SUFFRAGETTE from BAFTA Award-winning director Sarah Gavron will open the 2015 Savannah Film Festival taking place October 24 to 31, 2015. “Suffragette” is a moving drama that will empower all who are striving for equal rights in our own day and age. Written by Emmy Award winner Abi Morgan, “Suffragette” is inspired by the early-20th-century campaign of the Suffragettes, who were activists for Women’s Suffrage – risking their very lives for the right of women to vote. The cast includes Academy Award nominees Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter, Golden Globe Award nominees Brendan Gleeson and Romola Garai, British Independent Film Award winner Anne-Marie Duff, BAFTA Award winner Ben Whishaw, and three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4jBXQM7mIk
Additional films confirmed for the 2015 Savannah Film Festival include:
“Brooklyn” – The profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey, 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 Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. The film is distributed by Fox Searchlight. Director: John Crowley. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent.
“I Saw the Light” – “I Saw the Light” tells the story of Hank Williams, the iconic, influential country singer and songwriter of the 1940’s and early 50’s whose meteoric rise and fall, including his death at age 29, has become part of American folklore. Writer-director Marc Abraham has created a compelling, historically accurate narrative of Hank’s career that examines his tormented creative genius and the turbulent domestic life that inspired him to write some of his best-known songs. By literally going back in time, you see Hank as he was, living his life on his terms, battling his demons and ultimately creating music for the ages. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: Marc Abraham. Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Cherry Jones, Bradley Whitford, Maddie Hasson and Wren Schmidt.
“Krisha” – The story of a woman’s return to the family she abandoned years before, set entirely over the course of one turbulent Thanksgiving. When Krisha shows up at her sister’s Texas home on Thanksgiving morning, her close and extended family greet her with a mixture of warmth and wariness. Almost immediately, a palpable unease permeates the air, one which only grows in force as Krisha gets to work cooking the turkey and trying to make up for lost time by catching up with her various relatives, chief among them her nephew, Trey. As Krisha’s attempts at reconciliation become increasingly rebuffed, tension and suspicion reach their peak, with long-buried secrets and deep-seated resentments coming to the fore as everyone becomes immersed in an emotionally charged familial reckoning. The film is distributed by A24. Director: Trey Edward Shults. Cast: Krisha Fairchild, Robyn Fairchild, Bill Wise and Trey Edward Shults. “Lady in the Van” – A big screen adaptation of writer Alan Bennett’s iconic and celebrated memoir. The film tells the true story of the relationship between Alan Bennett and the singular Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who ‘temporarily’ parked her van in Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years. Their unique story is funny, poignant and life-affirming. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: Nicholas Hytner. Cast: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Frances De La Tour, and Roger Allam.
“Mia Madre” – Margherita is a director shooting a film with the famous American actor, Barry Huggins, who is quite a headache on set. Away from the shoot, Margherita tries to hold her life together, despite her mother’s illness and her daughter’s adolescence. The film is distributed by Alchemy. Director: Nanni Moretti. Cast: Margherita Buy and John Turturro.
“Miss You Already” – The friendship between two life-long girlfriends is put to the test when one starts a family and the other falls ill. The film is distributed by Roadside Attractions. Director: Catherine Hardwicke. Cast: Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette.
“Room” – Both highly suspenseful and deeply emotional, “Room” is a unique and touching exploration of the boundless love between a mother and her child. After 5-year-old Jack and his Ma escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery: the outside world. As he experiences all the joy, excitement, and fear that this new adventure brings, he holds tight to the one thing that matters most of all—his special bond with his loving and devoted Ma. Based on the international bestselling book by Emma Donoghue. The film is distributed by A24. Director: Lenny Abrahamson. Cast: Brie Larson, William H. Macy, Joan Allen and Jacob Tremblay.
“Son of Saul” – Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul discovers the body of a boy he takes for his son. As the Sonderkommando plans a rebellion, Saul decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child’s body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: László Nemes. Cast: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsótér and Marcin Czarnik.
“Touched With Fire” – Two manic depressives meet in treatment and begin a romance that brings out all of the beauty and horror of their condition. The film is distributed by Roadside Attractions. Director: Paul Dalio. Cast: Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby and Christine Lahti.
“Truth” – Based on the book “Truth and Duty” by Mary Mapes that tells the incredible true story of Mary Mapes (played by Cate Blanchett), an award-winning CBS News Journalist and Dan Rather’s producer, who broke the Abu-Ghraib prison abuse story, among others. The film chronicles the story Mapes and Rather uncovered that a sitting US president may have been AWOL from the United States National Guard for over a year during the Vietnam War. When the story blew up in their face, the ensuing scandal ruined Dan Rather’s career, nearly changed a US Presidential election, and almost took down all of CBS News in the process. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: James Vanderbilt. Cast: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss and Dennis Quaid.
“Youth” – From Paolo Sorrentino, the director of Italy’s Oscar foreign language winner “The Great Beauty” comes “Youth,” about two longtime friends vacationing in the Swiss Alps. Oscar winning actor Michael Caine plays Fred, an acclaimed composer and conductor, who brings along his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), a renowned filmmaker. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. The two men reflect on their past, each finding that some of the most important experiences can come later in life. The film is distributed by Fox Searchlight. Director: Paolo Sorrentino. Cast: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda.Film Festivals
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SUFFRAGETTE to Open 2015 Savannah Film Festival; Lineup Includes BROOKLYN, SON OF SAUL, TRUTH, YOUTH
SUFFRAGETTE from BAFTA Award-winning director Sarah Gavron will open the 2015 Savannah Film Festival taking place October 24 to 31, 2015. “Suffragette” is a moving drama that will empower all who are striving for equal rights in our own day and age. Written by Emmy Award winner Abi Morgan, “Suffragette” is inspired by the early-20th-century campaign of the Suffragettes, who were activists for Women’s Suffrage – risking their very lives for the right of women to vote. The cast includes Academy Award nominees Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter, Golden Globe Award nominees Brendan Gleeson and Romola Garai, British Independent Film Award winner Anne-Marie Duff, BAFTA Award winner Ben Whishaw, and three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4jBXQM7mIk
Additional films confirmed for the 2015 Savannah Film Festival include:
“Brooklyn” – The profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey, 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 Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. The film is distributed by Fox Searchlight. Director: John Crowley. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent.
“I Saw the Light” – “I Saw the Light” tells the story of Hank Williams, the iconic, influential country singer and songwriter of the 1940’s and early 50’s whose meteoric rise and fall, including his death at age 29, has become part of American folklore. Writer-director Marc Abraham has created a compelling, historically accurate narrative of Hank’s career that examines his tormented creative genius and the turbulent domestic life that inspired him to write some of his best-known songs. By literally going back in time, you see Hank as he was, living his life on his terms, battling his demons and ultimately creating music for the ages. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: Marc Abraham. Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Cherry Jones, Bradley Whitford, Maddie Hasson and Wren Schmidt.
“Krisha” – The story of a woman’s return to the family she abandoned years before, set entirely over the course of one turbulent Thanksgiving. When Krisha shows up at her sister’s Texas home on Thanksgiving morning, her close and extended family greet her with a mixture of warmth and wariness. Almost immediately, a palpable unease permeates the air, one which only grows in force as Krisha gets to work cooking the turkey and trying to make up for lost time by catching up with her various relatives, chief among them her nephew, Trey. As Krisha’s attempts at reconciliation become increasingly rebuffed, tension and suspicion reach their peak, with long-buried secrets and deep-seated resentments coming to the fore as everyone becomes immersed in an emotionally charged familial reckoning. The film is distributed by A24. Director: Trey Edward Shults. Cast: Krisha Fairchild, Robyn Fairchild, Bill Wise and Trey Edward Shults. “Lady in the Van” – A big screen adaptation of writer Alan Bennett’s iconic and celebrated memoir. The film tells the true story of the relationship between Alan Bennett and the singular Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who ‘temporarily’ parked her van in Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years. Their unique story is funny, poignant and life-affirming. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: Nicholas Hytner. Cast: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Frances De La Tour, and Roger Allam.
“Mia Madre” – Margherita is a director shooting a film with the famous American actor, Barry Huggins, who is quite a headache on set. Away from the shoot, Margherita tries to hold her life together, despite her mother’s illness and her daughter’s adolescence. The film is distributed by Alchemy. Director: Nanni Moretti. Cast: Margherita Buy and John Turturro.
“Miss You Already” – The friendship between two life-long girlfriends is put to the test when one starts a family and the other falls ill. The film is distributed by Roadside Attractions. Director: Catherine Hardwicke. Cast: Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette.
“Room” – Both highly suspenseful and deeply emotional, “Room” is a unique and touching exploration of the boundless love between a mother and her child. After 5-year-old Jack and his Ma escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery: the outside world. As he experiences all the joy, excitement, and fear that this new adventure brings, he holds tight to the one thing that matters most of all—his special bond with his loving and devoted Ma. Based on the international bestselling book by Emma Donoghue. The film is distributed by A24. Director: Lenny Abrahamson. Cast: Brie Larson, William H. Macy, Joan Allen and Jacob Tremblay.
“Son of Saul” – Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul discovers the body of a boy he takes for his son. As the Sonderkommando plans a rebellion, Saul decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child’s body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: László Nemes. Cast: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsótér and Marcin Czarnik.
“Touched With Fire” – Two manic depressives meet in treatment and begin a romance that brings out all of the beauty and horror of their condition. The film is distributed by Roadside Attractions. Director: Paul Dalio. Cast: Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby and Christine Lahti.
“Truth” – Based on the book “Truth and Duty” by Mary Mapes that tells the incredible true story of Mary Mapes (played by Cate Blanchett), an award-winning CBS News Journalist and Dan Rather’s producer, who broke the Abu-Ghraib prison abuse story, among others. The film chronicles the story Mapes and Rather uncovered that a sitting US president may have been AWOL from the United States National Guard for over a year during the Vietnam War. When the story blew up in their face, the ensuing scandal ruined Dan Rather’s career, nearly changed a US Presidential election, and almost took down all of CBS News in the process. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. Director: James Vanderbilt. Cast: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Topher Grace, Elisabeth Moss and Dennis Quaid.
“Youth” – From Paolo Sorrentino, the director of Italy’s Oscar foreign language winner “The Great Beauty” comes “Youth,” about two longtime friends vacationing in the Swiss Alps. Oscar winning actor Michael Caine plays Fred, an acclaimed composer and conductor, who brings along his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), a renowned filmmaker. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. The two men reflect on their past, each finding that some of the most important experiences can come later in life. The film is distributed by Fox Searchlight. Director: Paolo Sorrentino. Cast: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Jane Fonda.
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World Premiere of Turkish Film LOST BIRDS to Kick Off 18th Arpa International Film Festival
The World Premier of LOST BIRDS, a heartwarming film from Turkey, will open the 18th Arpa International Film Festival taking place November 13 to 15, 2015 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. This year’s Arpa International Film Festival focuses strongly on humanitarian issues internationally such as genocide, holocaust, human freedom, women’s rights, homelessness and many others.
LOST BIRDS, the Opening night’s World Premier Film is from Turkey in Armenian and Turkish language filmed in Capadoccia, Turkey, by Aren Perdeci and Ela Alyamac. For these two young co-directors, it took a five year journey to realize their passion project. They shared directing, producing and writing duties. Perdeci was also the director of photography of this amazingly beautiful film. This movie presents a historical tragedy that takes place in 1915, from the point of view of two children. The story is about Bedo, played by (Heros Agopyan) and Maryam, played by (Dila Uluca), whose beautiful, warm, and happy lives in Anatolia comes to an end when their grandfather played by ( Sarkis Acemoglu) is taken away by soldiers. Out of extreme fear, their mother, played by (Takuhi Bahar), forbid the children to go outside, but being children, they sneak out to their favorite spot to play, only to come back to an empty home and an empty village. Their fear takes over, and with their bird that they had saved, they embark on a journey toward Aleppo to find their mother, and their fellow villagers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URtvPLTQO4c
This beautiful film made by an Armenian and a Turkish filmmaker with passion is a cinematographic beauty to watch. September issue of “American Cinematographer” magazine has written a nine page article on Lost Birds under the title of “Lost and Found” with photo scenes from the film worth reading.
Arpa’s 18th International Film festival presents the screenings of seven narrative feature films, 11 documentaries, and 27 short films — a cross-cultural program of films delving into myriad of social and cultural experiences.
FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
Lost Birds (2015) | Turkey | Director: Ela Alyamac, Aren Perdeci | Writers: Ela Alyamac, Aren Perdeci | Language: Turkish, Armenian
Three Windows and a Hanging (2014) | Kosovo | Director: Isa Qosja | Writer: Zymber Kelmendi | Language: Albanian
Off (2015) | Serbia | Director: Predrag Stojic | Writer: Marko Krstic | Language: Serbian
Our Village (2013) | Armenia | Director: Yelena Arshakyan | Writer: Hovhannes Yeranyan | Language: Armenian
I Want to Be A King (2014) | Iran | Director: Mehdi Ganji | Writer: Mehdi Ganji | Language: Persian
DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Aliyah Dada (2015) | Romania | Director: Oana Giurgiu | Language: English
Armenia Sings on in Our Hearts (2015) | Brazil | Director: Isabella Bablumian | Writer: Isabella Bablumian | Language: English
Armenopolis, Armenian Soul (2015) | Romania | Director: Florin Kevorkian and Isabella Bostan | Writer: Florin Kevorkian | Language: Rumanian
Daylight After a Century (2015) | United Kingdom | Director: Hollie Harrington | Language: English
Goodbye Theresienstadt (2015) | Denmark, Czech Republic | Director: Carl Otta Dethlefsen | Language: Danish
Lee Scratch Perry’s Vision of Paradise (2015) | Germany | Director: Volker Schaner | Writer: Volker Schaner | Language: English
My Life in China (2014) | U.S.A. | Director: Kenneth Eng | Writer: Ehren Parks | Language: Chinese
N64Q: Born Free (2015) | U.S.A., Japan | Director: Sasha Gransjean | Writer: Sasha Gransjean | Language: English
Paul the Birdman (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Taniel Kilajian | Writer: Taniel Kilajian | Language: English
Superjednostka (2014) | Poland | Director: Teresa Czepiec | Writer: Teresa Czepiec | Language: Polish
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year (2015) | United Kingdom | Director: Michael McEvoy, Saeed Taji Farouky | Language: Dari
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Ablution | USA, Iran, Canada | Director: Parisa Barani | Writer: Amin El Gamal | Language: English
Bed Bugs and Company (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Serena Dykman | Writer: Serena Dykman | Language: English
Bad Advice | U.S.A. | Director: Kegham Berajekelian | Writer: Aaron Fitzgerald, Scott Javore, Adam Lesar | Language: English
Caregivers (2014) | Armenia | Director: Viktorya Aleksanyan | Writer: Beniamin Gevorgyan | Language: Armenian
Family Dance | Director: Naré Mkrtchyan | Writer: Chris Commons | Language: Armenian
Gear | U.S.A. | Director: Kevin Adams and Joe Ksander | Writer: Kevin Adams and Joe Ksander | Language: English
Get Up (2012) | Australia | Director: Dan Balcaban | Writer: Dan Balcaban | Language: English
Greenland (2014) | Israel | Director: Oren Gerner | Writer: Oren Gerner | Language: Hebrew
Hazel & Louis: Animal Agents (2014) | U.S.A. | Director: Sy Ozcan, Marissa Madsen | Writer: Sy Ozcan, Marissa Madsen | Language: English
Hursit (2015) | Turkey | Director: Selcen Yilmazoglu | Writer: Selcen Yilmazoglu | Language: Turkish
In The Clouds (En Las Nubes) (2014) | Argentina | Director: Marcelo Mitnik | Writer: Marcelo Mitnik | Language: Spanish
The Jungle (2015) | Turkey | Director: Onur Saylak, Dogu Akal | Writer: Onur Saylak, Dogu Akal | Language: Arabic
L’Homme de I’lle Sandwich (2015) | France | Director: Levon Minasian | Writer: Levon Minasian, Ester Mann | Language: French
The Loss (2015) | Israel | Director: Dekel Nitzan | Writer: Dekel Nitzan | Language: Hebrew
The Loyalist (2015) | South Korea, USA | Director: Minji Kang | Writer: Willem Lee | Language: Korean
Night of the Slasher (2015) | U.S.A | Director: Shant Hamassian | Writer: Shant Hamassian | Language: English
Sabre Dance (2015) / U.S.A | Director: Ilya Rozhkov | Writer: Ilya Rozhkov | Language: English
Seagulls (2014) / United Kingdom | Director: Martin Smith | Writer: Martin Smith | Language: English
Shattered (2015) | Canada | Director: David Hovan | Writer: David Hovan | Language: English
The Story of Snow (2015) | South Korea | Director: Younsik Kim | Writer: Younsik Kim | Language: Korean
Straw Dolls (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Jon Milano | Writer: Jon Milano | Language: Armenian
Tamara, Echelon (2014) | Romania | Director: Kristina Cepraga Goodwin | Writer: Kristina Cepraga Goodwin | Language: Romanian
Test (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Jay Lifton | Writer: Jay Lifton, Catherine Ho | Language: English
Up The Valley and Beyond (2013) / U.S.A. | Director: Todd Rosken | Writer: Todd Rosken, Bobby D. Lux | Language: English
Welcome (2014) | Ecuador | Director: Javier Fesser | Writer: Javier Fesser | Language: Spanish
Welcome (2015) | U.S.A. | Director: Serena Dykman | Writer: Serena Dykman | Language: English
While They Were Flying to the Moon (2015) | Serbia | Director: Borisa Simovic | Writer: Borisa Simovic | Language: Serbian
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SOUTHBOUND, FRANKENSTEIN, THE DEVIL’S CANDY Among Lineup for Scary Movies 9, Film Society of Lincoln Center Annual Horror Fest
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the lineup for Scary Movies 9, the annual horror fest featuring highly anticipated new thrillers, genre rarities, and special guests, as well as a two-day event to celebrate the release of Kent Jones’s new documentary Hitchcock/Truffaut.
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CONCUSSION Starring Will Smith will World Premiere as Centerpiece Gala of AFI FEST 2015
CONCUSSION, starring two-time Academy Award® nominee Will Smith, written and directed by Peter Landesman, and produced by Ridley Scott, Giannina Scott, David Wolthoff, Larry Shuman and Elizabeth Cantillon, will World Premiere as the Centerpiece Gala of AFI FEST 2015.
Written and directed by “Parkland” director Peter Landesman, the drama is a true story and stars Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic pathologist who first discovered the the detrimental medical repercussions of football-related head injuries. His discovered brought to light the dark underbelly of the NFL and resulted in a legal battle between him and the league.
“AFI FEST is the perfect stage to unveil CONCUSSION, and we are privileged to have been chosen as the Centerpiece Gala,” said Ridley Scott and Giannina Scott, two of the film’s producers. “CONCUSSION is a powerful and uncompromising film about an issue that was ignored for far too long and continues to play out today. It’s a story that had to be told, and we were determined to tell it right.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io6hPdC41RM
The 29th edition of AFI FEST will take place November 5 to 12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood.
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2015 Virginia Film Festival Unveils Lineup, to Open with Hank Williams Film I SAW THE LIGHT
The Virginia Film Festival returns to Charlottesville for its 28th year from November 5 to 8, 2015. Opening the 2015 Virginia Film Festival will be I Saw the Light, the Hank Williams film from director Marc Abraham that chronicles the country music legend’s meteoric rise to fame and its tragic consequences on a life cut short at the age of only 29.
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Directors John Woo and Yoji Yamada to Receive SAMURAI Award at Tokyo International Film Festival
Directors John Woo from Hong Kong and Yoji Yamada from Japan will be the recipients of the 2nd SAMURAI Award at the 2015 Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). SAMURAI Award was established last year with Takeshi Kitano and Tim Burton as the first award recipients.
The SAMURAI Award commends achievements of filmmakers who continue to create groundbreaking films that carve a path to a new era. In commemoration of this award, The 2nd SAMURAI Award Special Talk “In Person: John Woo” will be held on October 25 at the Tokyo International Film Festival. At the event, the festival will look back at Woo’s outstanding career and discuss the challenges and the passion during his journey of filmmaking.
The 28th Tokyo International Film Festival will take place October 22 to 31, 2015.
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Focus Features to Bookend 2015 Mill Valley Film Festival with THE DANISH GIRL and SUFFRAGETTE
Focus Features will bookend the 2015 Mill Valley Film Festival with two new releases: The Danish Girl starring Academy Award® winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, MVFF 2014) and directed by Academy Award®-winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, MVFF 2010) will open the festival; and Suffragette, with director Sarah Gavron, producer Faye Ward, screenwriter Abi Morgan, and star Carey Mulligan for Closing Night.
Having previously presented his multi-Academy Award®-winning film The King’s Speech at the Mill Valley Film Festival in 2010, Tom Hooper returns to MVFF38 with his latest film The Danish Girl. Hooper will participate in an on-stage conversation following the screening and be presented with the Variety Master Filmmaker Award by Variety Senior Features Editor David Cohen.
In addition to attending the Closing Night screening, the Suffragette all-female filmmaking team of Sarah Gavron, Faye Ward, and Abi Morgan will participate in a Variety Contenders Conversation on Saturday October 17, where they will discuss the film’s genesis, history, and journey to the screen with Variety Senior Features Editor Steve Chagollan. Also on Saturday, October 17, Suffragette star Carey Mulligan will be the focus of a MVFF Spotlight program, which will feature an onstage conversation, a look back at her film roles, discussion of and clips from Suffragette, and the presentation of the MVFF Award in recognition of exceptional artistry.
The Danish Girl
UK/US 2015
Academy Award ®-winning The King’s Speech (MVFF2010) director Tom Hooper returns with another emotionally powerful drama. The Danish Girl explores the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe (Academy Award ® winner Eddie Redmayne, MVFF Spotlight 2014), one of the first people in recorded history to undergo gender confirmation surgery, and Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander).
Special Guest: Tom Hooper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vyUHGl0Y6E
Suffragette (pictured above)
UK 2015
Profoundly moving, Suffragette tells the story of the ordinary women who risked all – their jobs, homes, children, and even their lives – in the fight for the right to vote. A brilliant ensemble cast (including Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Romola Garai, Natalie Press, and Meryl Streep) drives this stirring portrait of the working women whose passion and vision advanced equal rights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4jBXQM7mIk
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2015 Stockholm International Film Festival Selects Spotlight Films Under Theme “Migration” incl. ADAMA, HE NAMED ME MALALA
2015 Stockholm International Film Festival presents Migration as this year’s Spotlight theme and announces a selection of films on the topic. Stockholm Film Festival’s section Spotlight highlights current societal issues. The lineup delivers an array of compelling documents and feature film, broadening the ongoing debate with new perspectives. Previous years Spotlight has been dedicated to the topics of Hope, Freedom and Power.
“The currently increasing refugee crisis is the reason behind our decision to focus on the issue of Migration this year. The selection of films tells the stories of people fleeing or leaving their homes for different reasons,” says Git Scheynius, festival director of Stockholm International Film Festival.
2015 Stockholm International Film Festival Spotlight films:
Adama, Simon Rouby (2015), France. Nordic Premiere. (pictured in main image)
He named me Malala, Davis Guggenheim (2015), USA. Scandinavian Premiere.
Invisible, Lawrence Fajardo (2015), Philippines, Japan. European Premiere.
Lampedusa in Winter, Jakob Brossmann (2015), Italy, Austria. Swedish Premiere.
One Breath, Christian Zübert (2015), Germany, Greece. Nordic Premiere.
Out of My Hand, Takeshi Fukunaga (2015), USA, Liberia. Swedish Premiere.
The Waiting Room, Igor Drljaca (2015), Canada. Nordic Premiere.
They Call Us Beggars, Caroline Kernen, Tova Kurkiala Medbo (2015), Sweden, Romania. World premiere.
Spotlight films
Adama
BY SIMON ROUBY
Nordic Premiere
Cast Azize Diabate, Pascal Nzonzi, Oxmo Puccino
Country France
Year 2015
Length 82 min.
In this animated adventure we follow 12-year-old Adama who sets of to search for his brother when he disappears from their native village. This epic journey takes Adama from West Africa’s sunny plains to Paris and the front line during the First World War. »Adama« is a film about compassion and the courage it takes to follow your heart.
He Named Me Malala
BY DAVIS GUGGENHEIM
Scandinavian Premiere
Country: USA
Year: 2015
Length: 87 min.
Malala Yousafzai found herself at the age of 15 subjected to a brutal assasination attemp by the Taliban in Pakistan following her fight to garauntee girls right to education. This documentary portrays her everyday life and her global work, with sharpness and inspiring pathos. The result is an intimate portrait of a young hero, women’s rights activist and Nobel price winner.
Invisible
BY LAWRENCE FAJARDO
European Premiere
Cast Allen Dizon, Ces Quescada, Bernardo Bernardo
Country Philippines, Japan
Year: 2015
Length: 132 min
In Japan they are virtually invisible but in this intimate drama three Filipino migrant workers take front stage. Linda hides some of them in her apartment much to the dismay of her Japanese husband. »Invisible« conveys through long takes and tasteful photography an equally exciting and important film about prejudice and class inequalities.
Lampedusa in Winter
BY JAKOB BROSSMANN
Swedish Premiere
Country Italy, Austria, Schwitzerland
Year: 2015
Length: 93 min
The media often describes “refugee island” Lampedusa as a conflict area with widespread racism. Jakob Brossmann has however chosen to portray a different side. He paints a touching portrait of the local people’s daily lives and how the refugees have become a part of their identity. The result is a highly relevant and insightful portrayal of migration and reception.
One Breath
BY CHRISTIAN ZÜBERT
Nordic Premiere
Cast Jördis Triebel, Chara Mata Giannatou, Benjamin Sadler
Country: Germany, Greece
Year: 2015
Length: 96 min,
A greek nanny and a career-driven mother in Frankfurt collide in this thrilling drama from German director Christian Zübert. When a child disappears the two women are forced to confront their fears and responsibilities. »One Breath« is a stylistic and fast paced depiction of a desperate hunt that stretches from Germany to Greece.
Out of My Hand
BY TAKESHI FUKUNAGA
Swedish Premiere
Cast: Bishop Blay, Zenobia Taylor, Duke Murhpy Dennis
Country: USA, Liberia
Year: 2015
Length: 88 min
Cisco is a rubber plantation worker in Liberia who barely earns enough to feed his family. A trip to New York and a new job as a taxi driver forces him to move to a city that elicits buried memories. »Out of My Hand« is a beautiful and compelling drama that connects two continents whilst introducing bold new talents from Liberia.
The Waiting Room
BY IGOR DRLJACA
Nordic Premiere
Cast: Jasmin Geljo, Filip Geljo, Masa Lizdek
Country: Canada
Year: 2015
Length: 92 min
Actor Jasmin Geljo from former Yugoslavia utilizes his own experiences in his depiction of a unhappy immigrant living in Canada. His job as a construction worker combined with a declining film career makes him yearn for the past. However a new role raises hopes but also heavy war memories. »The Waiting Room« is a quiet drama about not belonging.
They Call Us Beggars, Caroline Kernen, Tova Kurkiala Medbo (2015), Sweden, Romania. World premiere.
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22nd Austin Film Festival to Honor John Singleton and Chris Cooper, Opens With LEGEND
John Singleton and Chris Cooper will receive the Extraordinary Contribution to Film and Acting Awards, respectively, at the 2015 Awards Luncheon at the 22nd Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference (AFF). The festival runs October 29-November 5.
Singleton will present a retrospective screening of Boyz n the Hood at the 2015 AFF, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay in 1991. Cooper will be in attendance for the AFF “Heart of Film” screening of Coming Through the Rye, where he plays the reclusive, renowned author JD Salinger.
Singleton and Cooper join previously announced honorees Outstanding Television Writer Norman Lear and Distinguished Screenwriter Brian Helgeland. Past recipients of the Extraordinary Contribution to Film & Acting awards include Johnny Depp, Susan Sarandon, Jonathan Demme, Ron Howard, Danny Boyle, Oliver Stone, Sydney Pollack, and others.
Academy Award® winner Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) will present Legend (pictured in main image above), the 2015 Opening Night Film of the Austin Film Festival. Written and directed by Helgeland, Legend is the true story of the rise and fall of London’s most notorious gangsters, Reggie and Ronnie Kray, both portrayed by Tom Hardy in a powerhouse double performance. Legend is a classic crime thriller taking us into the secret history of the 1960s and the extraordinary events that secured the infamy of the Kray twins. The film will be released in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, November 20. It will expand to additional U.S. markets on November 25 and further on December 11.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVHlrfzLjd4
AFF’s Centerpiece Film, Burning Bodhi, will have its World Premiere on Sunday, November 1, with featured cast Andy Buckley, Kaley Cuoco, Cody Horn, Landon Liboiron, Sasha Pieterse, and Eli Vargas in attendance. From writer/director Matthew McDuffie, Burning Bodhi is about a group of friends who reunite after high school when word goes out on Facebook that the most popular among them has died.
Additional Marquee titles include Go With Me (with Julia Stiles and director Daniel Alfredson in attendance), Miss You Already (with director Catherine Hardwicke in attendance), Last Days in the Desert (with writer/director Rodrigo Garcia in attendance), Man Up (with writer Tess Morris in attendance), By Sidney Lumet (with director Nancy Buirski in attendance), Remember, Brooklyn, Mojave, The Adderall Diaries, and the World Premieres of Until 20, A Single Frame, and We’re Still Here: Johnny Cash’s Bitter Tears Revisited, all with filmmakers in attendance.
Other films making their World Premiere in the 2015 slate are Baby Baby Baby (with Adrianne Palicki and writer/director/actor Brian Klugman in attendance), Jack’s Apocalypse (from AFF alum and Austinite Will Moore), Mully (with director Scott Haze in attendance), Of Dogs and Men (a documentary on the rise of domestic dog shootings by police), Since: The Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 (a chronicle of the terrorist bombing of 1988), Tear Me Apart (a post-apocalyptic thriller), and Two Lunes (a poignant, dual-sided narrative on the struggles of immigration).
Austin Film Festival also revealed their full Screenwriters Conference schedule, which will take place the first four days of the Festival, October 29-November 1. The Conference features a roster of prominent screenwriters in film and television, including Michael Arndt, Amy Berg, Shane Black, Jack Burditt, Charles Burnett, Helen Estabrook, Rodrigo Garcia, John Lee Hancock, Mark Heyman, Angela Kang, Todd Kessler, Simon Kinberg, Jenny Lumet, Kelly Marcel, Karen McCullah, Scott Neustadter, Nicole Perlman, Issa Rae, Jason Reitman, John Ridley, Phil Rosenthal, Gary Ross, Kirsten Smith, David Wain, Andrew Kevin Walker, Michael H. Weber, and many more.
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Swedish Horror Film SENSORIA World Premiere at Fantastic Fest |TRAILER
SENSORIA, a “stylish” new psychological thriller/horror film directed by Christian Hallman, World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on Sunday, and will screen again this coming Wednesday.
SENSORIA follows Caroline, a woman in her late thirties, who has lost everything she cares for in the world. In the search for a new beginning, she moves into an old apartment and quickly begins to realize that she is not as alone as she thought she was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieszRmpc-hM
SENSORIA
Sweden, 2015
World Premiere, 82 min
Director – Christian Hallman
Caroline Menard is a woman in her thirties who has lost everything. As she moves into a new apartment searching for a new start, she’s unaware that something ancient is waiting for her.
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Swiss directors Michael Steiner and Jan Gassmann Win 1st Filmmaker Award at 11th Zurich Film Festival
Oscar winner Christoph Waltz presented the first-ever ‘Filmmaker Award’ on Saturday Evening to the two Swiss directors Michael Steiner and Jan Gassmann. Michael Steiner’s project “Und morgen seid ihr tot” (“Tomorrow You’ll Be Dead”) received CHF 75’000 and Jan Gassmann’s project “Europe, She Loves” received CHF 25’000. The two winners were chosen from a total of four nominated projects.
The presentation took place at the IWC gala dinner‚ For the Love of Cinema held as part of the 11th Zurich Film Festival.
Said the delighted film actor Christoph Waltz: “I am proud to be here in person to present this award, which is very important for the Swiss film industry”. He continued: “Providing sponsorship for filmmakers is a necessary and relevant task, one which makes a significant contribution to the diversity of Swiss film.” Christoph Waltz shot to fame with roles in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and DJANGO UNCHAINED by the American cult director Quentin Tarantino.
The project UND MORGEN SEID IHR TOT from producers Bernhard Burgener and Norbert Preuss tells the true story of two Swiss citizens, Daniela Widmer and David Och, who were kidnapped by the Taliban in Pakistan in July 2011 and succeeded in making a spectacular escape after eight months spent in captivity. Shooting is planned to start in February 2016. The film will be directed by Michael Steiner, known for his works MEIN NAME IST EUGEN and GROUNDING.
Now in post-production, the project EUROPE, SHE LOVES from producer Lisa Blatter portrays five couples forced to draw deep on their reserves of wit and love as they struggle for everyday survival in a Europe shaken by the economic crisis. “The scripts of both these films stood out for their compelling storytelling and the exceptional sensitivity with which these two very different stories were told. Hopefully we’ll be able to see both of them on the big screen soon,” said IWC CEO Georges Kern during the award ceremony.
For director Marc Forster, who was also a member of the jury, the Filmmaker Award represents a real milestone for the domestic film industry: “By specifically backing projects in the pre- or post-production stages, we are plugging a gap in the existing funding available for films,” he explained.
image credit: IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN FOR THE LOVE OF CINEMA GALA DINNER
26 SEPTEMBER, ZURICH, SWITZERLAND Bernhard Burgener, Norbert Preuss and Michael Steiner (Und morgen seid ihr tot) and Lisa Blatter and Jan Gassmann (Europe, She Loves) receive the Filmmaker Award. The award was set up by the Association for the Promotion of Film in Switzerland (Verein zur Filmfoerderung in der Schweiz), a non-profit organization founded by Marc Forster, IWC CEO Georges Kern, the co-directors of the Zurich Film Festival Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri, and the CEO of Ringier, Marc Walder. (Photo by Lennart Preiss/Getty Images for IWC)
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16 Films in International Feature Competition at 51st Chicago International Film Festival
The 51st Chicago International Film Festival announced the sixteen films selected for its International Feature Competition. Films include the world premiere of Majid Barzegar’s A Very Ordinary Citizen (co-written by Jafar Panahi) (pictured above); the critically acclaimed relationship drama 45 Years, starring Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling; Chronic, the latest film by Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco who previously won the Festival’s 2012 Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize for After Lucia; and Naomi Kawase’s delightfully poetic film about life and sweet pastries, Sweet Bean.
“It has been a great year for movies, so far. The sixteen films competing for the Gold Hugo are strong and diverse,” said Chicago International Film Festival Founder & Artistic Director Michael Kutza. “This year’s competition includes some of the most anticipated films of the season as well as new discoveries from around the world and we can’t wait to share them with Chicago.”
The 51st Chicago International Film Festival runs October 15-29, 2015 at the AMC River East.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURES COMPETITION
45 Years
Country: UK
Director: Andrew Haigh
Synopsis: On the eve of their 45th anniversary, a couple’s marital equilibrium is threatened when the husband’s past resurfaces in an unexpected way. Long-frozen secrets begin to thaw in this slow-burning domestic drama. Stars Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling both won top honors at the Berlin Film Festival for their gripping performances.
Body (Cialo)
USA PREMIERE
Country: Poland
Director: Malgorzata Szumowska
Synopsis: Balancing bleakness and mirth in equal measure, Body chronicles three haunted souls in Warsaw: an icy coroner who suspects his dead wife may be trying to contact him; his anorexic, suicidal daughter; and her hospital therapist, who moonlights as a medium. Playing unexplained phenomena for dry laughs, like a hanged man who miraculously regains consciousness, the film is a morbidly funny guide to the Great Beyond.
A Childhood (Une Enfance)
USA PREMIERE
Country: France
Director: Philippe Claudel
Synopsis: In this tender, keenly observed look at growing up in poverty in small town France, 13-year-old Jimmy dreams of a bourgeois life with family vacations and games of tennis. Trapped in an unstable household with a drug-addicted mother and her criminal boyfriend, Jimmy is forced to grow up too quickly. Over the course of a sweltering summer, Jimmy must find moments of hope in a world full of strife.
Chronic
USA PREMIERE
Country: Mexico, France
Director: Michel Franco
A hospice nurse (Tim Roth) has a deeper connection to his patients than their own family members, but his above-and-beyond approach to emotional baggage shields his true problems from the outside world. Carrying traces of Amour, with stripped-down camerawork and naturalist performances, Michel Franco’s restrained medical drama peers into the darkness and wonders about the last person to hold our hands as we step through.
The Club (El Club)
USA PREMERE
Country: Chile
Director: Pablo Larrain
Synopsis: Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, this unsettling drama from director Pablo Larraín (No) centers on a group of disgraced Catholic priests sequestered in a beach house. The tranquility of their anonymous daily routine is disturbed when a young man materializes with charges of abuse. The priests’ reaction to this unwanted interloper carries echoes of their institution’s shocking past.
Full Contact
USA PREMIERE
Country: Netherlands, Croatia
Director: David Verbeek
Synopsis: Working from an Air Force base in the Nevada desert, halfway across the world from his targets, an emotionally reserved drone operator (Grégoire Colin) grapples with the psychological ramifications of a missile attack gone awry. But then events take an unexpected and surreal turn. This bold, arresting thriller from visionary Dutch filmmaker David Verbeek is a piercing portrait of dehumanization in the age of modern warfare.
Looking For Grace
USA PREMIERE
Country: Australia
Director: Sue Brooks
Synopsis: Grace, a rebellious teenager from a rich family, leaves home to attend a concert several days away. Everyone – from Grace’s mother (Radha Mitchell) to the detective they hire to help track her – has secrets, fissures in seemingly perfect lifestyles. With a perspective-shifting script and gorgeous shots of rural Australia, the film is a surprising mystery about the wealthy and the damned.
Mountains May Depart
Country: China
Director: Jia Zhangke
Synopsis: In this penetrating dissection of modern China from award-winning filmmaker Jia Zhangke (A Touch of Sin), a young woman chooses to marry a wealthy capitalist over a coal miner and names her firstborn son “Dollar.” Across two continents, three chapters, and 25 years reaching into the near future, we watch one scattered family chase a vision of success that remains heartbreakingly out of reach.
My Golden Days (Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse)
Country: France
Director: Amaud Desplechin
Synopsis: Returning from Tajikistan, Paul faces an interrogation that leads him to retrace three seminal moments from his past: his childhood, an eventful trip to the Soviet Union, and – most significantly – his love affair with the nymph-like Esther. This poetic Cannes award winner from French auteur Arnaud Desplechin unfolds as an intoxicating ode to romance.
Neon Bull (Boi Neon)
USA PREMIERE
Country: Brazil, Uruguay, Netherlands
Director: Gabriel Mascaro
Synopsis: In the rodeos of northeast Brazil, two cowboys try to corral a bull by the tail in a whirlwind of gallops and dust. But behind the scenes, ranch hand Iremar lives a quiet, lonely life, accompanying the bulls from town to town and dreaming of becoming a clothing designer. With a unique blend of lived-in social realism, impressionist imagery, and sweltering eroticism, Neon Bull – filmed almost entirely in static long takes – is a wildly unconventional look at Latin American machismo.
Paulina (La Patota)
USA PREMIERE
Country: Argentina, Brazil, France
Director: Santiago Mitre
Synopsis: Paulina, a young, idealistic lawyer, leaves her cushy job in the city to teach at a rural high school. Her deep-seated beliefs are shaken when some students commit a horrific crime and she is forced to take a stance. Anchored by a complex, nuanced performance from Dolores Fonzi, this blistering drama reconsiders the line between wealth and poverty, chaos and order, victim and survivor. Winner of the best film award in Critics’ Week at Cannes.
Schneider vs. Bax
USA PREMIERE
Country: The Netherlands
Director: Alex Van Warmerdam
Synopsis: In this hilariously deadpan cat-and-mouse game, hitman Schneider tries to finish an assignment in time to celebrate his birthday with his family. But the target, drug-addicted writer Bax (writer-director Alex Van Warmerdam), is packing too. An endless parade of unexpected visitors at Bax’s swamp cabin turns this showdown into an entertaining, intricate puzzle – and, for Schneider, one heck of a headache.
Sweet Bean (An)
USA PREMIERE
Country: Japan
Director: Naomi Kawase
Synopsis: Red bean paste is the filling in this poignant tale of life, compassion, and sweet endings. An uninspired red bean pancake chef is re-energized when a plucky septuagenarian’s irresistible homemade recipe makes his snacks a local hit. Both characters use their creations, photographed in mouth-watering close-up, to rebuild from traumatic pasts. The latest from poetic Japanese auteur Naomi Kawase is a delectable philosophical dish.
Tikkun
Country: Israel
Director: Avishai Sivan
Synopsis: A young Israeli ultra-Orthodox man experiences a crisis of faith in this formally daring black-and-white drama that employs bravura, often shocking imagery. Following a near-death experience, the formerly devout Yeshiva student begins wandering Jerusalem’s empty streets at night without purpose, while his father-a Kosher butcher-experiences terrifying nightmares as retribution for saving his son.
The Treasure (Comoara)
Country: Romania
Director: Comeliu Porumboiu
Synopsis: Armed with a metal detector and boundless determination, two neighbors go on the hunt for rumored buried bounty. Relentless in their search, they refuse to let general ineptitude, petty arguments or bureaucratic red tape stand in their way. Acclaimed Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu’s sharp, deadpan comedy sends up the value of wealth and stature in the new Europe.
A Very Ordinary Citizen (Yek Shahrvand-e Kamelan Maamouli)
WORLD PREMIERE
Country: Iran
Director: Majid Barzegar
Synopsis: Mr. Safari, an 80-year-old pensioner, lives alone and without direction. When his son, living abroad, tries to arrange for his elderly father to visit him, Mr. Safari becomes dangerously obsessed with a local female travel agent who is hired to help. Co-written by acclaimed filmmaker Jafar Panahi (Crimson Gold, Taxi), this provocative story delivers a quietly powerful statement about loneliness and those who get left behind in contemporary Tehran.