – Directed by Alexandrina Andre, 2016, 11 minutes, East Coast Premiere For Will – Directed by Grayson Goga and Grace Stalley, 2016, 13 minutes The Goat on the Roof – Directed by Erin Smyth, 2016, 7 minutes Rupee Run – Directed by Tarun Lak, 2016, 2 minutes The Wooden Mannequin – Directed by Stephanie Hunton, 2016, 1 minutes, World Premiere
Ain’t Nothing Like Being Free – Directed by John Meyer, USA, 2017, 48 minutes, World Premiere I Am Another You – Directed by Nanfu Wang, USA, 2017, 80 minutes, East Coast Premiere The Original Richard McMahan – Directed by Olympia Stone, USA, 2017, 21 minutesFLORIDA DOCUMENTARIES: RETRO FILMS:
Popcorn Flick in the Park: Barefoot in the Park – Directed by Gene Saks, USA, 1967, 106 minutes Closing Night Retro: Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! – Directed by Russ Meyer, USA, 1965, 83 minutesSPECIAL SCREENING:
Unrest – Directed by Jennifer Brea, USA, 2017, 97 minutes, In English and Danish with English Subtitles,Southeast Premiere
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Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival Unveiled its 2017 Shorts Lineup Featuring Alec Baldwin, Emma Thompson
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Alec Baldwin (Curse of Don Sarducci by Chris Fondulas)[/caption]
The Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival unveiled its lineup today of the shorts selected for the 2nd annual edition of the comedy film festival which takes place April 14 to 16, 2017 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres. Over 110 of best comedy short films from around the world will be showcased.
The official selections include short films starring Emma Thompson (High Road by Justin Harwood), Alec Baldwin (Curse of Don Sarducci by Chris Fondulas), Linda Hamilton (Shoot Me Nicely by Misha Calvert), Erik Boccio’s Wiretap Scars features Mike Starr, Samm Levine, Kevin Pollak, and Scott Murphy. Other selected titles include: Neil Patrick and Harris: The Chronicles of Conjoined Triplets by Adam Fynke and Jesse Eisenberg Uses the Urinal by Alec Brown.
2nd Annual Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival Official Selections:
A Christmas Surprise – by Sara Lew Acting Class – by Aaron Fradkin Beside Myself – by Jeff McCafferty Best Served Cold – by Andoni Elias Nava Big Manly Chess – by George Fleming Blazing Saddles – by Maxi Witrak and Keaton Kaplan Born Again – by Jason Tostevin Braggage – by David Mun Breaking Up With Bacon – by George Williams III and David Kerns Brosa Nostra – by Mike Smith Brown Terror – by Tim Bathrust Bullfrog Bullfrog – by Robby Descant and Brian Christ Cabin – by Luke Hollingshead Cash Only – by Jake Rasmussen Church – by Stephen Bodossian Cindy’s New Boyfriend – by Robert Brinkman Crystal – by Crystal Correa Death in Bloom – by Dael Oates Dickey Sledgehammer – by Landon Ashworth and Matt Dean Dissecting Gwen – by Katharine Barrell Divorce Party – by Lauren Manes DIY Daisy – by Erik Boccio Don’t Tell Anyone, But I’m Dating the President – by Tim Martin Gleason Don’t Think About It – by Niv Klainer Fab Life Teresa XO – by Rob Janas Farm to Table – by Ian McClellan First Night – by Daniel Gomez First Word – by Thomas R. Martin Friends on a Bench: A Relationship in Six Acts – by Sean George Friendship Without Love – by Sebastien Auger Game Of Thrones Divorce – by Andrew Pifko Girls I Audition With – by Corey Harrell Grocery Store Action Movie – by Matthew Campbell Happy Birthday Kevin – by John Psathas Have A Little Faith – by Ashton Avila Help! I’m Trapped In A Movie – by Riley Mandincea Here’s The Thing – by Seth Berkowitz High Road – by Justin Harwood How To Save Your Darling-Leopoldo Caggiano Hush Hush – by Tom Nolle I Wanna Date U – by Lisa Ovies In the Hole – by Courtney Thomas Jesse Eisenberg Uses the Urnal – by Alec Brown Justin Has A Date – by Justin Ray Kyloki – by Jordan Henry Let’s Do It – by Joel Jay Blacker Lone Douche – by Katie Locke O’Brien Managed – by Kenneth Bauer Mere Players-Dan Levy Dagerman Mike Holt 4 Ever – by Kenneth Anderson Millions of Drops – by Matt Larson Mommy Heist – by Anna Gutto Movie Night – by Hamish McCollester Neil Patrick and Harris: The Chronicles of Conjoined Triplets – by Adam Fynke New Roommate – by Victor Yerrid Now’s A Bad Time – by Michael Oberst ObSETHed: Memorial Day – by Zack Matzganis Oh Baby – by Rory Rooney One Under – by Ruth Pickett Pee Sitting Down – by Misha Calvert Real Good Drinking with Dan Peff – by Paul Thomas Reckless Juliets – by Skylar Barrett Sammy S&M – by Donnie Hobbie Shoot Me Nicely – by Elias Plagianos Shout at the Ground – by Joe Lonie Shy Guys – by Frederic Lehne Sixty-Five Drive – by Darrel Herbert Skinny Fat Girl – by Brandon Baer So F*cking Happy For You- by Lina Suh Spaceman- by Christopher Oliva Standards & Practices: A Short Film About Modern Romance – by Ellena Chmielewski Strayed – by Heather Edwards Takanakuy – by Austin Kolodney Tales from the Toilet- by Pete Novitch The Apology by Eamon Glennon The Baby Shower (Short Film) by Kiley Lane Parker The Bearded Lady – by Dan Riesser The Chad – by Matthew Moore The Curse of Don Scarducci – by Chris Fondulas The Day LA Stood Still – by Karl Harpur The Driving Seat – by Alexei Slater The Haunt – by Isabel Cueva The Haunting of Lester House – by Michael Benni Pierce The Heist – by Luke Harris The Line – by Jerome Velinsky The Nation Holds It’s Breath – by Kev Cahill The Other Side – by Michael Degani The Plumber (Le Plombier) – by Méryl Fortunat-Rossi & Xavier Séron The Pretender – by Nathan Morse The Rough Part – by Ryan Brown The Schwartz Test – by Josh Yunis The Short Short – by Martin White The United Guys Network – by Tabatha Golat The Way I Love You (Como Yo Te Amo) – by Fernando García Ruiz Think Twice – by Eliaz Rodriguez Time Travel Romance – by Ben Giroux True Dating Stories- Jesse – by Andy King Vantastic – by Alik Griffin Weekend Warriors – by Julien Lasseur Wire Tap Scars – by Erik Boccio Woman of My Dreams (La Mujer de Mis Suenos) – by Javier San Roman Working With Jigsaw – by Chris Capel You, Me & Me – by Micah Paisner You’re Alive – by W. Alex Reeves Your Mom Says Hi! – by Rocco Urbisci, Carlie Mantilla, Doni Carley Zombie Family – by Joseph WeismanScreenplay Official Selections
3 To Die – Mitch Yapko & Allen Rueckert Antoine’s Play – Phillip O’ Sullivan Echo Chamber – Travis Lemke It’s A Job – Emmett Raitt Local Hero – Mark Renshaw Lovin’ It – Stuart Creque Randall Lipschitz Is A Star – Dawn Burgess Red Velvet – Tom Radovich Remedy – Margina Sisson Spooky Kind of Love – Alicia Lomas-Gross The Appetizer – Gerard George The Day The Earth Stood Awkardly – Troy Graham The Dumbest Generation – Leslie Lyshkov The Unsocial Network – Matthew Holt The Will – Amelia Solommon
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THE FREEDOM TO MARRY to Open Martha’s Vineyard Film Society’s New LGBTQ Festival “SPECTRUM Film Festival”
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THE FREEDOM TO MARRY[/caption]
The Martha’s Vineyard Film Society is launching its newest, four-day film festival, SPECTRUM Film Festival, presenting a world perspective on LGBTQ stories, people and issues with a variety of films, guest speakers, discussions, and a special event focused on LGBTQ youth. The SPECTRUM Film Festival will be held at the MV Film Center in Vineyard Haven from Thursday, April 27 to Sunday, April 30 with nine different programs over the course of the festival.
The first festival of its kind on the Vineyard, The SPECTRUM Film Festival adds to the MV Film Society’s growing outreach to shine light on subject matters not usually covered by major Hollywood motion pictures and expects to draw moviegoers from around the island as well as from the Cape and beyond.
In keeping with the meaning of the word “spectrum” (or “a wide range”), films shown at the SPECTRUM Film Festival are, indeed, wide-ranging. They originate from India, Chile, Kenya, Canada and the US; cover gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender storylines; combine comedy, drama, romance, documentary genres in both short and full-length formats; and focus on a variety of topics including legal matters, aging, parent-child relationships, religion, cultural changes, illness and suicide.
Guests speakers participating in live Skype interviews currently include lawyer Mary Bonauto (who pled the same-sex marriage case before the Supreme Court), Peggy Rajski (Academy Award-winning director and co-founder of The Trevor Project), Matt Wolf (director of the short film BAYARD & ME) and Bennett Wallace (a transgender young adult whose story is told in the documentary REAL BOY).
Post-show panel discussions will include topics regarding “The Shifting Tides of the LGBTQ Landscape on Martha’s Vineyard,” “Homosexuality and the Bible,” “Growing Up with Same-Sex Parents,” and “Navigating High School.” Participants/moderators appearing live on the Film Center stage currently include Mary Breslauer, Tom Dunlop, Susanna Sturgis, Tony Lombardi, Laurel Redington Whitaker, Ev Wilson as well as Rev. Cathlin Baker and Rev. Bill Clark.
In keeping with the MV Film Society’s Free Youth Screenings (which are offered periodically throughout the school year), there will be a SPECTRUM Youth Event on Saturday, April 29 from 9:30am to 3:00pm focused entirely on LGBTQ Youth programming. Any local student aged 13 to 21 will be provided free admission to this event. Students coming from the Cape will also be provided with free round-trip transportation by ferry (courtesy of the Steamship Authority).
Opening the festival will be the new documentary THE FREEDOM TO MARRY which relates the pursuit of same-sex marriage as a legal right — from Evan Wolfson’s 1983 senior thesis at Harvard to the U.S. Supreme Court decision [Obergefell v. Hodges] in 2015. Following the film, local resident Mary Breslauer will conduct a live Skype interview with her friend and former co-worker Mary Bonauto. Before the film, a “Wedding Album” of local same-sex couples will be shown on-screen to showcase how the right to marry has affected the culture of the Vineyard which prides itself on being LGBTQ-friendly. Participating couples may attend free of charge and can celebrate their legal victory during a dessert/wine reception in the lobby following the conversation with Mary Bonauto.
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Bentonville Film Festival to Open with Transgender Drama “3 GENERATIONS + Announces Competition Lineup
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THREE GENERATIONS[/caption]
The 2017 Bentonville Film Festival will open on May 2 with The Weinstein Company’s transgender drama “3 Generations” starring Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts and Susan Sarandon. Directed by Gaby Dellal, “3 Generations” shares the story of a family dealing with a life-changing transformation by one that ultimately affects them all.
Festival co-founder Geena Davis said, “ I’m so excited to be heading into our third annual BFF. The Festival has become an important catalyst for change and we look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the past year and setting the stage for years to come.”
The Festival today announced an exciting slate of films across the following categories: Narrative and Documentary Feature Competition, Short Film Competition, Episodic Content Competition, and Spotlight Narrative and Documentary Feature Competition.
Today’s announcement includes 46 of the feature length titles with Showcase films and more titles coming soon. Competing for the Distribution Prize are 19 narratives. Competing for the Documentary Jury Award are 14 documentaries. Currently, there are 12 narrative and documentaries in the Spotlight Competition, 4 in the Episodic Competition, and 18 films in the Short Film Competition.
Narrative and Documentary Competition
Documentary Features
An Acquired Taste, directed and written by Vanessa LeMaire. (USA). Why kill your own food? A new mindful generation of teens defy factory farming and turn to hunting as a way of connecting with the source of their sustenance. To make a humane kill, these animal lovers confront tormenting ethics and their worst nightmares, partly to eat dinner, and partly to carve out their own identities in a world increasingly at odds with reality and nature. Bogalusa Charm, directed by Stephen Richardson and written by Jennifer Harrington. (USA). A loving portrait of a small Louisiana town created at the site of the world’s largest lumber mill that we examine through the lens of a 27 year-old charm school for girls run by Miss Dixie Gallaspy. Blood Road, directed by Nicholas Schrunk and written by Mark Anders. (USA, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam). Although she’s used to pushing her body to its limit, nothing could prepare ultra-endurance mountain biker Rebecca Rusch for the emotional journey she took in 2015 when she pedaled 1,200 miles of the Ho Chi Minh trail in search of the crash site that claimed the life of her father, a US Air Force pilot shot down during the Vietnam War. Cinemability, directed by Jenni Gold, written by Jenni Gold and Sam Reed. (USA). This star-studded documentary takes us on a thought provoking and humorous journey to explore the evolution of disability portrayals in film and television. Late Blossom Blues, directed by Wolfgang Pfoser-Almer and Stefan Wolner, written by Wolfgang Pfoser-Almer. (USA). A 1932-born hard-working poor black man from the Mississippi backwoods becomes an internationally acclaimed Blues star after he releases his debut album at age 81. Letters From Baghdad, directed by Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum. (USA/UK/France). Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day, shaped the modern Middle East after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend and colleague Lawrence of Arabia, Bell helped draw the borders of Iraq and established the Iraq Museum. Why has she been written out of history? Looking at the Stars, directed by Alexandre Peralta, written by Alexandre Peralta and Melissa Rebelo Kerezsi. (Brazil/Nicaragua/USA). “Looking at the Stars” is an intimate glimpse into the lives of the extraordinary ballerinas at the world’s only ballet school for the blind – the Fernanda Bianchini Ballet Association for the Blind. Mothers in the Middle, directed by Lauren Hollingsworth and written by Kaitlin McLaughlin, Inbal B. Lessner and Lauren Hollingsworth. (USA) World Premiere. Five middle-class working mothers juggle parenting and demanding jobs while contemplating major life decisions. Served like a Girl, directed by Lysa Heslov, written by Lysa Heslov and Tchavdar Georgiev. (USA). Five women veterans who have endured unimaginable trauma in service create a shared sisterhood to help the rising number of stranded homeless women veterans by entering into a competition that unexpectedly catalyzes moving events in their own lives to bring them full circle in a quest for healing and hope The Gateway Bug, directed by Johanna B Kelly, written by Johanna B Kelly and Cameron Marshad. (USA). Over 2 billion people on earth eat insects for protein. “The Gateway Bug” explores how changing daily eating habits can feed humanity in an uncertain age, one meal at a time. Unrest, directed and written by Jennifer Brea. (USA). Jennifer Brea is an active Harvard PhD student about to marry the love of her life when suddenly her body starts failing her. Hoping to shed light on her strange symptoms, Jennifer grabs a camera and films the darkest moments unfolding before her eyes as she is derailed by M.E. (commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), a mysterious illness some still believe is “all in your head.” Vegas Baby, directed and written by Amanda Micheli. (USA). Some think an in vitro fertilization contest sounds crazy, but countless Americans desperate to start a family believe this social media experiment is their only hope. Woman On Fire, directed and written by Julie Sokolow. (USA). Brooke Guinan is the first openly transgender firefighter in New York City. As a third-generation firefighter, Brooke has a passion for heroism that runs in her blood. Women of the Silk Road, directed and written by Yassamin Maleknasr. (Iran/Oman/Turkey/Tajikistan) World Premiere. Four women. Four countries. Four stories. Stories of love, struggle and art portraying the unknown faces of the East. “Women of the Silk Road” explores the diversity of individual lives under the broad banner of the Middle East and Central Asia; and the simple truth that all lives are about love.Narrative Features
A Different Sun, directed and written by Reed Tang. (USA). A Chinese family moves from their native land to a town in Germany and struggle to adjust to the different culture. Marriage hangs in the balance. Cast: Chin Han, Jing Xu, Tessa Keimes, Ashley Gerasimovich and Catherine Jiang A Witches’ Ball, directed by Justin G. Dyck and written by Keith Cooper. (USA) World Premiere. A young witch is ready to jump in feet first to the Witching World but not before overcoming some magical hurdles. Cast: Morgan Neundorf, Karen Slater, Loukia Ioannou and Will Ennis Axis, directed by Aisha Tyler and written by Emmett Hughes. (USA). On the day he is set to star in a career-changing blockbuster, an Irish actor with a rocky past confronts a series of devastating events that threaten his sobriety, his loved ones, and possibly his life. Cast: Emmett Hughes, Thomas Gibson, Ciáran Hinds, Paula Malcomson, Bronagh Waugh, Jerry Ferrara, Aisha Tyler and Sam Rockwell Bloodstripe, directed by Remy Auberjonois, written by Kate Nowlin and Remy Auberjonois. (USA). A dramatic psychological thriller about a female Marine veteran and the struggle to come home. Cast: Kate Nowlin, Chris Sullivan, Tom Lipinski, Rusty Schwimmer, Ashlie Atkinson, Ken Marks and Rene Auberjonois Girl Flu, directed and written by Dorie Barton. (USA). Bird, 12, has to become a woman whether she wants to or not when – in the worst week of her life – she gets her first period, is ditched by her impulsive, free spirited mom, and learns that you can never really go back to The Valley. Cast: Katee Sackhoff, Jade Pettyjohn, Jeremy Sisto, Heather Matarazzo, Judy Reyes and Diego Josef H.O.M.E., directed by Daniel Maldonado, written by Daniel Maldonado and Hector Carosso. (USA). A ‘love letter’ to New York City woven of two stories through its subways and ethnic enclaves. Cast: Jeremy Ray Valdez, Jesús Ochoa, Angela Lin and Carlo Alban Homestate, directed by David Hickey, written by Blaise Miller and David Hickey. (USA). A truly homemade film about a down and out brother that shows up unannounced, altering the routine of his sister’s family. Cast: Blaise Miller, Grace Love, Shaneye Ferrell and David Hickey Imperfections, directed and written by David Singer. (USA). A struggling actress working as a diamond courier conspires to stage a fake robbery, setting up her ex-boyfriend as the fall guy. Cast: Virginia Kull, Marilu Henner, Ed Begley, Jr., Zach McGowan, Ashton Holmes, Chelcie Ross and Jerry Mackinnon Let Me Go, directed and written by Polly Steele. (UK) World Premiere. The film is set in the year 2000 following not only Helga and Traudi’s journeys but the next two generations and how Beth, Helga’s daughter and Emily her granddaughter are confronted with the unraveling of the darkest of family secrets. Cast: Juliet Stevenson, Jodhi May, Lucy Boynton, Karin Bertling and Stanley Weber Little Pink House, directed and written by Courtney Moorehead Balaker. (USA/Canada). A small-town nurse named Susette Kelo emerges as the reluctant leader of her working-class neighbors in their struggle to save their homes from political and corporate interests bent on seizing the land and handing it over to Pfizer Corporation. Cast: Catherine Keener, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Callum Keith Rennie, Colin Cunningham and Aaron Douglas Parkers Anchor, directed by Marc Hampson, written by Ryan and Jennica Schwartzman. (USA) World Premiere. When her plans for marriage and a family fall apart, Krystal finds herself back in her hometown, re-evaluating her life. Krystal soon discovers that you’re never starting over, every step of the journey seems destined in hindsight. Cast: Jennica Schwartzman, Amy Argyle, Christopher Marquette, Ryan Schwartzman, Penny Johnson Jerald, Michael Beach, Sarah Colonna, Brandon Keener, Claire Donald, Peter Weidman and Deborah Smith Quality Problems, directed by Brooke Purdy and Doug Purdy, written by Brooke Purdy. (USA). Family To-Do-List: throw perfect eight-year-old’s birthday party, find wandering grandpa and deal with cancer in the left boob. Cast: Brooke Purdy, Doug Purdy, Max Purdy, Scout Purdy, Mo Gaffney, Chris Mulkey, Jenica Bergere, Ryan Bollman and Michael Patrick McGill Saving Sally, directed by Avid Liongoren and written by Charlene Sawit-Esguerra, Carlo Ledesma and Avid Liongoren. (Philippines/France). A teenage comic book artist who secretly sees unpleasant people as cartoon-like monsters struggles to save his eccentric best friend (and love of his life) from her abusive foster parents—but she becomes involved with an older man who happens to be a monster too. Cast: Rhian Ramos, Enzo Marcos, TJ Trinidad and Peejo Pillar The Archer, directed by Valerie Weiss and written by Casey Schroen. (USA). High school archery champion Lauren has just landed in Paradise Trails, a brutal juvenile correctional facility in the wilderness, after hospitalizing a boy in self-defense. But when Lauren learns how deep corruption runs at Paradise Trails under the pernicious rule of warden and bow-hunter, Bob, she plots her escape, with the aid of rebellious inmate Rebecca. Cast: Bailey Noble, Jeanine Mason, Michael Grant Terry and Bill Sage The Relationtrip, directed by Renée Felice Smith and C. A. Gabriel, written by Renée Felice Smith, C. A. Gabriel and Dana Scanlon. (USA). At an age when everyone around them is settling down and finding love, Beck and Liam are self-proclaimed loners. After bonding over their mutual disinterest in relationships, they decide to go away together on a ‘friend’ trip. That’s when things get weird. Really, surreally weird. Cast: Renée Felice Smith, Matt Bush, Eric Christian Olsen, Linda Hunt, Nelson Franklin, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Sally Struthers, Georgia Mischak and Owain Rhys Davies The Space Between, directed and written by Amy Jo Johnson. (Canada). A new father discovers his child is not his own and sets out on a journey to find answers. Cast: Michael Cram, Sonya Salomaa, Michael Ironside, Julia Sarah Stone, Amy Jo Johnson, David Paetkau, Jayne Eastwood and Kristian Bruun The Sun at Midnight, directed and written by Kirsten Carthew. (Canada) US Premiere. Shot at the Arctic Circle, “The Sun At Midnight” tells the story of an unusual friendship between a hunter obsessed with finding a missing caribou herd and a teenage rebel who gets lost while on the run. Cast: Devery Jacobs, Duane Howard, Mark Anderako, Sarah Charlie Jerome, William Greenland, Shayla Snowshow and Jaclynn Robert Unbridled, directed by John David Ware and written by Bonne Bartron. (USA). Inspired by a healing ranch for troubled girls in North Carolina, “Unbridled” tells a tremendous story of redemption and triumph, exposing the atrocities of abuse, neglect and sex trafficking and the healing and redemption experienced by girls and horses who have suffered the same types of abuse. Cast: Eric Roberts, T.C. Stallings, Tea Mckay, Jenn Gotzon, Dey Young, Rachel Hendrix, David Topp and Rusty Martin, Sr. Wexford Plaza, directed and written by Joyce Wong. (Canada). A misunderstood sexual encounter unravels the life of a lonely female security guard and her deadbeat paramour in this slice-of-life comedy set in a dilapidated Scarborough strip mall. Cast: Reid Asselstine, Darrel Gamotin, Francis Melling and Mirko MiljevicSpotlight Narrative and Documentary Competition
A Happening of Monumental Proportions, directed by Judy Greer and written by Gary Lundy. (USA). During the course of one day, a group of students at a school in Los Angeles find themselves caught up in a plot of sex, lies and dead bodies. Band Aid, directed and written by Zoe Lister-Jones. (USA). A couple who can’t stop fighting embark on a last-ditch effort to save their marriage: turning their fights into songs and starting a band. In Search of Fellini, directed by Taron Lexton and written by Nancy Cartwright and Peter Kjenaas. (USA). A shy small-town Ohio girl who loves movies but dislikes reality, discovers the delightfully bizarre films of Federico Fellini, and sets off on a strange, beautiful journey across Italy to find him. Cast: Maria Bello, Ksenia Solo, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Beth Riesgraf Krystal, directed by William H. Macy and written by Will Aldis. (USA) World Premiere. A young man living a sheltered life develops a crush on a stripper and joins her Alcoholics Anonymous group just so he can be in the same room with her. Losing Sight of Shore, directed by Sarah Moshman, written by Sarah Moshman and Peter Saroufim. (USA/UK/Samoa/Australia) World Premiere. Four brave women set out to row across the Pacific Ocean from America to Australia. Mully, directed and written by Scott Haze. (USA) “Mully” depicts the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of Charles Mully, whose meteoric rise from orphaned poverty in Kenya leads him on an unimaginable journey of selflessness. Pray for Rain, directed by Alex Ranarivelo, written by Christina Moore and Gloria Musca. (USA) World Premiere. When Emma Gardner learns of her father’s untimely death, she returns to her home town to find that the idyllic farming community of her childhood has been ravaged by drought and is now a place tormented by gangs and the ill effects of extreme poverty. She quickly figures out that her dad’s accidental death was not accidental at all and the lists of possible suspects is very long. Cast: Jane Seymour, Annabelle Stephenson, Nicholas Gonzalez, James Morrison and Paul Rodriguez Pure Country: Pure Heart, directed by Damon Santostefano and written by Holly Goldberg Sloan. (USA) World Premiere. When Ada and her sister, Piper, discover a letter about their late father, a Marine who died in Iraq, they embark on a secret quest beyond their life in rural Tennessee to discover the truth about the man they never knew. As they uncover his remarkable past as a musician, the sisters find their own voice, beginning their journey as singers/songwriters. Cast: Kaitlyn Bausch, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Amanda Detmer, Laura Bell Bundy, Willie Nelson, Shawn Michaels and Ronny Cox Sanctuary, directed by Len Collin and written by Christian O’Reilly. (Ireland). Larry has Down’s, Sophie has epilepsy, in a world that conspires to keep them apart, will love triumph? Cast: Kieran Coppinger, Charlene Kelly, Robert Doherty, Emer Macken, Michael Hayes and Valerie Egan The Black Prince, directed and written by Kavi Raz. (UK/India) World Premiere. The tragic yet fascinating true story about the last King of the mighty Kingdom of Punjab. Cast: Satinder Sartaaj, Jason Flemyng, Shabana Azmi, Amanda Root, Keith Duffy, David Essex and Sophie StevensShort Film Competition
Bombing, directed and written by Gloria Mercer. (Canada). A comedian struggles to adjust to taking care of her estranged daughter. Cast: Lauren McGibbon, Annabel Maclean, Daniel Jeffery, Sarah Faye Bernstein, Penelope Good, Michael Bean, Derek Trowell, Steve Waldman and Tyson Storozinski Code Red, directed and written by Sabrina Doyle. (USA) US Premiere. What’s a girl to do when she gets an unwelcome visit from Aunt Flo? A self-conscious teenager uses technology to combat the stigma around menstruation. Inspired by a real-life story. Cast: Elle Winter, Kylee Russell, Sam Evans, Emily Johnson and Carson Boatman Deep Storage, directed and written by Susan Earl. (Australia) US Premiere. Two loners find love in the most unromantic of places. Cast: Miles O’Neil, Alice Ansara, James Lawson and Dawn Klingberg Flip the Record, directed and written by Marie Jamora. (USA). In this 1980s coming-of-age story set to pulsing hip-hop music, a Filipino-American teen discovers her identity through a budding talent for turntablism. Cast: Michael Rosete, Courtney Bandeko, Jon Viktor Corpuz, Sammay Dizon, JD Charisma, Olga Natividad and Derek Basco Free to Laugh, directed by Lara Everly. (USA). A comedy workshop in Los Angeles teaches improv and stand up to women recently released from prison, culminating in a show for friends and family. Healing River, directed by Hollie Noble, written by Megan Bannon and Jessica Marcy. (USA) World Premiere. Six years after a tragic accident, 26-year-old Andy and his family struggle to find their footing again. As Andy faces addiction and post traumatic stress, another deeper trauma emerges to threaten his course to recovery. Jonah Stands Up, directed and written by Hannah Engelson. (USA). New Orleans artist and rabble-rouser Jonah Bascle faces his mortality. He leaves behind a legacy of comedy, visual art, and disability advocacy. Kate and Lily, directed and written by Grey Cusack. (USA). Kate seems cursed to make a fool of herself every time she bumps into Lily, an old friend from college. But little does Kate know, not everything is what it seems. Cast: Lindsey Naves, Claudia Crook, Noël Wells, Joey Scoma and Shane Browne Little Hero, directed and written by Marcus A McDougald and Jennifer Medvin. (USA). “Little Hero” is a documentary about a six-year-old boy’s autism as seen through his twin sister’s eyes. Lunch in Lima, directed and written by Gail Gilbert. (USA). An elegant ladies lunch in Peru reveals the dark side of privilege with no conscience. Cast: Rengin Altay, Adrianne Cury, Julie Greenberg, Susannah Kavanaugh, Amelia Lopez, Daniela Lopez and Isabel Quintero Marc Chung Protects His Address, directed by Michael Chan and written by Drew Pollins. (USA). Marc Chung buys a gun to protect his address in this comedic and highly stylized student short film. Cast: Robert M. Lee, Corban Cloward, Christopher Carrillo, Austin Kress, Dante Smith and Scarlett the Corgi Momo, directed and written by Avid Liongoren. (Philippines) US Premiere. A little girl searches for her missing dog, Momo. Nacido de Nuevo, directed by Evan Kaufmann, written by Rick del Castillo and A. Taylor. (USA) On the anniversary of his young son’s death, border patrol agent Ramon Nunez finds redemption at the hands of an illegal alien in a single polarizing and life-altering night. Cast: Juan Pablo Raba, Grace Santos, Johan Luis and Anthony Escobar Pool, directed and written by Leandro Goddinho. (Brazil). On a quest to understand her grandmother’s past, Claudia meets Marlene, an old woman who’s created an homage to her memories inside an empty pool. Cast: Luciana Paes, Sandra Dani, Carolina Bianchi, Marcela Feter, Ester Laccava, Mawusi Tulani and Jane Eyre The Final Show, directed and written by Dana Nachman. (USA). A woman who has lived a long life full of love and loss has to decide, based on all that she has learned, who to take along to eternity. Cast: Marion Ross, Peter Mark Richman, Nancy Dussault, Jerry Douglas, Murphy Dunne, Roger Rose, Elizabeth Hayden, Kay Benjamin and Loren Lester They Charge for the Sun, directed by Terence Nance and written by Eugene Ramos, story by Terence Nance. (USA). In a dystopian future where people live nocturnally to avoid the harmful rays of the sun, a young girl unravels the lie that has kept her and her sister in the dark. Cast: Rylee Nykhol and Jontille Gerard Three Fingers, directed and written by Paul D. Hart. (USA). A young female Marine war veteran navigates her disintegrating life until there is nothing left but to make a choice. Cast: Virginia Newcomb, Benjamin Keepers, Kim Kendall, Jon Winscher and Kinsley Carter Episodic Content Competition Each piece of episodic content contains a progressive perspective that asks viewers to revisit the inviting worlds these filmmakers have created, on a recurring basis. Entertaining voices, settings not often seen, and conflicts centered on the causes near and dear to our hearts, compel all who watch to stay true and stay tuned. Au Pair, directed and written by Enid Zentelis. (USA) World Premiere. A Chinese au pair, Min, is in America “to be the woman she can’t be in China”- a radical, outspoken feminist. But her host mother, newly divorced Cindy, intends to use Min as dating bait. Cast: Wei-Yi Lin, Maeve Fogarty, Naomi Fogarty, Ann Carr, Scott Vicari, Jamie Harold and Mary Kay Place Lost & Found, directed and written by Haroula Rose. (USA). When Stella and Ian host their “unwedding”, all kinds of uncomfortable truths are unearthed for this group of friends. What is intended to be a healthy way of breaking up in fact raises all kinds of issues for this group of thirty-somethings in their own relationships, especially when Stella’s unruly mother Lourdes appears unexpectedly. Cast: Melonie Diaz, William Janowitz, Jennifer Lafleur, Terence Nance, Avi Rothman, Peter Thomson, Laura Lee Botsacos, Nick Thurston, Ethan Gold and Haroula Rose Nosh: Bite-Size Adventures, directed by Dream Kasestatad and written by Jan Epstein Schwaid. (USA) World Premiere. In this smart and funny educational series, two pint-sized cooking show hosts and their hapless young producer prepare their favorite foods, then go on fantastic adventures through time and space to learn more about the recipes’ origins. Cast: Liberty Hayes, Holden Jahn, Ann Zavelson and Sean Callawy Wild Kitchen, directed by Caroline Cox. (Canada) US Premiere. “Wild Kitchen” is a 22-minute documentary TV series about wild food, the people who harvest it, their unique stories that compel them to live off the land. Cast: Tiffany Ayalik, Lawrence Nayalle and Liz Nayalle
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Amanda Lipitz’s STEP to Open and Zoe Lister-Jones’ BAND AID to Close 2017 Montclair Film Festival
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STEP[/caption]
The 6th Montclair Film Festival, taking place April 28 to May 7, 2017, will open with Amanda Lipitz’s STEP on Friday, April 28 and close with Zoe Lister-Jones’ BAND AID on Saturday, May 6. In addition, the fiction centerpiece film, Geremy Jasper’s PATTI CAKE$, will be presented on Friday, May 5 and the documentary centerpiece film, Stanley Nelson’s TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: AMERICA’S BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES will be presented on Saturday, May 6.
Montclair Film is teaming up with the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) on a partnership that helps build meaningful opportunity for African American professionals in the film and television industry, and which celebrates the work of established artists in the field. This year’s partnership includes a new program, Emerging Black Voices, which will offer opportunity to filmmakers and producers at both the MFF and ABFF, as well as multiple panel discussions, screenings, and the House Party, a celebration of African American filmmakers held each year at the MFF.
The festival will welcome Retro Report as the partner for a two-part series at this year’s festival that examines the state of news, reporting, and media consumption. The partnership features a program of films, curated by the Retro Report team and including the premiere of their latest film ZAPRUDER , that examines the way in which media stories can shape the public conversation, as well as a conversation entitled TRUE OR FALSE?: REPORTING IN THE AGE OF “FAKE NEWS” which will feature a panel of distinguished journalists and offer a look inside the job of reporting the facts when audiences are more inclined than ever to challenge them.
Two special restorations – George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and Andrei Tarkovsky’s STALKER will be presented at this year’s festival.
First, George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD will screen in a stunning new 4K restoration and will be presented on April 29 at the Wellmont Theater. Featured special guests will include Producer Russ Streiner, who also played Johnny in the film and delivered the now-famous line “They’re coming to get you, Barbara,” actress Kyra Schon, who portrayed the 11 year-old Karen Cooper in the film and provided one of the film’s most unforgettable moments, and investor and the film’s sound recordist Gary Streiner, who oversaw the film’s restoration on behalf of Image Ten.
Next, the Festival will present Mosfilm’s beautiful new 2K restoration of Andrei Tarkovsky’s STALKER, screening Saturday, April 29. This restoration will be the first film ever screened in Cinema505, Montclair Film’s own cinema located in their new home at the Investors Bank Film and Media Center at 505 Bloomfield Avenue in downtown Montclair.
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Tribeca Film Festival will Spotlight Online Storytelling in New Online Work Lineup
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A still from The New York Timesí Op-Docs “Hotel U.S.A.”[/caption]
The Tribeca Film Festival will spotlight creators who are pushing the boundaries of online storytelling in its N.O.W. (New Online Work) section. The Festival today announced the lineup for the section’s programs: the N.O.W Showcase, Special Screenings, and the Creators Market participants. The Tribeca N.O.W. program will run during the Tribeca Film Festival, taking place April 19-30.
This year’s N.O.W. Special Screenings series features high profile content curated by Tribeca from the industry’s leading online networks and talent. Academy Award-nominated® Tribeca alumni Josh Foxand James Spione will premiere Awake, A Dream from Standing Rock, Executive Produced by Shailene Woodley, and co-directed by Myron Dewey. Eli Roth’s Crypt TV will premiere Monster Madness, a series of several character shorts from the digital brand’s scaremakers. Op-Docs, The New York Times’ award-winning forum for short, opinionated documentaries, will screen three films at the Festival.Burgeoning online studios DUST, Adaptive Studios, and Stage 13 will bring three fresh voices into the genre sphere from trailblazing female filmmakers Nicole Delaney, Vera Miaob and Arkasha Stevenson. Conversations will follow each screening with the creators, talent, and special guests.
The N.O.W. Showcase is a curated selection of 10 independent online creators’ latest work that is representative of the industry’s freshest voices and most original forms of storytelling. In addition to the world premieres of the new online work during Showcase Screenings on April 20, a piece of past work from each filmmaker will be showcased on TribecaFilm.com. Rounding out the opportunities for online storytellers is the second annual Creators Market, which connects online creators with the industry, including buyers, producers and brands, and supports the creation, sale, and showcase of new online works. The N.O.W. program has become known for its curatorial expertise in discovering emerging talent. Discoveries include High Maintenance from Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld, which was picked up byHBO; Money & Violence from Moise Vernau, whose second season was picked up by Jay-Z’s Tidal; and up-and-coming talent like Brian Jordan Alvarez, whose 2016 N.O.W. series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo went on to receive a Breakthrough Series – Short Form nomination at the Gotham Awards.
N.O.W. SPECIAL SCREENINGS
A selection of high-profile content from the industry’s leading digital networks and online talent playing as official Special Screenings of TFF. Awake, A Dream from Standing Rock, directed by Josh Fox, James Spione, Myron Dewey, written by Floris White Bull, Josh Fox, Myron Dewey. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Standing Rock North Dakota became one of the most watched places on earth. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe captured world attention through their peaceful resistance. While many may know the details, Awake, A Dream from Standing Rock, executive produced by Shailene Woodley, captures the story of Native-led defiance that forever changed how we fight for clean water, our environment and the future of our planet. Crypt TV’s Monster Madness, directed by Ben Franklin & Anthony Melton, Alexander Babaev, Jon Kovel, Nicholas Mihm, John William Ross, Gabriel Younes and more. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative and Non-Scripted. Crypt TV’s Monster Madness features some of the best and biggest character shorts from the digital brand’s scaremakers. From a stunningly terrifying protector of the bullied to a child’s toy that reveals horrors around every corner of a suburban home to the real life tale of a man whose body is stretched and pierced into a piece of daring art, Crypt shorts proudly embrace the horror lifestyle. The Birch (directed by: Ben Franklin & Anthony Melton) My First Day (directed by: Jon Kovel) Odd Jobs: Body Modification (directed by: Nicholas Mihm) Stereoscope (directed by: Alexander Babaev) Sunny Family Cult (directed by: Gabriel Younes) The Thing in the Apartment (directed by: John William Ross)Out of This World: Female Filmmakers in Genre
An evening of three diverse works from female filmmakers working online in the genre sphere. From post-apocalyptic love and telekinetic mother/daughter relations to an unseen predator in a mining town, these stories from up-and-coming online studios DUST, Stage 13 and Adaptive Studios, artfully skew everyday travails into the bizarre and visually fantastic. YOYO, directed by Nicole Delaney. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Caroline can’t stand that she is a virgin…And then the world ends. In post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, after a dust storm has wiped out humanity, she meets Francis and is convinced that he’s the man to pop her cherry. YOYO is a heartfelt, dark comedy about finding meaning in life, even when life ceases to exist. With: Martin Starr, Sophie von Haselberg. Presented by DUST and Gunpowder & Sky. Two Sentence Horror Stories: MA, directed by Vera Miao. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Like many traditional Chinese families, Mona still lives at home with her stern but loving Ma.When she meets cute Erica, their instant chemistry awakens something dormant inside. But Ma is not going to let her daughter go easily. Because nothing is allowed to come between a mother and daughter. With: Wei Yi Lin, Ayesha Harris, Mardy Ma. A Stage 13 production. Pineapple (Episodes 1 & 2), directed by Arkasha Stevenson. (USA) – New York Premiere, Narrative. The local coal mine in the town of Black Rock becomes a crime scene when a miner’s daughter is assaulted in its tunnels. She utters only one word, which leaves the town baffled: “pineapple.” Tensions rise as the mine’s opportunistic owner uses the investigation as an excuse to shutter the dying operation indefinitely. With: Tyler Vickers, Kel Owens, Ron Gilbert, Gloria Vonn, Lucille Sharp, Brooklyn Robinson. An Adaptive Studios production.THE NEW YORK TIMES’ Op-Docs
The New York Times’ Op-Docs poignantly explore relatable struggles faced by everyday citizens. From immigrant families overwhelming first night in America, to women struggling with Louisiana mandated abortion waiting periods, to a Japanese man’s attempt to both parent his young child and provide palliative care for his mother, the short films provide a window into universal experiences and acutely relevant conversations. Undue Burden, directed by Gina Pollack. (USA) – New York Premiere. When you live in a state with laws that restrict access to abortion, an unwanted pregnancy is only the start of your difficulties. Taller Than the Trees, directed by Megan Mylan. (USA) – Special Screening. Japanese men haven’t traditionally been caregivers. But for Masami Hayata, it’s a crucial part of raising his family. Hotel U.S.A., directed by Andrea Meller & Marisa Pearl. (USA) – New York Premiere. For refugee families, the very first night in the U.S. can be an exciting and bewildering experience.N.O.W. SHOWCASE (and Creators Market Participants)
A curated selection of 10 independent, online creators invited to showcase their latest work on TribecaFilm.com and at two public screenings as official Tribeca selections.SHOWCASE A
The Holdouts, directed by Ramon Campos Iriarte (Colombia) – World Premiere. The Western hemisphere’s oldest civil war is still going strong in the jungles of Colombia. The National Liberation Army (ELN) —a Marxist military organization— has been fighting for revolution since 1964, and with the FARC having declared a ceasefire, the ELN is today the last active guerrilla army in the Americas. In Spanish, English with subtitles. Ramon Campos Iriarte is a producer and filmmaker with a photography and journalism background, and extensive experience working in the field. He started his career working on commercial television, and then specialized in documentary production, focusing on environmental and social subjects mainly in the Americas Midnight Service, directed by Dean Colin Marcial and produced by Brett Potter (USA) – World Premiere. Midnight Service is a true-crime series about urban legends, notorious criminals, occult pop culture, and first-hand accounts of the unknown. Dean Colin Marcial is an international filmmaker working in New York and Manila. In 2009, he apprenticed under Antonio Campos, Josh Mond, and Sean Durkin of Borderline Films. In 2010, he co-founded Calavera USA, an award-winning production company. In 2014 he co-directed Sea Devil with Brett Potter, a Vimeo Staff-Picked short that went on to play festivals worldwide, garnering prizes at Fantasia and Slamdance. Brett Potter is a filmmaker and producer. He co-founded production services company Meadow Street Films and is also chairman of the board at Borscht, a film and arts non-profit. As a narrative producer, his films have premiered and won jury prizes at Sundance, SXSW, AFI, Rotterdam and more. Brett was a 2014 fellow at the Sundance Creative Producing Institute. Most recently he directed a raunchy game show pilot for Time Warner 150. New Deep South, created by Lauren Cioffi and Rosie Haber (USA) – World Premiere. This series explores the vibrant and multifaceted queer culture emerging in the American South. Playing against old stereotypes of Mississippi as a state of social conservatism and stagnation, we follow the lives of queer youth to explore the tangled and complex nature of sexual identity in the New Deep South. Lauren Cioffi is a documentary producer and shooter who has worked with award winning directors Margaret Brown, Liza Mandelup, and Amber Fares. In her free time, she programs for Sundance. Their film Instababy took home the audience award at LAFF after their digital series New Deep South was hailed by Jill Soloway as her favorite show. Rosie Haber is a graduate of Film Independent’s Project Involve, the Outfest Screenwriting lab, and AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women. She has won the Jury prize for dramatic shorts at Outfest and the audience award at LAFF. She is the writer of the screenplay adaptation of the iconic transgender novel, “Stone Butch Blues.” New York is Dead, produced by Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas, and Randy Harrison and directed by Matthew Wilkas (USA) – World Premiere. A darkly hilarious webseries about two broke NYC artists who become hitmen to make ends meet. Bio: Jenn Harris is an actress/writer/producer best known for her co-starring role in the film Gayby and playing Jodi Foster in the hit Off-Broadway musical “Silence! The Musical.” She has written and performed her solo show in NYC and was a writer for CNE and “Billy on the Street.” Matthew Wilkas is an actor/playwright/screenwriter also known for his co-starring role in the film Gayby. His play “Big Babies” was at the Vineyard Arts Project and Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre. His play “Pageant Play” was published by Dramatist Play Services after its production at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. New York is Dead is Randy Harrison’s directorial debut. He is best known for playing Justin Taylor for five seasons on Showtime’s acclaimed series Queer as Folk. Woman of a Certain Age, created, written by, and starring Kate Dearing, co-directed by Amanda Cowper and Sami Kriegstein and co-produced by Dearing, Cowper and Kriegstein- (USA) World Premiere. Kate confronts the daily challenges of being an adult, she is spontaneously visited by versions of herself at different ages – each offering their “best” advice. Like “A Christmas Carol” but without the pesky morals, Woman of a Certain Age explores what happens when we actually listen to the voices in our head. Kate Dearing is an actor/writer who has worked on numerous series, including High Maintenance, Good Neighbor Presents and The Outs. Recently, she won Best Actress at LA Comedy Fest for,Starting Out. Dearing is also the co-creator of Doin’ Everythin’ a sketch series that has been featured on JASH, CollegeHumor, and Huffington Post Comedy. Sami Kriegstein is a creative EP who made her mark at Maker Studios, Fullscreen Media, Caviar Content, Astronauts Wanted, and most recently, Refinery29. In 2010 she founded the Los Angeles Music Video Festival and in 2016 produced her first feature length documentary, Figures of Speech. Amanda Cowper is a producer and director who is currently the Associate Producer on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. Cowper previously worked at Peacock Productions.SHOWCASE B
HEROIN, directed by Jessica Beshir (USA) – World Premiere. For an artist, free will is just an illusion. Heroin explores the creative process, inspiration and alternative reality of an artist. Jessica Beshir is a first-time filmmaker. Raised in Mexico and Ethiopia by parents from each country, Beshir’s multi-cultural heritage and perspective makes her a perfect fit for the diverse New York filmmaking community. I LIVED: Brooklyn, directed by Jonathan Nelson and produced by Danielle Andersen (USA) – World Premiere. I LIVED: Brooklyn was created by director/cinematographer Jonathan Nelson and audio producer Danielle Andersen. Nelson and Andersen both live in Brooklyn and I LIVED was born from a desire to investigate the intricacies of place and identity in the borough’s distinct neighborhoods. Jonathan Nelson has worked in the New York film industry for the past ten years and has credits on prominent documentaries such as Twenty Feet From Stardom and last year’s The Witness. Danielle Andersen works as a field producer and outreach coordinator for the national oral history non-profit StoryCorps. Phone Calls, co-directed by Bonnie Wright and Martin Cohn (USA) – World Premiere. Phone Calls is an anthology series of conversations exploring the way people speak to each other when not face to face. Free of physical proximity, a space is born in which personal truths and, often times, ugliness is unleashed by those closest to you as well as those most foreign. Bonnie Wright’s directorial debut, Separate We Come, Separate We Go premiered at Cannes. She went on to direct a music video for Sophie Lowe and wrote and directed the short film, Know Thyself, which develops Wright’s fascination with landscape and feeling. Wright is currently developing an exhibition, SEXTANT. Martin Cohn, primarily an actor, found his way into screenwriting as an extension of his love for storytelling. He is a core member of London-based performance company, Theo Adams Company.Phone Calls marks his first foray into screenwriting. Shiva, Bankrukt Productions (Jeff Seal, Shaina Feinberg, Chris Roberti, Chris Manley) (USA) – World Premiere. Improvised vignettes from an Upper West Side Shiva, exploring the absurd, mundane, sad and spiritual. There will be lox. Jeff Seal is a comedian and filmmaker. His videos on dumpster diving and train hopping both made it to the front page of Reddit. Seal is a graduate of the Clown Conservatory and studied mime in Paris. Shaina Feinberg’s award-winning feature film, The Babymooners, blurred the lines between documentary and fiction. She made a cha cha album called “Everyday I Cha Cha Cha.” Chris Roberti is an actor and writer who can be seen in Broad City (Comedy Central), and High Maintenance (HBO). He performs throughout the city in places such as the Peoples Improv Theater and UCB. Chris Manley made an award winning film, The Babymooners. He is a founder at Bankrukt Productions and has had a hand in making over 150 short films as part of the creative team. The Show About The Show, directed by Caveh Zahedi (USA) – World Premiere. The Show About The Show is Caveh Zahedi’s self-referential scripted meta-series about a Brooklyn filmmaker trying to make a TV show. Co-starring Alex Karpovsky, Eleonore Hendricks, Dustin Defa, and a who’s who of Brooklyn’s independent filmmaking community, it tells the story of everything that can and does go wrong in trying to get a television series funded, produced, and distributed. Caveh Zahedi is an autobiographical American independent filmmaker whose films include I Am A Sex Addict (2005), In The Bathtub of the World (2001), I Don’t Hate Las Vegas Anymore (1994), andA Little Stiff (1991).N.O.W. CREATORS MARKET
A daylong, private industry market that brings together leading online creators/talent looking to pitch new projects with a curated group of industry (distributors, brands, MCNs) with particular interest in engaging up-and-coming online talent. Azie Mira Dungey After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Azie Mira Dungey moved to LA and created her critically acclaimed comedy web series Ask A Slave; this sparked her career in television. Dungey is currently an Executive Story Editor on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and she recently closed the deal to write her first book “How I Survived the 18th Century.” Arkasha Stevenson Arkasha Stevenson is a Los Angeles–based writer and director, and a recent graduate from the American Film Institute. Her thesis film, Vessels, was awarded the 2015 Iris Prize. Prior to attending film school, Stevenson worked as a photojournalist at the Los Angeles Times, which greatly informs her narrative filmmaking. Christian Larrave Christian Larrave is a filmmaker, musician, and artist from Dallas, TX whose work has screened at over 70 festivals and galleries across the world, and often involves a mixture of comedy and existential unease. He has a BFA in Animation from the Rhode Island School of Design and currently resides in New York City, where he works as a production artist. Dom Fera Dom Fera is a writer, director, actor, and composer raised in New Jersey and living in Los Angeles. Fera graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for Film & TV in 2014, and has run his YouTube channel since 2006. The channel has picked up over 82 million video views thanks to a varied collection of short films, sketches, and animations. Hazel Hayes Hazel Hayes is a director, writer, actor and vlogger. She has a thriving community of over 230,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. As an independent filmmaker, she has written, directed and starred in a number of sketches and short films. Hayes is heavily inspired by science fiction and horror. Hye Yun Park Hye Yun Park is an actor, writer, filmmaker, who has written and performed in several short films and created 2 seasons of the award winning web series, Hey Yun. When not making videos, Park is clowning around town or acting in other people’s films. Her new web series BKPI is a comedy about 3 female private investigators in Brooklyn. Jacquelyn Ryan, Kyle Brown, Katie Micay Jacquelyn Ryan is currently production supervisor on Pretty Little Liars and Famous In Love, and production coordinator on the John Wells production American Woman. Jacquelyn produced the digital series Hers and History and the indie web series Slave 4U. She is also the founder of a nonprofit called Wide Angle Film Center, a 501(c)(3) organization that supports a more sustainable and diverse media industry. Kyle Bown is a writer/producer who began his career moving from show to show, putting in time at hits such as The Mentalist, Heroes and Scrubs. He found a home when he landed on Pretty Little Liars, where he has been fortunate enough to co-write two episodes. He also co-wrote the short film The Firefly Girls and is a Creative Executive at Long Lake Media. Katie Micay graduated from Loyola Marymount University’s film production program. Her short film Limited Engagement was an Official Selection of the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival. Her second film My So Called Family was an Official Selection of the Bel Air Film Festival. Her third short film, Flirt, was an Official Selection of the Reality Bytes Film Festival. Lisa Ebersole Lisa Ebersole is an award-winning playwright and filmmaker. Her plays have been produced Off-Broadway and regionally: “Baby” (Best of The Fringe Festival), “Mother” (starring Buck Henry and Holland Taylor), “Brother” (published by Samuel French). Ebersole’s films include the feature film Brother (Tribeca Cinemas), the short Puddin’ (Palm Springs Film Festival), and the web series 37 Problems (Austin Film Festival). Lyle Friedman Lyle Friedman is currently an Executive Story Editor for Darren Star’s hit TV show, Younger. She is an alumni of UCB and the LAByrinth Theatre Company in New York. Friedman co-created the web series #hotmessmoves. Patrick Starrr Patrick Starrr is a beauty guru and LGBTQ activist. He has over 2.9 million Instagram followers and 2 million YouTube subscribers. Starrr recently attended New York Fashion Week as a backstage correspondent for Time Inc. (People, EW, InStyle) and hosted NBC’s Hairspray Live’s live stream alongside Manny Mua and Glee’s Darren Criss. Starrr has collaborated with countless celebrities such as Jessie J, Tyra Banks, Shay Mitchell and more. Paul Gale Paul Gale is an NYC-based comedic filmmaker whose work has been featured on the front pages of Reddit, BuzzFeed, and USA Today. He’s made content for companies like Broadway Video, MTV and The Huffington Post, and, if you’re in from out of town, he’s happy to make restaurant recommendations. Smaranda Luna, Michelle Flanagan Smaranda Luna is an Eastern-European actress, stand up comedian, writer, and improviser. She immigrated to the U.S on a Fulbright scholarship after graduating from the National Drama Conservatory in Bucharest, Romania. After getting her MFA in Acting from UT Austin, she relocated to Los Angeles. Her credits include Closer to the Moon, Harley and the Davidsons and numerous theatre productions. Michelle Flanagan is a performer and writer originally from Austin, where she worked with a number of theatre companies and received a degree in Theatre from the University of Texas. Since moving to Los Angeles, her voice work has been featured on Adult Swim’s China, IL, and she performs improv and character sketches at UCB, iO West, and Second City. Starsha Gill Starsha Gill is a Chicago-based filmmaker. The writer, star, and director of Jon and Starsha are Having a Baby (Official Selection, Los Angeles Film Festival 2015), also co-starred and co-wrote the feature film Cat Scratch Fever which premiered at the Brooklyn Film Festival. Gill’s most recent project, a web series entitled The Elephant in the Room, draws on her experience as a young mother in Brooklyn. Vera Miao Vera Miao is a child of Chinese immigrants and the writer/director/EP of Two Sentence Horror Stories. Her feature, Best Friends Forever, premiered at Slamdance. At First was part of the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab and Sundance/WIF Financing Intensive. Miao was a fellow of the 2016 Tribeca Chanel Women’s Filmmaker Program. Zane Rubin Zane Rubin is a nineteen year-old filmmaker from Los Angeles. Getting her start at the age of fifteen, Zane has written, directed, and acted in six shorts and a feature. Her work has been featured on Huffington Post, Wifey.tv, BUST, as well as a few festivals. It showcases the perspective of a teenage girl without the presence of curfews, parents, and homework, while addressing her debilitating anxiety and aversion to “the system.”