Film Festivals

Actor/Artist Common is 2016 Celebrity Ambassador of American Black Film Festival

Award-winning actor and artist, Common, has been selected as the 2016 celebrity ambassador of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). The ABFF will celebrate its 20th year with an exciting lineup of film screenings and an expanded schedule of networking opportunities and events, including “A Conversation with Common.” The highly anticipated festival is the nation’s largest gathering of Black film and television enthusiasts. Along with his award-winning music career, Common has garnered accolades in film, including his 2015 Academy Award, 2015 Critic’s Choice Award and the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” from the film Selma, as well as the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Common has also appeared in American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, Just Wright, Luv, Now You See Me and Run All Night. He is among Hollywood’s most sought after leading men, and can be seen in the upcoming films, Barbershop 3, John Wick 2 and Suicide Squad. Common initially gained wide public attention as one of hip-hop’s most poetic and respected lyricists. Over his illustrious music career, Common has recorded ten studio albums, which has earned him multiple Grammy Awards. “I’m very grateful and honored to be the ambassador for the 20th anniversary of the ABFF. The ABFF celebrates and brings together the many different voices in Black film today and I’m proud to be a part of the conversation,”? says Common. “There is no artist I respect and admire more than Common. He is immensely talented and has proven that an artist today can achieve the highest level of commercial success without compromising his conscience and responsibility to community. Our organization could not be more pleased to have him join us for the festival’s monumental year,” says ABFF Founder Jeff Friday.
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Saoirse Ronan ‘BROOKLYN’ to Receive International Star Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival

The 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Saoirse Ronan with the International Star Award at the upcoming Festival running January 1 to 11, 2016. “From her unforgettable roles in Atonement, The Lovely Bones, Hanna and The Grand Budapest Hotel, we have seen Saoirse Ronan grow from a young girl to the accomplished actress she is today,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In John Crowley’s new film Brooklyn, Ronan gives a mesmerizing performance as a young woman from Ireland who is offered the chance of a new life in New York. In this role, Ronan embodies the grace and depth of a classic Hollywood screen star. The Palm Springs International Film Festival is honored to present the 2016 International Star Award to Saoirse Ronan.” Past International Star Award honorees include BAFTA and Academy Award winning actors Javier Bardem and Helen Mirren. Brooklyn tells the profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. The film is directed by John Crowley from a screenplay by Nick Hornby based on the novel by Colm Tóibín and stars Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson and Emory Cohen, with Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekxPFTZm1Y
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Actors Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle to be Honored at 2015 Whistler Film Festival

Actors Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle will be honored at the upcoming 15th anniversary 2015 Whistler Film Festival taking place December 2 to 6, 2015. British-born Canadian actor, film producer, and film director Kiefer Sutherland will be honored with the WFF 2015 Trailblazer in Acting Award presented to an actor who “has carved a unique and inspiring path for themselves in film and who continues to engage audiences with meaningful and impactful work,” followed by the Western Canadian Premiere of his latest film FORSAKEN. Sutherland joins forces with ‘24’ director Jon Cassar on FORSAKEN starring opposite his father Donald Sutherland and Demi Moore, receiving its Western Canadian premiere at the fest and set to release in February 2016. Scottish born Robert Carlyle will be honored with the WFF 2015 Maverick Award. WFF will celebrate the “exciting and versatile actor whose bold choices have led to the creation of some of the most dynamic, memorable, and beloved characters of our time.” The Whistler Film Festival will screen his feature film directorial debut THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON, which is receiving its North American premiere at the festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG1i5T1XU-Q Other notable talent confirmed with films premiering at the fest include: actor Rossif Sutherland (RIVER), actors Bruce Greenwood and David Cubitt (REHEARSAL), actors Katharine Isabelle, Tommie-Amber Pirie and Ennis Esmer (HOW TO PLAN AN ORGY IN A SMALL TOWN), director/writer Sandy Wilson and producer Peter O’Brian (MY AMERICAN COUSIN), actors Aleks Paunovic, Stefanie von Pfetten, Marie Avgeropoulos, and Colin Cunningham (NUMB), actor Fred Ewanuick (PATTERSON’S WAGER), actor Sage Brocklebank (SUSPENSION), actors Gabrielle Rose and Camille Sullivan (THE BIRDWATCHER), actors Enrico Colantoni and Krista Bridges (THE COLOSSAL FAILURE OF THE MODERN RELATIONSHIP), actor Paul Savoie (THE DIARY OF AN OLD MAN), director and founder of the Toronto Film Critics Association Brian D. Johnson (AL PURDY WAS HERE), and award-winning directors Philippe Lesage (THE DEMONS) and Ricardo Trogi (THE MIRAGE).
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LAND AND SHADE, JAMES WHITE, MA, MUSTANG Among Winning Films at AFI FEST 2015

AFI FEST 2015 revealed the feature and short films receiving the Jury and Audience Awards. The New Auteurs Grand Jury Award was presented to LAND AND SHADE (pictured above), while DISORDER received a Special Jury Mention for Direction, and DESDE ALLÁ received a Special Jury Mention for Screenplay. This year’s Audience Award recipients in the New Auteurs, World Cinema and Breakthrough sections included MUSTANG, JAMES WHITE and MA. The complete list of award winners of AFI FEST 2015 NEW AUTEURS AWARDS New Auteurs Grand Jury Award: LAND AND SHADE (DIR César Augusto Acevedo) Jury Statement: “For its visual eloquence, formal rigor and emotional power, the New Auteurs Grand Jury Award goes to LAND AND SHADE. Its observations of economic exploitation and environmental degradation are as incisive as its characters are fully realized. Writer/director César Augusto Acevedo’s debut feature is an indelible portrait of a family in rural Colombia, told with unwavering compassion and Bressonian grace.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG3citOqODI Special Jury Mention for Direction: DISORDER (DIR Alice Winocour) Jury Statement: “For the taut and muscular direction of her viscerally entertaining thriller DISORDER, the jury recognizes writer/director Alice Winocour with a Special Jury Mention. Through precise execution of her material, Winocour subverts expectations commonly associated with genre films to deliver a bracing experience that stuns and surprises.” Special Jury Mention for Screenplay: DESDE ALLÁ (DIR/SCR Lorenzo Vigas) Jury Statement: “A tense, sensitive and unpredictable exploration of an improbable but emotionally believable relationship, the screenplay for DESDE ALLÁ merits a Special Jury Mention for its heartbreaking characters and its keen insights into the prejudices, alienation, social divides and desperate need for control that allow love to both bloom and wither.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGxY3tu9mDg GRAND JURY AWARDS, LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORT Grand Jury winners in the Shorts categories are eligible for Academy Award® consideration. Grand Jury Award for Live Action Short: BOYS (DIR Isabella Carbonell) Jury Statement: “This film tackles the abominable with courage, confidence and dignity. It shows us humanity in the places where we would least expect to find it.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woFhYCviwBw Grand Jury Award for Animated Short: WORLD OF TOMORROW (DIR Don Hertzfeldt) Jury Statement: “Funny. Scary. Heartbreaking. Original. And beautiful. This film hit us all hard.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdV1uFwtCpo Live Action Short Special Mention for Innovative Storytelling: RATE ME (DIR Fyzal Boulifa) Jury Statement: “This film pushes the boundaries not only of filmmaking technique but also social convention.” Live Action Short Special Mention for Nonfiction Filmmaking: The Reagan Shorts — RONALD REAGAN LIGHTS THE LIGHTS, RONALD REAGAN PARDONS A TURKEY, MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION INTERVIEWS THE REAGANS (DIR Pacho Velez) Jury Statement: “By selecting and editing these gems from years worth of archival footage, these shorts shine a light on the marriage of politics and performance.” Animated Short Special Jury Mention for Screenwriting: TEETH (DIRS Tom Brown, Daniel Gray) Jury Statement: “This film has many merits, but we were struck most by its sharp wit, character and spirit.” Animated Short Special Jury Mention for Creative Vision: MANOMAN (DIR Simon Cartwright) Jury Statement: “This film creates a world unlike any we’ve seen before. It was a privilege to have been invited in.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTcRhCejC-4 AUDIENCE AWARDS World Cinema Audience Award: LANDFILL HARMONIC (DIRS Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley, Juliana Penaranda-Loftus) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCjbd21fYV8 New Auteurs Audience Award: MUSTANG (DIR Deniz Gamze Ergüven) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU9JAN8LtIk American Independents Audience Award: JAMES WHITE (DIR Josh Mond) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1aVC6LJ3uc Breakthrough Audience Award: MA (DIR Celia Rowlson-Hall) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl6DrZCxid4
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CENSORED VOICES Wins Inaugural Bob Simon Award at the Other Israel Film Festival

Censored Voices is the winner of the inaugural Bob Simon Award at the 9th Annual Other Israel Film Festival. The award honors the legendary journalist’s intrepid reporting on Israel and the Middle East, and presented to the film that best captures Simon’s courageous spirit. Already a winner of the Ophir Award, Israel’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, for Best Documentary, Censored Voices presents, for the first time ever, the uncensored recordings of intimate conversations between Israeli soldiers and renowned author Amos Oz immediately following the 1967 Six Day War in which Israel captured Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. The film will be released theatrically via Music Box Films on November 20. Journalist Bob Simon was a long-time friend and supporter of the Festival. The award was created to honor his spirit and legacy of ethical reporting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oB8EFlf4-M
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BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY, Documentary Exploring Origins of Sport, to NY Premiere at DOC NYC | TRAILER

BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY, a new feature documentary by filmmaker Jerome Thélia exploring the nature and origins of sport, will have its New York Premiere at DOC NYC on Monday at 7:30 pm. Inspired by the book, The Ball: Discovering the Object of the Game by John Fox From Brazilian favelas to dusty Congolese villages, from neolithic Scottish isles to modern soccer pitches, BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY explores the little-known origins of our favorite sports. The film crosses time, languages and continents to discover how the ball has staked its claim on our lives and fueled our passion to compete. Equal parts science, history and cultural essay, BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY removes us from the scandals and commercialism of today’s sports world to uncover the true reasons we play ball, helping us reclaim our universal connection to the games we love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8UyRUrb6KM
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BROOKLYN Voted Winner of Audience Award for Best Film at Leeds International Film Festival

Brooklyn, directed by John Crowley and starring Saoirse Ronan, has been voted the winner of the Audience Award for Best Film at 2015 Leeds International Film Festival in Leeds, UK. Brooklyn, which was the opening night film of the festival, is described as a wonderful romantic drama adapted by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibín’s best-selling novel. Eilis is a young Irish woman who leaves her home for New York in the 1950s. Desperately homesick at first, Eilis soon finds romance in Brooklyn, but when a family emergency forces her back to Ireland, she finds herself torn between her personal freedom and her family responsibilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IM1XhTxPAE The top 20 films as voted by audience at 2015 Leeds International Film Festival 1. Brooklyn 2. Victoria 3. Chuck Norris vs Communism 4. Son of Saul 5. Home Care 6. Alice Cares 7. Urban and the Shed Crew 8. The Case of Hana and Alice 9. All About Them 10. Doing Nothing All Day 11. Taxi Tehran 12. Heart of a Dog 13. Nina Forever 14. Tangerine 15. The Postman’s White Nights 16. Another Country 17. Abandoned Goods + Exquisite Corpus 18. Shrew’s Nest 19. Aferim! 20. Lovemilla
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THE EXILE, MONSTERMAN, KEEP IN TOUCH, MULLY Win Top Awards at 2015 Austin Film Festival

The 2015 Austin Film Festival (AFF) announced its Jury and Hiscox Audience and Courage Award Winners in Film, as well as the Screenplay & Teleplay Competition winners. The jury awarded The Exile, by Arturo Ruiz Serrano (pictured above) as Best Narrative Feature and Monsterman, directed by Antti Haase as Best Documentary Feature. The Audience voted Keep In Touch, written by Sam Kretchmar and Michael Covino as winner of the Hiscox Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Mully directed by Scott Haze as winner of Hiscox Audience Award for Best Documentary. The following Jury award winners were selected by category: Narrative Feature: The Exile, written by Arturo Ruiz Serrano Documentary Feature: Monsterman, directed by Antti Haase Comedy Vanguard Feature: Baby, Baby, Baby, written by Brian Klugman Dark Matters Feature: Sunny Side Up, written by Willem Bosch Dark Matters Feature Honorable Mention: The Lion’s Path, written by Sophie-Anne Beaudry Narrative Short: Vainilla, written by Susana López Rubio Narrative Student Short: Kimi Kabuki, written by Yoko Okumura Documentary Short: Chau, Beyond the Lines, directed by Courtney Marsh Animated Short: The Meek, written by Joe Brumm Scripted Digital Series: School Nurse, created by Tom Beach, Laura Boersma, and John Stewart Muller After each Festival screening, audiences voted for the Hiscox Audience Awards, recognizing film favorites among the 2015 slate. The following Hiscox Audience Award winners were selected by category: Narrative Feature: Keep In Touch, written by Sam Kretchmar and Michael Covino Documentary Feature: Mully directed by Scott Haze Documentary Feature Honorable Mention: Of Dogs and Men directed by Michael Ozias Dark Matters Feature: Reparation written by Kyle Ham and Steve Timm Comedy Vanguard Feature: Baby, Baby, Baby written by Brian Klugman Narrative Short: Best Wishes from Millwood written by Max Baker Documentary Short: The Trials of Constance Baker Motley directed by Rick Rodgers Animated Short: The Present written by Fabio Cavalcanti and Jacob Frey Narrative Student Short: Amateur Dictator written by Zach Carver Scripted Digital Series: Master Class created by Justin Wright Neufeld Heart of Film: A Single Frame directed by Brandon Dickerson Stories From Abroad: El Jeremías written by Ana Sofía Clerici Texas Independent: Jack’s Apocalypse written by Will Moore Marquee Feature: Until 20 directed by Jamila Paksima and written by Geraldine Moriba One film was selected to receive the inaugural Hiscox Courage Award. Voted on by the audience, the Hiscox Courage Award is presented to the film that best embodies the virtue of courage and to the filmmaker who best embraced the risk to share the story. The first ever Courage Award went to Jamila Paksima’s and Geraldine Moriba’s Until 20, the story of Texan James Ragan’s quest to live a full and meaningful life despite his terminal battle with osteosarcoma. “Hiscox was honored to support Austin Film Festival and all of the inspirational films, filmmakers and subjects that made the week so special,” said Ben Walter, CEO of Hiscox USA. “We’re grateful to give the first Hiscox Courage Award to Until 20 and hope more people will be able to share the courageous life and story of James Ragan depicted in this film.” In continuation of AFF’s mission to find and support independent filmmakers, three films were already picked up for distribution at this year’s Festival including Comedy Vanguard 3rd Street Blackout, The Teller and the Truth picked up by FilmBuff, and James Franco’s Memoria which was acquired by Monterey Media. “Austin Film Festival is an exceptional source for a true audience reaction for independent films,” said Jere Rae-Mansfield, CFO & Managing Partner of Monterey Media. “We are so pleased to join them in our acquisition news.” The following Screenplay Competition winners were selected by category: Drama Screenplay Award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East: Detroit by Robert Rue Comedy Screenplay Award: Maxwell 2.0 by Paul Sanford Enderby Entertainment Award: The Great Debate by David Hoffman Darkwoods Productions Sci-Fi Award: The Innkeeper by Michael Catinari Horror Award: 77 Minutes by Shani Grewal AMC One-Hour Teleplay Pilot Award: Friend of the Devil by Michael Ouellette Sitcom Teleplay Pilot Award: Newsperson by Michael Drake Short Screenplay Award: The New World by Brian Rawlins Scripted Digital Series Award: Creepypasta by Will Zech & Alex Cope One-Hour Teleplay Spec Award: The Americans: Custody by Larry Caldwell Sitcom Teleplay Spec Award: Workaholics: Bring Your Kid To Work Day by Greg Brainos
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Ewan McGregor to Receive Award at Los Cabos International Film Festival and Screen “Last Days in the Desert”

Actor and director Ewan McGregor will attend the upcoming Los Cabos International Film Festival where he will be presented with the Protagonist Award for Excellence in Acting. The award statuette was designed by acclaimed Mexican artist Gabriel Macotela. McGregor will also present the special screening of his film, Last Days in the Desert, accompanied by its director –and festival special guest– Rodrigo García. The film, widely praised by the critics when premiered at Sundance Film Festival this year, is an imaginative version of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert. Ewan McGregor is mesmerizing as he takes on two of history’s most complicated and misunderstood characters: Jesus Christ and the Devil. Director Rodrigo Garcia reimagines Christ’s last days of fasting in the desert as he walks back to civilization. In the midst of the harsh landscape, fatigued and hallucinating, Christ is met by the Devil, who is eager to test and tempt the weary traveler. Their profound ruminations on faith and truth demonstrate Garcia’s power as a screenwriter and McGregor’s determination to portray Jesus in a different light. By focusing on Christ’s fallibility and innocence, new dimensions of the prophet and the man create a fascinating character study. But Christ’s real test comes when he befriends a family on his travels and is caught up in a dispute that forces a powerful confrontation with his own fate.
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Cate Blanchett to be Honored at Palm Springs International Film Festival

Two-time Academy Award Winning Actress Cate Blanchett will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress at the upcoming 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival for her amazing performances in “Carol” and “Truth”. The festival runs January 1 to 11, 2016. Carol, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, follows two women from very different backgrounds, unhappily married Carol (Blanchett) and department store clerk Therese (Rooney Mara), who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. Directed by Todd Haynes from a script by Phyllis Nagy, Carol also stars Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith. The film is distributed by the Weinstein Company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk Truth examines the facts and the fallout surrounding a CBS investigative report on the military service record of then-President George W. Bush, aired on Sept. 8, 2004 just prior to the Bush/Kerry presidential election. As the subsequent story turned from the facts themselves to the reporting, however, CBS News producer Mary Mapes (played by Blanchett) and CBS News anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) would both soon lose their jobs and reputations. Written and directed by James Venderb based on the memoir Truth and Duty by Mary Mapes, Truth also stars Topher Grace, Elizabeth Moss and Dennis Quaid. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqOz8-Sto1g Past actress recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, include Julianne Moore, Sandra Bullock, Natalie Portman, Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Michelle Williams. Last year’s honoree, Julianne Moore, went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress. Blanchett was previously honored at the festival with the Career Achievement Award and Ensemble Performance Award for Babel.
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HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY to US Premiere at DOC NYC 2015 | TRAILER

HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY, which will have its US PREMIERE at the upcoming DOC NYC 2015. HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY is directed by Academy Award Nominee Daniel Raim, Executive Produced by Danny DeVito and features many familiar faces including Harold Michelson, Lillian Michelson, Danny DeVito, Francis Ford Coppola, Mel Brooks, Anahid Nazarian, Rick Carter, Tom Walsh, Jim Bissell, Marc Wanamaker, Bill Krohn, Norman Newberry, and Gene Allen. Academy Award®-nominated director Daniel Raim and Executive Producer Danny DeVito (Pulp Fiction, Man on the Moon) present HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY, a fascinating and deeply moving account of the romantic and creative partnership of storyboard artist Harold Michelson and his wife, film researcher Lillian Michelson—a talented couple once considered “the heart of Hollywood.” Harold and Lillian worked on hundreds of iconic films during Hollywood’s golden age including The Ten Commandments, The Apartment, The Birds, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Rosemary’s Baby, Fiddler On The Roof, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Scarface, Full Metal Jacket and more. Although the couple was responsible for some of Hollywood’s most iconic examples of visual storytelling, their contributions remain largely uncredited. Through an engaging mix of love letters, film clips and candid conversations with Harold and Lillian, Danny DeVito, Mel Brooks, Francis Coppola and others, this heartfelt documentary chronicles their remarkable relationship and two extraordinary careers spanning six decades of movie-making history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RuCqsZhkLE
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Dates Revealed for 2016 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum

The 2016 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum will be held in Camden, Rockport and Rockland from September 15 to 18, 2016. Filmmakers may submit their completed documentaries (features and shorts) to CIFF or their works-in-progress to the Points North Fellowship starting in January 2016.
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