Film Festivals

23 Movies on Lineup for 2015 Wavescape Surf Film Festival at Durban International Film Festival

The 2015 Wavescape Surf Film Festival has announced a record lineup of 23 movies over a week at the 36th Durban International Film Festival, which takes place from July 16 to 26. Every conceivable film technique and technology is represented in an extraordinary selection of films, according to Spike from Wavescape, co-director of the Wavescape festival. “We have some excellent documentaries, including the hair-raising story of the Signal Hill Speed Run (pictured above) in California that started downhill skateboard racing.” Wavescape 2015 boasts 12 short films and 11 medium or feature length movies that reflect a unique diversity. A unique trilogy of poetic shorts form a beautiful rendition of surfing in the UK: Sea Fever – and Irish film set to a John Masefield poem and gritty black and white footage; Edges of Sanity – a uniquely powerful piece narrated by Charles Dance who plays Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones; and Chasing Rumors – moving from the clamor of a football match at Newcastle United to the nearby Tyne River where storm waves pound grimy shores. Included are films from the most remote wildernesses of Alaska (Arctic Swell) (pictured above) and the Arctic Circle (The Cradle of Storms). But from these frozen wastelands and frigid waves we sweep to the translucent tropical waters and reefs of Indonesia in the Mentawai Drone Movie, a short shot entirely by aerial drone. “Don’t miss the languidly beautiful pace of Bella Vita that takes us to Tuscany as an Italian surfer and activist retraces his ancient roots, or the hard-hitting feminist film Flux: Redefining Women’s Surfing that ask serious questions of the surf industry.” “One of my favorite shorts is Narcose, an artistically rendered account of world apnea free diving champion Guillaume Néry’s hallucinations caused by ‘raptures of the deep’ during one of his dives,” says Spike. There are films about skateboarding in the urban precincts of Cape Town, and keeping within themes of sustainability, two South African shorts about wooden surfboard craftsman. From the epic surfing and slo-mo definition of world class surfing inAttractive Distractions, we move to Always on the Road, a beautifully shot film that traces the old surf routes of Europe along the Basque countryside, as well as France and Portugal. There are obligatory soul surfing movies (I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night, Missing, Rail to Rail and Se7en Signs) to a heady mix of high action surfing that can be found in Missing, Attractive Distractions, Strange Rumblings in Shangri La andPipeline and Kelly Slater. And with any selection of surf films, there is the whacky wildcard: Expencive Porno Movie (sic) (pictured above) spoofs the “surf porn” genre, of endless shots of waves and wave-riding, with a cheesy 1960’s Austin Powers theme. The widest collection yet hails from locations such as Namibia, Cape Town, Hawaii, California, Indonesia, Portugal, Spain, Alaska, Patagonia, and Australia.
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2015 Durban International Film Festival Lineup, Strong Focus on South African Films

The 36th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) taking place from 16 to 26 July, the city unveiled a lineup that includes 74 feature films, 50 documentaries, 74 short films and 23 surf films. The festival also offers an extensive workshop and seminar program in which industry experts from around the world share their knowledge and skills.

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“CURIOUS WORLDS” “CROCODILE GENNADLY ” Win 2015 SF Documentary Festival

CURIOUS WORLDS: The Art and Imagination of David Deck directed by Olympia Stone is the winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature at 2015 SF Documentary Festival (SF DocFest). CROCODILE GENNADLY (pictured above) directed by Steve Hoover is the winner of Jury Prize for Best Feature. In ‘CURIOUS WORLDS: The Art and Imagination of David Deck’ the curtain is pulled back on one of America’s (and San Francisco’s) most accomplished and original — yet least-known working artists — David Beck. A master sculptor, carver, painter and miniature architect, Beck works in a fantastical genre all his own, creating intricate worlds, alive with playful and incisive observations of the world we know. With wit and charm Curious Worlds captures the artist at work in his studio, reflecting on his process in an intimate portrait illuminating what it takes to create a masterwork. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1a8AOWPxwU In ‘CROCODILE GENNADLY’ Ex-Soviet soldier turned self-proclaimed savior and pastor, “Crocodile Gennadiy,” doesn’t feel he needs permission to do good deeds. So he has taken up the fight against child homelessness in Ukraine by kidnapping drug addicted street kids and bringing them to his DIY rehab center for forced treatment. His ongoing efforts and unabashedly tough love approach to his country’s problems has made him a folk hero for some, and a lawless vigilante to others. It’s a beautifully cinematic film that is a testament to the good in all of us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fTBwDUAgnU Other winners include LAST DAY OF FREEDOM for Audience Award for Best Short, and THE MAN BEHIND 55000 DRESSES winning Jury Prize for Best Short.
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Revelation Perth International Film Festival Opens Today With Australian Road Movie LAST CAB TO DARWIN | TRAILER

Revelation Perth International Film Festival kicks off its eighteenth edition tonight at the Luna Cinema in Leederville, Perth, Western Australia with the Australian road movie Last Cab To Darwin. Film Director Jeremy Sims, along with stars Michael Caton, Nigali Lawford and Mark Coles Smith will be in attendance. Last Cab To Darwin World Premiered last month at the 2015 Sydney Film Festival. In Last Cab to Darwin, Rex (Michael Caton) is a cab driver from Broken Hill. On the surface he appears as a simple man whose days are spent driving miners to the airport, whose evenings are spent drinking a beer with a handful of old mates and whose mornings pass by as he has tea with his neighbour Polly (Ningali Lawford). But underneath the apparent simplicity of his daily life Rex is in poor health. Now, facing bad news he understands that he wants to control his final moments, meanwhile in Darwin Dr Farmer (Jacki Weaver) may have the perfect solution. Rex just needs to drive there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n5Y2y_fNCA
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First Four Documentary Films Selected for 2015 Tallgrass Film Festival | TRAILERS

The first four official films are revealed for the 2015 Tallgrass Film Festival whose subjects truly embody the Stubbornly Independent spirit. These acclaimed documentaries recount engaging stories from around the world, and in Wichita. The first three feature humanitarians, adventurists and innovators in the compelling stories of their trials, tribulations and the up-hill battles they face. The fourth is a sweet and surprising gem that speaks volumes to the talent and perseverance of a local filmmaker with an unconventional and unbending will for the craft of moviemaking. The 13th annual Tallgrass Film Festival takes place in and around downtown Wichita this October 14-18th. DOUBLE DIGITS: THE STORY OF A NEIGHBORHOOD MOVIE STAR, USA, 2015, Dir. Justin Johnson (pictured above) In his tiny “studio” apartment in Wichita, Kansas, inspiring 50-year-old filmmaker Richard ‘R.G.’ Miller directs his cast of dolls and action figures in the weirdest “blockbuster”-style feature films you’ve never seen. His dream audience? More than 9 people. Double Digits explores what it means to be a DIY artist in the 21st century, while delving into the life and creative process of a gifted and truly unique talent. (Johnson and Miller scheduled to attend.) This film will screen as part of the Wichita State University Thursday Night Spotlight and will include the World Premiere of Mr. Miller’s newest short film commissioned for the Tallgrass Film Festival. https://vimeo.com/128304036 ANGEL OF NANJING, USA/China, 2015, Dir. Jordan Horowitz and Frank L. Ferendo The Yangtze River Bridge in Nanjing is one of the most famous bridges in China. It is also the most popular place in the world to commit suicide. For the past 11 years Chen Si has been patrolling this bridge, looking to provide aid for those who have gone there to end their lives. Incredibly, he has saved over 300 people since he began – nearly one every two weeks. Winner, Best Documentary at Phoenix Film Festival (Filmmaker(s) scheduled to attend.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA93svbHgok UNBRANDED, USA, 2015, Dir. Phillip Baribeau Four young men take an unprecedented journey on adopted wild mustangs from the Mexican to the Canadian borders through the backccountry of deserts and mountains. Their goal: To prove the worth of the iconic horses that are the subject of often bitter controversy, as well as their own ability to complete the challenge. As they cover the 3000 miles of often unforgiving landscapes, the riders succumb to the contradictory tensions of camaraderie and rivalry. Winner, Audience Award at 2015 HotDocs Film Festival and 2015 Telluride MountainFilm Festival. Director scheduled to attend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQmmaiWHYHQ THE ARMOR OF LIGHT, USA, 2015, Dir. Abigail E. Disney and Kathleen Hughes Abigail Disney’s directorial debut, THE ARMOR OF LIGHT, follows the journey of an Evangelical minister trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America. The film tracks Reverend Rob Schenck, anti-abortion activist and fixture on the political far right, who breaks with orthodoxy by questioning whether being pro-gun is consistent with being pro-life. A courageous look at our fractured political culture, and an assertion that it is, indeed, possible for people to come together across deep party lines to find common ground. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSP0Soy8ACk
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Robin Williams Last Film BOULEVARD to Open 2015 Ischia Global Film & Music Fest

Dito Montiel’s “Boulevard” – the last film starring Robin Williams – will enjoy its European premiere on July 12, opening the 13th Annual Ischia Global Film & Music Fest. “We are proud to inaugurate the festival with a long awaited work where, according to Us critics, the actors delivers one of his best performances,” announced Pascal Vicedomini, fouder and producer of the Summer’s hottest International Film Fest, “and to be able to do it almost simultaneously with the movie’s Us release (July 10, 2015). The first trailer of this movie – recently launched on the web – has touched the hearts of millions of fans who will soon commemorate the first anniversary of Williams’ passing, occurred on August 11, 2014. “Boulevard,” acclaimed at Tribeca Festival, is the fourth and last of Robin Williams’ films which were released after his death. “However,” observes festival’s producer Pascal Vicedomini, “‘Boulevard’ is certainly the most touching of them all, a true testament to the actor’s talent, and we’ll have the pleasure of sharing this heart-felt moment together with such celebrities as Antonio Banderas, Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, Matteo Garrone, Jimmy Kimmel, Bille August, Sandy Powell, Paul Haggis, Eli Roth, as well as with the Academy’s President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.” The drama, directed by brilliant New York director, writer and musician Dito Montiel (“A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints”), features Robin Williams as a bank employee who seems quite contented with his life next to his endearing wife (Kathy Baker), until a fatal encounter with a young prostitute who will force him to come to terms with his repressed homosexuality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCdUubr70i8 Ischia Global Fest 2015 will honor “Leoardi”, Italian Movie of the Year, with a special screening on July 17. Mario Martone’s movie revolving around the life of Italian 19th century poet Giacomo Leopardi, is regarded as a true Italian phenomenon, able to give new impulse to the Italian cinema and culture, often screened for students and scholars. The festival, which will unfold until July 19, will also present the European premieres of “Ten Thousand Saints”, written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini; the movie, which was already awarded at the Sundance Film Festival, is based on a novel by Eleanor Henderson and is interpreted by Asa Butterfield and Jude Keffy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTa0dNK25Mw Italian premieres include: Doug Ellin’s “Entourage” with Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon (Warner Bros), based on the well-known HBO series; Paul Feig’s comedy “SPY”, with Jason Statham, Jude Law, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne (FOX), which marks the third collaboration between Feig and McCarthy after “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat”; James Kent’s First World War drama “Testament of Youth”, with Alicia Vikander, Emily Watson, Kit Harington; Rob Cohen’s thriller “The Boy next door”, with Jennifer Lopez (Universal). Other special screenings will include: Sundance-acclaimed “The Truth About Emanuel,” (pictured above) by Francesca Gregorini, with Jessica Biel; Alessandro Capone’s “Maid for you,” with Giulio Berruti, Antonio Cupo, and science fiction “Ex Machina” by Alex Garland with Alicia Vikander Oscar Isaacs (Universal). Denmark will be the celebrated country at the Festival which will host the screening of “My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn”, directed by Liv Corfixen, wife to Winding Refn.
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Richard Gere to be Honored, TIME OUT OF MIND to Open, SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE to Close 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Time Out of Mind directed by Oren Moverman and starring Richard Gere and Jena Malone, will open the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Richard Gere will also be presented with festival’s highest award, the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema. In the film, Richard Gere plays a homeless man, who is thrown out of his ramshackle apartment and on to the street, with everything he owns in two plastic bags. This powerful story from the life of a homeless person in today’s New York offers a soulful character study of a man whose only hope in an otherwise desperate existence is to try to find reconciliation with his long estranged daughter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6Vvn6aPJus In addition to Time Out of Mind (2014), The Karlovy Vary IFF will showcase Richard Gere’s other new film – the drama Franny (2015), the story of a philanthropist who gets involved in the lives of a young married couple in the attempt to compensate for traumas of the past. Born in Philadelphia, Gere devoted himself to music from an early age. Beginning in the 1970s he performed in various theaters and gradually began getting film roles. Richard Gere has also been acknowledged around the world for his clear stances on social issues. He is a personal friend of the Dalai Lama and a steadfast defender of human rights and independence in Tibet. He has also actively stood up for the need to combat AIDS, and is an important donor benefactor and supporter of numerous charity organizations. Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will close with a screening of one of the hits of this year’s Sundance festival, Sleeping with Other People, directed by Leslye Headland (pictured above). The romantic comedy is a wink across a quarter of a century to Rob Reiner’s cult film When Harry Met Sally, with all its sparkling dialogue and disarming humour. Jake and Lainey spend one crazy night together in a college dorm room, the first such affair for both of them. When they run into each other in New York twelve years later, they find out that in the meantime both of their love-lives have been dogged by problems with infidelity. They make a deal to form a strictly platonic friendship in spite of a strong mutual attraction for the sake of helping each other find a healthy relationship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG3Q2ua5izw
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COP CAR to Kick Off 2015 Sundance NEXT FEST in LA

2015 Sundance NEXT FEST will present the Los Angeles premieres of six films from the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles August 7-9. Five films screen at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, paired with either a special music performance that embodies a shared artistic sensibility or with a special conversation between the filmmakers and the luminaries who inspired them and who will be announced later this summer. On August 2, the weekend before the festival, things kick off with the Los Angeles premiere of Cop Car (pictured above) with Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. In Cop Car, Kevin Bacon plays a small-town Sheriff setting out to find the boys who have taken his car on a dangerous joyride. The outdoor screening under the stars will feature food trucks and a themed Cinespia Photo Booth. All ticket proceeds go to the non-profit Sundance Institute. To celebrate the announcement of the lineup, Sundance NEXT FEST is co-hosting a special screening tonight of Tangerine (pictured above) at the Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, cohosted by Magnolia Pictures, Outfest and Ace Hotel DTLA. Tangerine, a breakout at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, is a rip-roaring comedy that follows a working girl tearing through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. The screening will be followed by a special DJ set by Little Boots. Cop Car / U.S.A. (Director: Jon Watts, Screenwriters: Jon Watts, Christopher D. Ford) — A small-town Sheriff sets out to find the boys who have taken his car on a dangerous joyride. Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE Mistress America / U.S.A. (Director: Noah Baumbach, Screenwriters: Noah Baumbach, Greta Gerwig) — Tracy is a lonely college freshman in New York, having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke – a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town – she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke’s alluringly mad schemes. Cast: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE Sky Ferreira —Sky Ferreira has quickly established herself as one of today’s most exciting new faces in music, film and fashion. She first signed to Capitol Records at the early age of 15 where she eventually wrote & executive produced her critically acclaimed debut album, Night Time, My Time. As an actress, she has worked with many independent filmmakers including Eli Roth, Liza Johnson & Matthew Porterfield. Sky is currently recording her highly anticipated new album,Masochism. Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it, therefore, to be his rightful property. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — In an attempt to revive his dwindling career and reunite with his estranged daughter, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the California desert.Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek.LOS ANGELES PREMIERE Sharon Van Etten — Singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten writes from free-flowing emotional honesty and vulnerability, creating a bond with the listener that few contemporary musicians can match. Following her 2012 break-through Tramp, last year’s follow up Are We There and her new EP I Don’t Want to Let You Down, Van Etten finds herself in full stride, writing, producing and performing. Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael J. Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn’t know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE Turbo Kid / Canada, New Zealand (Directors and screenwriters: Anouk Whissell, François Simard, Yoann-Karl Whissell) — Set in a post apocalyptic year of 1997, this nostalgic tribute to ’80s action-adventure films follows an orphaned teenager who goes on an adventure to save his female-robot companion from the hands of the evil warlord who controls the only water supply. Cast: Munro Chambers, Laurence Leboeuf, Michael Ironside, Aaron Jeffery, Edwin Wright. LOS ANGELES PREMIERE Neon Indian vs. Toro Y Moi ’80s-inspired DJ battle — Neon Indian, the brainchild of Alan Palomo, is defined by a unique electro-mangled sound which has attracted fans and opening slots before acts like Massive Attack, The Flaming Lips, Phoenix and Chromeo. Toro Y Moi, the guise of Chaz Bundick, channels a wide swath of stylistic influences into his electronics-incorporating music and cites Big Star, Talking Heads and Todd Rundgren as some of his inspirations.
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Harry Potter Star Tom Felton to be Honored at 45th Giffoni Film Festival

Tom Felton, the British actor, best known for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, will receive the “Giffoni Experience Award” at the 45th Giffoni Film Festival, which runs July 17 – 26 in Giffoni Valle Piana (Sa). The star began acting when he was eight years old and his early film roles included playing Peagreen Clock in Peter Hewitt’s The Borrowers (1997) and playing Jodie Foster’s son in Andy Tennant’s Anna and the King (1999). In 2001 he landed the role of Draco Malfoy, the enemy of Harry Potter, in the highly successful Harry Potter saga (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(2005), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)). His work as Draco earned him Best Villain Awards at the 2010 and 2011 MTV Movie Awards and a Best Cast Award, along with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards. Felton’s additional credits include Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) by Rupert Wyatt, From the Rough (2013) by Pierre Bagley, Belle (2013) by Amma Asante, and Against the Sun (2014) by Brian Falk. In 2016, he will return to the big screen in Risen helmed by Kevin Reynolds and co-starring Joseph Fiennes, Peter Firth, and Cliff Curtis.
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“Big Gold Dream: Scottish Post-Punk and Infiltrating the Mainstream” Wins Audience Award at 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival
The music documentary, “Big Gold Dream: Scottish Post-Punk and Infiltrating the Mainstream” directed by Grant McPhee won the Audience Award at the 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival. In the late 1970s, from a tenement flat in Edinburgh, Bob Last and Hilary Morrison operated their record label Fast Product. A predecessor to Rough Trade and Factory Records, Fast Product quickly became the hub for a group of ground-breakingly talented musicians. This documentary is the previously untold story of a post-punk/indie music scene that reverberated from Edinburgh, throughout the UK and beyond. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnIABfda40o The Top Five films, as voted by the public were:
1. Big Gold Dream: Scottish Post-Punk and Infiltrating the Mainstream (Grant McPhee)
2. Desert Dancer (Richard Raymond)
3. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Marielle Heller)
4. Love & Mercy (Bill Pohlad)
5. Amy (Asif Kapadia)
https://vimeo.com/128064710 Image: Big Gold Dream: Vic Godard, Malcolm Ross, Douglas MacIntyre, Ken McCluskey, Grant McPhee, Erik Sandberg, Innes Reekie, June 19, EIFF 2015. by Rob O’Donnell, © EIFF
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ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL and HARRY & SNOWMAN Win Awards at 20th Nantucket Film Festival

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Ron Davis’ HARRY & SNOWMAN won for Best Documentary Feature at the 20th Nantucket Film Festival (NFF). Eric Rockey’s PINK BOY won the Audience Award for Best Short. The Audience Award Best Film runner up was animated comedy SHAUN THE SHEEP THE MOVIE, written & directed by Richard Starzak & Mark Burton. Kristen Dávila’s COUNTERINTELLIGENCE received the top prize as the winner of the Feature Screenplay Competition. The Television Pilot nods went to Estella Gabriel for ICE and to Jonathan Schwartz for SOLD. Kristen Dávila’s COUNTERINTELLIGENCE, a political satire set in Pakistan involving the CIA, a budding jihadist group, and an indebted gambler who plays the two off one another in an attempt to save his own neck. Dávila receives $5000 cash prize and one of only four coveted spots to participate in partner organization the Screenwriters Colony month-long writing retreat in October. NFF recognizes the remarkable renaissance on the small screen through two Television Pilot Competitions, one for Hour-Long Pilots and the other for Half-Hour Pilots. Both winners receive a $1000 cash prize, as well as a consultation with a Showtime executive. The Half-Hour Television Pilot winner is SOLD by Jonathan Schwartz, which is set in a fine-arts auction house. The Hour-Long Television Pilot winner is ICE by Estella Gabriel, which details the conflicts and violence faced by a border patrol agent. The Short Screenplay Competition winner is MORE COW BELL by Andy Nellis, a dark portrait of a farm family. Nellis receives a $500 cash prize. The winner of the Best Screenwriting in a Short Film Award, given to an exceptional short film featured in this year’s festival, went to writer/director Shaka King and writer Kristan Sprague for MULIGNANS. The Festival’s Teen View Jury Award, selected by a group of Nantucket junior high school students, went to BIRTHDAY, written & directed by Chris King. Earlier this weekend, the winner of the ninth annual Adrienne Shelly Foundation Excellence in Filmmaking Award was announced, which bestows a cash prize to a female filmmaker in honor of the late director. The award went to director Crystal Moselle for her acclaimed debut documentary, THE WOLFPACK.
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45 YEARS, THE DIARY OF A TEENAGER GIRL Win Tops Awards at 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival

Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years (pictured above) won the top prize, the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film, at the 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Described by the festival as “one of the best British films of the year”, 45 Years is about the fractured relationship between a couple, played by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, as they head towards their 45th wedding anniversary party. Director Andrew Haigh commented, “This is a real honor and made even more special when you consider the list of British films that have won before. All you can hope for when you make a film is that it resonates with people and that is why receiving an award such as this feels so fantastic.” 45 Years’ lead actress Charlotte Rampling won the Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film, sharing it with James Cosmo for his performance in The Pyramid Texts. The Award for Best International Feature Fim was awarded to Marielle Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl (USA) (pictured above), which received its UK Premiere at EIFF. Starring Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård and Kristen Wiig, the film takes place in 1970s San Francisco, where a young cartoonist Minnie (Bel Powley) can’t wait to grow up. Her mother’s (Kristen Wiig) no-holds-barred approach to partying colours her adolescent judgement, encouraging her to seek grown-up thrills anywhere she can. Instigating a liaison with her mother’s boyfriend, Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård), she begins a passionate affair with a man two decades her senior, and despite the age gap remains utterly in control. Special Mentions were given to Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s The Stanford Prison Experiment and J.Davis’ Manson Family Vacation. The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film was awarded to Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack (USA) (pictured above). The Jury commented “Out of a very strong field, the Jury has selected The Wolfpack as the best documentary in competition at the 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Shot over five years, the director Crystal Moselle turned a chance encounter with six brothers into an intriguing, intimate portrait that shines a light on the warmth, humor and underlying tension of an extraordinary situation.” Scrapbook directed by Mike Hoolboom won The Award for Best Short Film, Stems by director Ainslie Henderson won the McLaren Award for Best New British Animation, and the Student Critics Jury Award went to Black Mountain Poets directed by Jamie Adams.
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