Film Festivals

NewFest – The New York LGBT Film Festival – Announces Its 2014 Lineup; Karim Aïnouz’s FUTURO BEACH to Open, Bruce LaBruce’s GERONTOPHILIA to Close Fest

Gerontophila

NewFest, New York’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Film Festival announced the complete feature film lineup for its 26th edition (July 24-29). NewFest is an annual showcase of the best of LGBT cinema, featuring works from renowned filmmakers as well as exciting discoveries. With a lineup of 16 narrative and five documentary features, this year’s group of films continues to carry out the festival’s mission of supporting diverse film communities and voices from around the world.

Lesli Klainberg, Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Executive Director said, “This marks the fourth year of having NewFest at the Film Society and we couldn’t be happier to continue our collaboration with Outfest. LGBT films and filmmakers are a vital part of cinema worldwide, and we are thrilled to offer this showcase on our screens each year.”

“In the year following spectacular LGBT civil rights advances across the country, the dynamic and fresh slate of 2014 NewFest films decisively demonstrates that artists and storytellers lead the charge in creating social change,” said Kristin Pepe (KP), Outfest’s Director of Programming.

Kicking off the 2014 festival is the New York City Premiere of Karim Aïnouz’s Futuro Beach, a visually stunning, emotionally resonant tale about three Brazilian men struggling across oceans of love, loss, and heartache. Closing out the festival is the New York premiere of Bruce LaBruce’s highly anticipated Gerontophila, a profound comedy about a handsome teen who refuses to feel shame about his unquenchable appetite for older men.

Among the many other highlights from the 2014 feature lineup are Stephan Haupt’s The Circle (winner of the Teddy Award at the 2014 Berlinale); Hong Khaou’s Lilting (a Sundance 2014 selection starring Ben Whishaw); Patrik-Ian Polk’s Blackbird (starring Mo’Nique and Isaiah Washington); Carter Smith’s Jamie Marks is Dead (a Sundance 2014 selection starring Cameron Monaghan, Judy Greer, and Liv Tyler); Sophie Hyde’s 52 Tuesdays (Sundance 2014, Berlinale 2014); and the world premiere of Kate Kunath’s We Came to Sweat: The Legend of Starlite (a timely documentary about Brooklyn’s oldest gay bar).

Films, Description & Schedule
Screenings will take place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St., New York, NY 10023 (between Broadway and Amsterdam), unless otherwise noted.

Opening Night

Futuro Beach
Karim Aïnouz, Brazil/Germany, 2013, DCP, 106m
German and Portuguese with English subtitles

When Brazilian lifeguard Donato fails to save a swimmer from drowning, he seeks out the victim’s friend Konrad, a handsome German biker. The two men begin a passionate affair, and Donato soon decides to follow Konrad to Berlin. Years later, their seemingly peaceful life is threatened by a visitor from Donato’s past. Director Karim Aïnouz (Madame Satã) delivers a visually stunning, emotionally resonant tale about three men struggling across oceans of love, loss, and heartache. A Strand Releasing release.

July 24, 7:00pm (preceded by Achievement Award presentation)

Closing Night
NY Premiere
Gerontophilia
Bruce LaBruce, Canada, 2013, DCP, 81m

Lake refuses to feel shame about his unquenchable appetite for older men. The handsome teen defiantly signs up as an orderly at a local nursing home and quickly falls for Mr. Peabody, a charming, flirtatious soul with one last wish. Forget everything you know about filmmaker Bruce LaBruce: in what is easily his most romantic work to date, he dares us to look beyond fetish to embrace the beauty of all stages of life.

July 29, 7:00pm (Q&A with Bruce LaBruce)

NY Premiere
Age of Consent
Todd Verow & Charles Lum, USA, 2014, HDCAM, 88m

The history of the HOIST, London’s first and only gay sex fetish bar, follows the cultural evolution of gay life and sex in modern London through AIDS, gentrification, and the ongoing political struggle to decriminalize homosexual activity in the UK.

July 26, 11:30pm

Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy
Andrea James, USA, 2013, 78m

In his hilarious new performance film, 2014 Outfest Fusion Achievement Award Winner and gifted comedian Alec Mapa (Switched at Birth)—accompanied by his family—takes his audience on a roller-coaster ride through the challenges and occasional triumphs of becoming a daddy. You’ll laugh and even cry as “America’s Gaysian Sweetheart” mixes life stories with his signature brand of sass. Contains adult language and catastrophic waffles.

July 27, 5:00pm (Q&A with Andrea James)

NY Premiere
Blackbird
Patrik-Ian Polk, USA, 2013, 102m

A high-school senior named Randy (newcomer Julian Walker) and his band of queer friends fight for a life outside the constrictions of their small Southern Baptist town. Blackbird’s a powerful film, co-starring Academy Award winner Mo’Nique (Precious) and Isaiah Washington (Blue Caprice) as Randy’s conflicted parents, in which friends—black, white, straight, gay, and all things in between—discover firsthand both the rewards and consequences of growing up as outsiders.

July 25, 9:30pm (Q&A with Patrik-Ian Polk)

NY Premiere
Boys
Mischa Kamp, The Netherlands, 2014, DCP, 78m
Dutch with English subtitles

After making it onto the track team, 15-year-old Sieger instantly grows close to fellow runner Marc. Sieger, dealing with family troubles, and Marc, outgoing and engaging, fall in love over the course of a summer spent running, swimming, and stealing kisses in the forest. But Sieger must weigh how his widowed father feels against the joy and freedom he finds in Marc’s arms in this adorable romance.

July 24, 10:00pm

NY Premiere
The Circle
Stefan Haupt, Switzerland, 2014, DCP, 101m
German with English subtitles

A Teddy Award winner at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, The Circle captures an extraordinary romance set against the backdrop of Switzerland’s thriving post-WWII underground gay movement. Director Stefan Haupt has fashioned a gorgeous hybrid of a film, uncovering a vibrant love story between a singer and schoolteacher who bravely defied the constraining laws of their era.

July 26, 10:30am

Cupcakes*
Eytan Fox, 2013, Israel, DCP, 90m
Hebrew with English subtitles

During their annual get-together to watch the kitschy Universong competition, one of a sextet of friends is nursing a broken heart. The other five spontaneously compose and perform a song to cheer her up, which leads to a viral video that transforms these six nonprofessionals into Universong competitors. As colorful and infectious as a pop song, the latest from Eytan Fox (Yossi) is a delirious sugar rush of a comedy.

*July 28, 7:00pm (Screening at the JCC, 344 Amsterdam Avenue)

NY Premiere
Dual
Nejc Gazvoda, Slovenia/Croatia/Denmark, 2013, DCP, 102m
English, Slovenian, and Danish with English subtitles

Iben, a free-spirited Danish woman, gets stuck in Slovenia overnight when her connecting flight gets canceled. She asks Tina, a young lesbian minivan driver, to show her around Ljubljana. Both women are at a crossroads: Tina has a big interview for a bank job in the morning, and Iben is harboring a dark secret. Romantic feelings slowly build between them, and they hatch a plan to run away together.

July 27, 12:00pm

NY Premiere
52 Tuesdays
Sophie Hyde, Australia, 2013, DCP, 114m

Sixteen-year-old Billie (played by Australian rising star Tilda Cobham-Hervey) is blindsided by the news that her mother is planning to transition from female to male and that, during this time, Billie will live at her father’s house. Billie and her mother, now called James, agree to meet every Tuesday during their year apart. As James undergoes changes and becomes less emotionally available, Billie covertly explores her own identity and sexuality with two older schoolmates, testing the limits of her own power, desire, and independence. A Kino Lorber Release.

July 24, 4:00pm

The Foxy Merkins
Madeleine Olnek, USA, 2013, DCP, 81m

Margaret is a down-on-her-luck lesbian hooker-in-training. She meets Jo, a beautiful, self-assured grifter who’s a pro at picking up women, even though she considers herself a card-carrying hetero. The duo hits the streets, encountering bargain-hunting housewives, double-dealing conservatives, husky-voiced seductresses, shopaholic swingers, as well as a mumbling erotic-accessory salesman (Alex Karpovsky of Girls). Writer-director Madeleine Olnek (Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same) melds her singular brand of comedy with the buddy-film genre to pay homage to and riff on iconic male-hustler films.

July 25, 7:00pm (Q&A with Madeleine Olnek)

NY Premiere
I Always Said Yes: The Many Lives of Wakefield Poole*
Jim Tushinski, USA, 2013, 90m

Wakefield Poole was a respected Broadway choreographer and ballet star until he rocked the mainstream world by becoming a groundbreaking hardcore gay filmmaker during the tumultuous 1970s. At the time, anyone making what the government considered pornography was at risk of prosecution. Poole challenged the system with his iconic Boys in the Sand, becoming famous for the defiant artistry he instilled in dozens of sexually explicit works, whose impact forever changed adult film.

*July 28, 9:00pm (Screening at the JCC, 344 Amsterdam Avenue)

NY Premiere
I Am Happiness on Earth
Julián Hernández, Mexico, 2013, 115m
Spanish with English subtitles

Julián Hernández, one of Mexico’s premier queer filmmakers (Raging Sun, Raging Sky), returns with this tale of a film director struggling with the line between his sexually charged reality and equally arousing cinematic creations. Will Emiliano be able to sustain his relationship, or will his lust for beauty and meaning lead him elsewhere? Furious couplings between gorgeous men include an exhilaratingly explicit play-within-a-play. Hernández’s boldly poetic romance compares with such films as Fellini’s 8½, Godard’s Contempt, and others exploring the connections between love, sex, creativity, and filmmaking.

July 26, 9:00pm

NY Premiere
Jamie Marks Is Dead
Carter Smith, USA, 2014, DCP, 100m

When the ghost of bullied teenager Jamie Marks (Noah Silver) appears to Adam (Cameron Monaghan), the straitlaced track star becomes caught between two worlds. Despite a budding romance with Gracie (Morgan Saylor), who found Jamie’s body, Adam is fascinated by the sexy spirit, who leads him into a ghostly underworld. Also featuring Judy Greer and Liv Tyler, this supernatural-horror love story—a Sundance gem—delivers a poetic tale of sexuality and the tough choices it creates.

July 28, 9:30pm (Q&A with Carter Smith)

NY Premiere
Lilting
Hong Khaou, UK, 2013, DCP, 86m
English and Mandarin with English subtitles

The sudden death of Kai, a young London man, leaves his Chinese Cambodian mother Junn (Pei-pei Cheng) and his boyfriend Richard (Ben Whishaw) profoundly grieving. Feeling a strong sense of responsibility for Kai’s only family member, Richard reaches out to her. Though Junn speaks little English, her dislike of Richard is plain, and she responds with stony resistance. Since they share no common language, Richard hires a translator to facilitate communication, and the two improbable relatives attempt to reach across a chasm of misunderstanding through their memories of Kai. Writer-director Hong Khaou’s moving and intimate debut dances between the real and imaginary to express the unspeakable loss that both characters experience. Boasting delicate performances by both Whishaw and Cheng, this Sundance award-winner is a perceptive meditation on the connection between two human souls, revealing that what separates us can also bind us together. A Strand Releasing release.

July 27, 7:30pm

NY Premiere
Lyle
Stewart Thorndike, USA, 2014, DCP, 65m

Lyle, Stewart Thorndike’s sinister ode to Rosemary’s Baby, finds the perfect mom-to-be in Gaby Hoffmann. Her electrifying performance as Leah, a pregnant lesbian confronted by an unspeakable evil, brings out a primal terror that’s difficult to shake. With dark humor and razor-sharp camerawork, Thorndike takes audiences into a growing nightmare as Leah begins to question the motives of her partner, friends, and neighbors.

July 28, 7:00pm (Q&A with Stewart Thorndike)

NY Premiere
The Third One
Rodrigo Guerrero, Argentina, 2013, DCP, 70m
Spanish with English subtitles

An attractive older couple stumbles upon a flirtatious young man in a chat room and, after teasing some skin, convinces him to come over to their apartment for dinner. With fumbling honesty and no shortage of sexiness, The Third One celebrates the awkwardness and euphoria of a one-night stand gone right, culminating in an explicit, 10-minute threesome that’s as erotic as it is playful.

July 29, 9:30pm (Q&A with Rodrigo Guerrero)

NY Premiere
Tiger Orange
Wade Gasque, USA, 2014, HDCAM, 76m

Two estranged gay brothers attempt to make amends in Wade Gasque’s charming small-town drama. Set against the sun-kissed fields of Central California, and anchored by strong performances from Mark Strano and porn-star-turned-leading-man Frankie Valenti (aka Johnny Hazzard), Tiger Orange pits two diametric opposites against each other—the closeted introvert versus the out-and-proud hunk. The result is a blunt, playful meditation on queer sibling rivalry and the childhood bonds that force us together.

July 26, 6:30pm (Q&A with Wade Gasque)

NY Premiere
The Way He Looks
Daniel Ribeiro, Brazil, 2014, DCP, 96m
Portuguese with English subtitles

Set to the bouncy beats of Belle and Sebastian, this euphoric, sun-kissed coming-of-age fable—a sensation at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival, where it won a Teddy Award and FIPRESCI prize—dances entirely to its own tune. Stuck fending off bullies and over-protective parents, Leonardo spends his days allowing his best friend Giovana to drag him around town. Being blind has always been an inconvenience for Leonardo, but his angsty adolescence gets a lift when the handsome and smooth-talking Gabriel turns down numerous offers from ogling girls to hang with Leonardo after school. The longer they spend together, the more apparent their shared attraction becomes—not just to them but to a spurned Giovana as well. As social pressure mounts on both to fit within their confined social boxes, the two must decide whether to ignore their feelings or to throw caution to the wind and admit that they might actually be falling in love. A Strand Releasing release.

July 29, 4:30pm (Q&A with Daniel Ribeiro)

World Premiere
We Came to Sweat: The Legend of Starlite
Kate Kunath, USA, 2014, DCP, 70m

When Brooklyn’s oldest black gay bar, the Starlite Lounge, is faced with eviction, the community decides to fight back. Will they be able to save this pre-Stonewall safe haven? Or is gentrification unstoppable? Kate Kunath’s timely portrait of a community banding together to preserve their culture and history is a stirring must-see.

July 25, 4:30pm (Q&A with Kate Kunath)

NY Premiere
What It Was
Daniel Armando, USA, 2013, 85m

In Daniel Armando’s multilayered film, Adina, a successful Latina actress, returns to New York in the aftermath of her sister’s death and her marriage’s collapse. Unable to face her mother, she finds herself in a fog, drifting through the days. Memories dissolve into the present as she tumbles through a series of intense, complex connections with a sexy, butch body artist, a young college student, and a former girlfriend. With confident directing, assured performances, and intuitive editing and cinematography, What It Was masterfully conveys the emotional textures of Adina’s waking dream of a life.

July 26, 4:00pm (Q&A with Daniel Armando)

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David McMahon’s Slamdance Hit SKANKS to NY Premiere at Rooftop Films

Rooftop Films will present the New York premiere of David McMahon’s 2014 Slamdance hit Skanks on Saturday, June 28. Set in the football-obsessed Bible belt town of Birmingham, Alabama, Skanks follows a motley troupe of amateur drag performers as they stage an original musical, ‘Skanks In A One Horse Town’, all the while coming closer together.

When men playfully model baby bottle nipples taped to their chest (in order to give the appearance of “tiny little titties dried up from drug use”) and dance to a song that goes, “get into the groove…stick it up your duke” you know this isn’t your average behind the scenes film. Skanks, a one-of-a-kind documentary, follows a wildly talented and highly inappropriate band of misfits as they rehearse for a drag musical entitled, “Skanks in a One Horse Town.”

Their venue is “Theatre Downtown,” a small community theater and a haven from football, Christianity, and the town’s conservative beliefs, stuffed inside an old antique store in bible-belt Birmingham, Alabama. Though their city is often unwelcoming, the cast bonds to form a family of sorts and never lose their raucous sense of humor.

The musical itself is about three women, played by men, who accidentally travel from 1978 Studio 54 to 1878 Deep Hole Texas via a disco ball time machine. Along with fellow time travelers Anita Bryant, Conway Twitty, and Meatloaf, the skanks must stop a local baron from demolishing the town to make room for the new railroad before they return to 1978 and New York City.

As uproarious and ribald as the musical is, the onstage histrionics in Skanks might be overshadowed by the real lives of the amateur performers, especially the writer, producer and director of the play Billy Ray Brewton’s seriously concerning addiction to soda. Director David McMahon takes us on an intimate and wildly hilarious journey into the world of Theatre Downtown, inviting us behind the scenes of the show and also into the unique cast and crew’s homes. Ultimately, Skanks is about the redemptive power of theatre. As one of the actors says, “When I’m on stage, and the audience is right there… it’s bliss.”

The Skanks premiere will feature performances by the cast of “Skanks in a One Horse Town”, as well as appearances by some of NYC’s favorite drag artists, Maddelynn Hatter and Pusse Couture! Add in an after party sponsored by New Amsterdam Vodka & Gin, and we could be looking at the wildest, most glitterific film event of the summer!

http://youtu.be/eEiz63GcgmM
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Sheffield Doc/Fest announces Audience 2014 Award Winners; STILL THE ENEMY WITHIN Wins Audience Award

STILL THE ENEMY WITHIN

The Audience Award winner for the 21st edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest is STILL THE ENEMY WITHIN directed by Owen Gower and produced by Sinead Kirwan and Mark Lacey. This archive-rich film looks back to Margaret Thatcher’s battle with the unions and specifically the 1984 miners strike. Told primarily from the retrospective of the mining communities the Doc/Fest screenings received a standing-ovation from Sheffield audiences and delegates. This World Premiere screening at Doc/Fest was one of a number of films at the festival that marked the 30th anniversary on 18th June of the so-called Battle of Orgreave.

OUR CURSE

The Short Film audience award goes to OUR CURSE directed by Tomasz Sliwinski, produced by Maciej Slesicki, an intimate and moving self-portrait about a young couple whose newborn child has been diagnosed with Ondine’s curse meaning he must be attached to a ventilator when he sleeps. Our Curse also won the Student Doc Award.

The Interactive audience award goes ASSENT directed and produced by Oscar Raby which enables the user to witness the execution of a group of prisoners by the military regime in Chile in 1973, as witnessed by the filmmaker’s father.

This year’s first ever In The Dark Sheffield Audio Award, which recognises a new golden age of radio and audio documentary storytelling both in podcasting and traditional radio, was awarded to Pejk Malinovski’s EVERYTHING, NOTHING, HARVEY KEITEL about a man who struggles to meditate when he realises he’s sitting next to the actor Harvey Keitel.

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Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014 Awards Announced, Attacking The Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime Wins Special Jury Prize

Special Jury prize was awarded to Attacking The Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime

The Sheffield Doc/Fest announced the 2014 awards, including the Special Jury Award, Sheffield Innovation Award, Sheffield Green Award, Sheffield Youth Jury Award, Sheffield Student Doc Award, Sheffield Short Doc Award, The Tim Hetherington Award and the first ever Peter Wintonick Award.

Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Special Jury prize was awarded to Attacking The Devil: Harold Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime (directors Jacqui Morris & David Morris, United Kingdon/Canada, 2014, 99mins).

On behalf of the Special Jury Dawn Porter said: “We unanimously found this film to be an elegant examination of complex themes. We appreciated his film on all levels – it is a work approached with relevance and rigor, a historical film that feels contemporary and engaging, blossoms like a novel, and is surprising when least expected, epic in its scope, traversing decades and exploring big themes while revealing intimate details.” For the jury, Attacking the Devil is “a call to arms inviting us to examine our past as it celebrates and reminds us of the critical value of journalism.”

Sheffield Green Award was awarded to Unearthed

The Sheffield Green Award was awarded to Unearthed (Dir. Jolynn Minnaar, South Africa, 2014, 90mins).

Accepting her award Jolynn Minnaar said “I dedicate this award to filmmakers out there who are telling stories that matter. No matter how hard it is, keep going – it is worth it, I promise!”

The Special Jury also gave honorable mention to Night Will Fall (dir. Andre Singer, United Kingdom/Unites States/Israel, 2014, 75mins), which Dawn praised saying, “This intellectually bracing film reveals the power of documentary and why it matters. It challenges us to never take anything for granted. With skill and grace this film is a remarkable achievement reminding of the need to never forget.”

The Sheffield Innovation Award was awarded to A Short History of the Highrise (Dir. Katerina Cizek, Canada/United States, 2013, 17mins)

Sheffield Youth Jury Award was awarded to The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

The Sheffield Youth Jury Award was awarded to The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (Dir. Brian Knappenberger, United States, 2014, 105mins)

The Youth Jury also gave a special mention to Happiness (Dir. Thomas Balmès, France/Finland, 2013, 76mins) and thanked Hussain Currimbhoy and Sheffield Doc/fest for the “unique and life-changing” experience of sitting on a festival jury.

The Sheffield Green Award was awarded to Unearthed (Dir. Jolynn Minnaar, South Africa, 2014, 90mins). Accepting her award Jolynn Minnaar said “I dedicate this award to filmmakers out there who are telling stories that matter. No matter how hard it is, keep going – it is worth it, I promise!”

The Sheffield Student Doc Award was awarded to Our Curse (Dir. Tomasz Sliwinski, Poland, 2013, 28mins)

The Sheffield Short Doc Award, sponsored by the London Short Film Festival, was awarded to Amanda F***ing Palmer on the Rocks(Dir. Ondi Timoner, United States, 2014, 18mins)

Tim Hetherington Award was awarded to Profession: Documentarist

The Tim Hetherington Award was awarded to Profession: Documentarist (Directors: Shirin Barghnavard, Firouzeh Khosrovani, Farhnaz Sharifi, Mina Keshavarz, Sepideh Abtahi, Sahar Salahshoor and Nahid Rezaei, Iran, 2014, 80mins)

Presented by Tim’s mother Judith Hetherington and Oli Harbottle (Dogwoof), the award celebrates the life and legacy of photojournalist and humanitarian Tim Hetherington, whose objectives as a filmmaker were to highlight the plight of people so often ignored by the world and mainstream media.

Accepting the award Sharin Barghnavard declared it an honour “to accept this precious award from Tim’s mother” and remembered Tim’s legacy as someone who “dedicated his own life to pass beyond the borders.”

Peter Wintonick Award, celebrating activist filmmaking, was awarded to Vessel

The first ever Peter Wintonick Award, celebrating activist filmmaking, was awarded to Vessel (Dir. Diana Whitten, United States, 2014, 88mins)

This year the Inspiration Award was awarded to Laura Poitras. Poitras sent a message dedicating her award to Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, Jacob Appelbaum, William Binney, Julian Assange and Sarah Harrison.

Lifetime Achievement was presented to Roger Graef

The Sheffield Doc/Fest 2014 award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Roger Graef. Accepting the award Roger said “it’s true that when we take people’s pictures, we capture their souls and that is a great responsibility” and paid tribute to “those souls who have been brave enough to let us capture them.” He continued: “the privilege of fifty years of working in this industry has been to share the private lives of a great many people.”

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‘Hellion’ and ‘Alive Inside’ take top honors at 14th annual deadCENTER Film Festival

Hellion

A portrait of a family on the brink of dissolution set against the haunting backdrop of the refineries of Southeast Texas, and a heartwarming story about the healing power of music, have won top honors at the 14th annual deadCENTER Film Festival, held June 11-15 in downtown Oklahoma City.

“Hellion,” directed by Kat Candler, was selected as the Grand Jury Narrative Feature category winner, and Michael Rossato-Bennett’s “Alive Inside” won top honors in the Grand Jury Documentary Feature category.

Other award-winners included:

“Hellion” – Grand Jury Narrative Feature

Director Kat Candler won Best Narrative Short at last year’s deadCENTER Film Festival for Black Metal and also screened the short film Hellion here before debuting the feature at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Hellion is a portrait of a family on the brink of dissolution set against the haunting backdrop of the refineries of Southeast Texas and stars Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis.

“Alive Inside” – Grand Jury Documentary Feature

“Alive Inside” debuted at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and became an internet sensation when a clip from the film was shared millions of times online. “Alive Inside” follows Dan Cohen who, on a whim, brings iPods to a nursing home to work with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. To everyone’s surprise- residents with memory loss ‘awaken’ when they hear music from their past.

Special Jury Prize: “The Case Against 8,” a behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California’s ban on same-sex marriage. Directed by Ben Cotner and Ryan White.

Special Jury Oklahoma: “Sewing Hope,” the story of Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe and her fight to bring hope back to her nation after 25 years of terror in northern Uganda at the hands of Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army. Directed by Derek Watson.

Best Oklahoman Film: “The Posthuman Project,” the story of a group of high school friends who go on a rock-climbing trip to celebrate their graduation, the teens receive a genetic boost that gives them superhero abilities. Directed by Kyle Roberts.

The Posthuman Project is the feature film debut of Emmy Award winning music video director and NewsOK videographer Kyle Roberts. When Denny and four of his closest friends go on a rock-climbing trip to celebrate their high school graduation, the teens receive a genetic boost that gives them superhero abilities. With amazing special effects and an inspirational story, The Posthuman Project is exciting fun for the entire family.

Best Narrative Short: “The Karman Line,” the story of a mother who contracts an unusual illness and begins to rise gradually into the air. Directed by Oscar Sharp.

Best Documentary Short: “Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace,” follows New York-based painter Kehinde Wiley as he steps out of his comfort zone to create a series of paintings of women and reveal a new look at beauty in the 21st Century. Directed by Jeff Dupre.

Best Student Film: “Playtime,” the story of a 10-year-old British expat living with his mother in a suburban neighborhood in Kuwait. Directed by Hamad Al-Tourah.

Best Short Screenplay: “Tattoo,” by R. Wayne Gray.
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“Hard to Get” Selected to Open 35th Durban International Film Festival

The Durban International Film Festival taking place July 17 to 27, 2014, announced that the opening film at DIFF 2014 will be Hard To Get from first-time feature director Zee Ntuli and produced by Junaid Ahmed and Helena Spring.

The film tells the story of TK, a handsome young womanizer from a small community who falls for a sexy, reckless young thief named Skiets. Thrust into Joburg’s criminal underworld TK realises that his best bet is to trust her and hang on for dear life.

The action romance explores the universal theme of love in the very specific context of contemporary South Africa. At its heart, it is simply a story of two young South Africans embarking on the universal adventure of falling in love, symbolically set against the dangerous, unpredictable, cruel and ruthless backdrop of Joburg’s criminal underworld. Says Zee Ntuli, “The criminal gauntlet parallels the emotional journey of TK and Skiets, providing a metaphor for how scary falling in love can be. Ultimately it is a hopeful story, one which carries the message that love is worth fighting for.”

Talking about the film, Festival Manager, Peter Machen, said, “I am very excited about Hard To Get. It’s a beautifully made film that works on every level and will satisfy commercial and art-house audiences alike. I also think that it’s going to make instant stars of its two leads Thishiwe Ziqubu and Pallance Dladla, who are both electrifying, as well as director Zee Ntuli, who is virtually guaranteed a bright future on the global filmmaking stage on the basis of this first feature.”

Machen continued, “With the production team of Helena Spring and Junaid Ahmed behind the film, I have a strong suspicion that this is going to be the one that cracks open local audience’s desire to watch strong local film products. I have no doubt that audiences will walk out of the theatre electrified, and will be filled with excitement about the rest of the festival. All of this makes Hard To Get the perfect opening film for DIFF 2014. Co-producer Helena Spring said, “Junaid and I are thrilled to be launching major new talent with Hard to Get. We are incredibly proud of the work that director Zee Ntuli, his team and cast, have delivered. There is already a great deal of buzz around the film and we have no doubt that a bright future awaits them.”

Junaid Ahmed mentioned that Hard To Get is the first of a slate of films that he and Spring are producing which showcase the talent of previously marginalised black filmmakers in South Africa. Ahmed went on to praise the assured and distinctive directorial debut of Ntuli, as well as that of co-writer TT Sibisi. “Hard To Get heralds the arrival of exciting new voices in South African cinema”.

Although, Hard To Get is Ntuli’s first feature, he has already made his mark on the local film scene. He has written for the award-winning hit show Intersexions and has directed a humorous 40sec advert entitled Grandfather for Ster-Kinekor’s Vision Mission initiative. He has also directed music videos for the bands Crash Car Burn and Wrestlerish, as well having worked on Soul City and the crime drama Mshika-shika. Ntuli studied at AFDA, the School Of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance, winning the award for Best Film during all four years of studies. His 24 minute short film, Bomlambo (Those Of The Water), won the award for best fantasy film at the New York International Film Festival. Ntuli was nominated for best short film at the 2012 SAFTAs and has already had his short films screened at festivals in South Africa and around the world. His 12 minute short In Return (Emasisweni) was nominated as the South African candidate for the Student Oscars in 2010.

The Durban International Film Festival takes place from 17 – 27 July 2014. The festival includes more than 200 theatrical screenings and a full seminar and workshop programme, as well as the Wavescape Film Festival, the Wild Talk Africa Film Festival, and various industry initiatives, including the 7th Talent Campus Durban (in cooperation with the Berlin Talent Campus) and the 5th Durban FilmMart co-production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office). For more information go to www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and arange of other valued partners.

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41st Telluride Film Festival Unveils Officlal Poster Created by Artist Christian Marclay

41st Telluride Film Festival presented by National Film Preserve LTD., proudly announces visual artist Christian Marclay as its 2014 poster artist. Telluride Film Festival’s prestigious annual gathering for film industry insiders, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and critics takes place every Labor Day weekend in the picturesque town of Telluride, Colorado. The 41st edition of TFF will run August 29 through September 1, 2014.

Over the past 30 years, Christian Marclay has explored the fusion of fine art and audio cultures, transforming sounds and music into a visible, physical form through performance, collage, sculpture, installation, photography and video. Early examples include the series ‘Recycled Records’ (1980-86); the ‘Body Mix’ series (1991-92); Virtuoso (1999); and ‘Snapshots’, an ongoing, informal series of photographs that depict elements of sound and onomatopoeia that the artist discovers in everyday situations. Over the last decade, Marclay has created ambitious work in a variety of media including the video Guitar Drag (2000); Video Quartet (2002); Crossfire (2007); and most recently The Clock (2010) from thousands of edited fragments, from a vast range of films to create a 24-hour, single-channel video.

Christian Marclay was born in California in 1955, raised in Switzerland and now lives in New York and London. He has exhibited widely, including solo exhibitions at LACMA (2011); LEEUM Samsung Museum of Art (2010); Whitney Museum of American Art (2010); Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain (2008); Cité de la Musique (2007); Moderna Museet (2006); Barbican Art Gallery (2005); Seattle Art Museum (2004); Tate Modern (2004); UCLA Hammer Museum (2003); and the SFMoMA (2001). Christian Marclay also continues to collaborate with musicians, including recent performances with Steve Beresford, Okkyung Lee, Shelley Hirsch and Otomo Yoshihide. He was awarded the Golden Lion at the 2011 Biennale di Venezia for his video work The Clock.

“I was very pleased to be invited to design the poster for the Telluride film festival,” said Christian Marclay. “I decided to celebrate celluloid at a time when the old analog medium is being replaced by digital technology. I have always been interested in outmoded formats such as vinyl records, cassette tapes, or rotary telephones. I also wanted to show how cinema is an art of collage – fragments are collected and assembled to tell a story. The filmstrip with its sprocket holes and optical sound track is instantly recognized as the universal symbol for film. I wonder what will replace it?”

“We have always been enamored with Christian’s work, particularly The Clock and its concept,” commented Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger. “There is such wealth in cinema’s history and Christian pulls from different elements from the past and assembles them in a wholly new arrangement. The poster is a further exploration of this work. His ideas reflect one the most important goals at TFF, which is to create and sustain an appreciation of the art and history of film.”

Marlcay joins a prestigious list of artists who have shared their talents with Telluride Film Festival. Past poster artists include Dean Tavoularis, Ed Ruscha, John Mansfield, Julian Schnabel, Dottie Attie, Doug and Mike Starn, David Lance Goines, Chuck Jones, David Salle, Alexis Smith, Jim Dine, Seymour Chwast, Frederic Amat, Francesco Clemente, Dave McKean, Gary Larson, Chip Kidd, John Canemaker, Mark Stock, Laurie Anderson, William Wegman, Ralph Eggleston, Maira Kalman and Dave Eggers.

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10th Annual Black Women Film Festival to Take Place June 13-15 in Atlanta

The Black Women Film Network (BWFN) will present its 10th Annual Black Women Film Festival June 13-15, 2014 in Atlanta.

The three-day event – sponsored by BET Networks, Spelman College, Atlanta Technical College, 11Alive, Moguldom Studios andMadame Noire – kicks off Friday, June 13 at 12:00pm at Spelman College (Sci Center NASA Auditorium) with 7 films by or about African-American women, including the controversial 72% (directed by Janice Garcia and Jeremy Batchelor), a documentary that explores the single mother phenomenon in the black community.

On Saturday, June 14 at 8:00am, “The Reel Business of Filmmaking Workshops & Black Women Book Festival” will take place at Atlanta Technical College (Atrium). Discussion topics include film financing and distribution (Breyuna Williams, ESQ), acting for stage and film (Jonna Johnson), film and video editing (Deanna Nowell), and hair and makeup budgeting for large and small productions (Terae Dewitt).

Also taking place on Saturday is the Black Women Book Festival Luncheon which features a panel of authors who will share their knowledge about getting a book published. Those authors are Joe Johnson (Joshua’s Battle), Dr. Lepora (Journey to Authentic Joy), Antoinette Green Campbell (Revelations Beyond Betrayal) and Chiquita Lockley (Maggie Tales: Mommy, Where’s Heaven?).

Lockley is also the publisher of Worship 101: Back to the Basics, a guide for church leaders written by Grammy-winning recording artist Tasha Cobbs (“Break Every Chain”). The book, released May 12, will make its Atlanta debut at the Black Women Book Festival.

The festival concludes Sunday, June 15 at 6:30pm at Adrienne’s Fine Boutique (2287 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta GA 30309) with “The Reel Networking Affair” featuring Jaunice Sills, REVOLT TV’s director of program scheduling and promo strategy. Sills, a former Black Women Film Network scholarship winner, will be on hand to answer questions about her role at REVOLT and share wisdom on navigating the television industry.

“The tenth annual Black Women Film Festival will usher in a new generation of filmmakers who inspire and engage new audiences,” said BWFN founder Sheryl Gripper. “We are grateful to our BWFN Board and Film Guild for volunteering countless hours to make this possible.”

2014 SCHEDULE

Day 1 – Films to Inspire and Uplift by and About Black Women
When:                                  Friday, June 13, 2014
Time:                                    12:00pm – 8:00pm
Where:                                 Spelman College (Sci Center NASA Auditorium) – 350 Spelman Lane, Atlanta GA 30314

·         Good Girls – directed by Rhavynn Drummer

·         The Helen Lindsey Story – directed by Maria Howell and Mike Ray

·         Stand: Untold Stories of the Civil Rights Movement – directed by Donna Dukes

·         Room to Breathe – directed by Crista Baldwin

·         A Glimpse – directed by Sandra Nixon

·         Elijah – directed by Janlate Mullin

·         72% – directed by Janice Garcia and Jeremy Batchelor

Day 2 – The Reel Business of Filmmaking Workshops & Black Women Book Festival
When:                                  Saturday, June 14, 2014
Where:                                 Atlanta Technical College (Atrium) – 1560 Metropolitan Pkwy SW, Atlanta GA 30310
Registration:                     8:00 am
Workshops:                       8:30 am – 3:00pm

8:30 – 9:45 am – “Hair & Make-Up for Film and TV” — What you need to be a Film/TV stylist and what you need to budget for your film. Hairstylist and make-up artist Terae Dewitt talks about working on small and large films.

9:45 – 11:00 am – “Acting For Stage, Screen and TV” – Actress, acting coach and instructor at the Actor’s Scene, Jonna Johnson will be on hand to let you know what’s needed to get that call back.

11:00 – 12:15pm – “Film Financing and Distribution” – Find out how to get your project financed and distributed. Breyuna Williams, ESQ, who has extensive experience in music, film and new media contracts and is a member of the California State and Georgia State Bar, will lead this discussion.

12:15 – 1:15pm – “Black Women Book Festival Luncheon” — This informative luncheon will feature authors who are ready to share their knowledge about getting a book published. Featured authors are Joe Johnson (Joshua’s Battle), Dr. Lepora (Journey to Authentic Joy),Antoinette Green Campbell (Revelations Beyond Betrayal) and Chiquita Lockley (Maggie Tales: Mommy, Where’s Heaven?).

1:15pm – 2:15pm – “Film and Video Editing” – An award-winning and highly sought-after editor for the Aspire Network, Deanna Nowell will lead a hands-on panel where you can bring your projects for her expert suggestions on how to get your best edit. (Note: Have your project on your laptop to get the best evaluation. First come, first served.)

2:30pm – 3:00pm – “Film Location Tour of Atlanta Technical College” — Filmmaker Russ Parr shot his film A Christmas Blessing on the campus of Atlanta Technical College. Take a tour of the film shoot locations with staff. Your next production could be shot here!

Day 3 – The Reel Networking Affair” with Jaunice Sills, Director of Program Scheduling and Promo Strategy, REVOLT TV

When:                                  Sunday, June 15, 2014

Time:                                    6:30pm – 8:30pm
Where:                                 Adrienne’s Fine Boutique – 2287 Peachtree Rd., NE Atlanta, Ga.
Cost:                                      $5.00 non-members; FREE, BWFN Members

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17th Annual Brooklyn Film Festival Announces FORMULA Winners; Jadrien Steele’s VICTORIANA Wins Grand Chameleon Award and Best Narrative Feature

Brooklyn Film Festival, which ran from May 30 through June 8 in Williamsburg at indieScreen (289 Kent Avenue) and Windmill Studios NYC (287 Kent Avenue), announced the winners of its annual festival themed FORMULA. The event . The festival presented 107 film premieres from 34 countries, selected from over 2,000 submissions.

Jadrien Steele’s Victoriana won the awards for Grand Chameleon Award and Best Narrative Feature, and Best Documentary Feature went to Nima Sarvestani for No Burqas Behind Bars. Alexis Boling’s Movement and Location won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and David Beilinson, Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley’s Who Took Johnny won for Best Documentary Feature. Best New Director went to Matan Guggenheim for Paradise Cruise.

BFF awarded the winners with prizes totaling over $50,000 in film services and products. Prizes include a seven-day theatrical release at indieScreen for the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary award winners, and for the first time as well for the Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation and Best Experimental Film.

GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD:

Jadrien Steele for Victoriana

BEST IN CATEGORY:

Narrative Feature – Jadrien Steele for Victoriana

Documentary Feature – Nima Sarvestani for No Burqas Behind Bars

Narrative Short – Mauricio Osaki for My Father’s Truck

Documentary Short – Anthony Simon for Third Shift

Animation – Uri Kranot & Michelle Kranot for Hollow Land

Experimental – Charles Griffin Gibson for The Meteor

AUDIENCE AWARDS:

Documentary Feature – David Beilinson, Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley for Who Took Johnny

Narrative Feature – Alexis Boling for Movement and Location

Narrative Short – Jacob Kindlon for Vocabulary of the Mysteries

Documentary Short – Thomas Wood for LA Miner

Animation – Rick Manlapig for Fakie

Experimental – Augusto Giachino for Third Sister

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT:

Best New Director – Matan Guggenheim for Paradise Cruise

Best Producer – Christophe Nick and Victor Ede for Boy Saloum

Best Screenplay – Bodine Boling for Movement and Location

Best Cinematography – Franz Dude for My Blind Heart

Best Editing – T.J. Misny for Intimate Semaphores

Best Original Score – Dan Tepfer for Movement and Location

Best Actor (Female) – Rezeta Veliu for Rezeta

Best Actor (Male) – Christos Haas for My Blind Heart

BROOKLYN PRIDE AWARD:

Beyza Boyacioglu & Sebastian Diaz Aguirre for Toñita’s

SPIRIT AWARDS:

Narrative Feature – Fernando Frias for Rezeta

Documentary Feature – Mladen Kovacevic for Unplugged

Narrative Short – Peter Vack for Send

Documentary Short – Stephen Greenwood for Tunnel Vision

Experimental – Miriam Harris & Juliet Palner for Warsaw, January 2011

Animation – Catya Plate for Hanging By a Thread

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Seattle International Film Festival Announces 2014 Award Winners; “Boyhood” Sweeps with 3 Golden Space Needle Awards

Boyhood

The 40th Seattle International Film Festival announced the winners of the SIFF 2014 Golden Space Needle and Competition Awards. Boyhood sweeps with 3 Golden Space Needle Awards including Best Film, Director, and Actress, Keep On Keepin’ On wins Golden Space Needle for Best Documentary. The 25-day festival, which began May 15, featured 452 films representing 83 countries, including 44 World Premieres (20 features, 24 shorts), 30 North American Premieres (22 features, 8 shorts), 14 US Premieres (8 features, 6 shorts), and over 770 Festival screenings and events.

Carl Spence, SIFF’s Artistic Director, says, “This has been an extraordinary 40th anniversary Festival. From welcoming back Richard Linklater to Seattle with his groundbreaking epic Boyhood, to honoring Laura Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Quincy Jones for their masterful work, to welcoming Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who has brought Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life for years, to the hundreds of first-time directors making their debut, it’s been another year of indelible cinematic experiences. Every year, it’s so thrilling to see our legendary Seattle audiences discover our lineup of films and wholly immerse themselves in the Festival experience. Congratulations to every single film and filmmaker that we had the opportunity to present!”

Adds Mary Bacarella, SIFF’s Managing Director, “Beginning with our big Opening Night announcement about the purchase of the SIFF Cinema Uptown and lease on the historic Egyptian Theatre, this Festival has blown away all of my expectations. Each day (and there’s 25 of them!) seemed to bring even more exciting events and can’t-miss moments. I’m thrilled to be leading SIFF in this time of growth, and can’t wait to get to work on bringing incredible films to two neighborhood cinemas.”

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST FILM

Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Life Feels Good, directed by Maciej Pieprzyca (Poland 2013)
Second runner-up: How to Train Your Dragon 2, directed by Dean DeBlois (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: The Fault in Our Stars, directed by Josh Boone (USA 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Big in Japan, directed by John Jeffcoat (USA 2014)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY

Keep On Keepin’ On, directed by Alan Hicks (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory, directed by Michael Rossato-Bennett (USA 2014)
Second runner-up: I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story, directed by Dave LaMattina, Chad Walker (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: Strictly Sacred: The Story of Girl Trouble, directed by Isaac Olsen (USA 2014)
Fourth runner-up: The Case Against 8, directed by Ben Cotner, Ryan White (USA 2014)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DIRECTOR

Richard Linklater, Boyhood (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Maciej Pieprzyca, Life Feels Good (Poland 2013)
Second runner-up: Zaza Urushadze, Tangerines (Estonia/Georgia 2013)
Third runner-up: Pawel Pawlikowski, Ida (Poland 2013)
Fourth runner-up: Sara Colangelo, Little Accidents (USA 2014)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTOR

Dawid Ogrodnik, Life Feels Good (Poland 2013)

First runner-up: Guillaume Gallienne, Me, Myself and Mum (Belgium/France/Spain 2013)
Second runner-up: Matt Smith, My Last Year With the Nuns (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: Felix Bossuet, Belle & Sebastien (France 2013)
Fourth runner-up: Igor Samobor, Class Enemy (Slovenia 2013)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (USA 2014)

First runner-up: Juliette Binoche, 1,000 Times Good Night (Norway 2013)
Second runner-up: Agata Kulesza, Ida (Poland 2013)
Third runner-up: Jenny Slate, Obvious Child (USA 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Jördis Triebel, West (Germany 2013)

GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM

Fool’s Day, directed by Cody Blue Snider (USA 2013)

First runner-up: The Hero Pose, directed by Mischa Jakupcak (USA 2013)
Second runner-up: Strings, directed by Pedro Solis (Spain 2013)
Third runner-up: Mr. Invisible, directed by Greg Ash (United Kingdom 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Aban + Khorshid, directed by Darwin Serink (USA 2014)

LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION

Bound: Africans Versus African Americans, directed by Peres Owino (USA 2014)

This award is given to the female director’s film that receives the most votes in public balloting at the Festival. Lena Sharpe was co-founder and managing director of Seattle’s Festival of Films by Women Directors and a KCTS-TV associate who died in a plane crash while on assignment. As a tribute to her efforts in bringing the work of women filmmakers to prominence, SIFF created this special award and asked Women in Film Seattle to bestow it.

SIFF 2014 COMPETITION AWARDS

SIFF 2014 BEST NEW DIRECTOR

GRAND JURY PRIZE
10,000KM, directed by Carlos Marques-Marcet (Spain/USA 2014)

JURY STATEMENT: Our unanimous winner is Carlos Marques-Marcet’s 10,000KM for its ability to simply and creatively convey the complexity and fragility of human relationships with gorgeous attention to detail.

SPECIAL JURY MENTION
B For Boy, directed by Chika Anadu (Nigeria 2013)

JURY STATEMENT: Our special jury mention goes to B For Boy’s director Chika Anadu for her assured and fierce storytelling.

Festival programmers select 12 films remarkable for their original concept, striking style, and overall excellence. To be eligible, films must be a director’s first or second feature and without U.S. distribution at the time of their selection. The New Directors Jury is comprised of Ron Leamon (costume designer), Sharon Swart (journalist), and Helen du Toit (Artistic Director, Palm Springs International Film Festival).

SIFF 2014 BEST DOCUMENTARY

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Marmato, directed by Mark Grieco (Colombia/USA 2014)

JURY STATEMENT: We give the documentary prize to Marmato. With courage and ambition, director Mark Grieco artfully brings to life a personal story with global significance and provides a window into a world that few would have access to.

SPECIAL JURY MENTIONS
Dior and I,directed by Frédéric Tcheng (France 2014) and Garden Lovers, directed by Virpi Suutari (Finland 2014)

JURY STATEMENT: We want to give special recognition for the aesthetic richness and cinematography of these films.

Unscripted and uncut, the world is a resource of unexpected, informative, and altogether exciting storytelling. Documentary filmmakers have, for years, brought these untold stories to life and introduced us to a vast number of fascinating topics we may have never known existed-let alone known were so fascinating. The Documentary Jury is comprised of Brian Brooks (FilmLinc.com), Claudia Puig (USA Today), and Pat Saperstein (Variety).

SIFF 2014 BEST NEW AMERICAN CINEMA

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Red Knot, directed by Scott Cohen (USA/Argentina/Antarctica 2014)

JURY STATEMENT: An ethnographic journey to the South Pole becomes an unsettling tale of fumbled love and transcendent redemption, capped by an extraordinary performance from Olivia Thirlby.

Festival programmers select 12 films without U.S. distribution that are sure to delight audiences looking to explore the exciting vanguard of New American Cinema and compete for the FIPRESCI Award for Best New American Film. The New American Cinema Jury is comprised of members of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI): Juan Manuel Dominguez, Gerald Peary, and Amber Wilkinson.

SIFF 2014 FUTUREWAVE AND YOUTH JURY AWARDS

YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Dear White People, directed by Justin Simien (USA)

JURY STATEMENT: For skillfully using humor as a vehicle for social awareness, breaking the mold of traditional cinematic archetypes, and unifying audiences of all backgrounds.

YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Belle & Sebastien, directed by Nicolas Vanier (France)

JURY STATEMENT: For its realistic characters, beautiful scenery and cinematography, and strong, touching theme of friendship through hard times.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang, directed by Óskar Santos (Spain)

JURY STATEMENT: For being a funny, adventurous story about the importance of creativity in children’s lives.

FUTUREWAVE WAVEMAKER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUTH FILMMAKING

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Malone Lumarda, Black Rock Creek (USA)

JURY STATEMENT: For its gentle depiction of a young girl exploring her natural surroundings that was both captivating and realistic.

FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AUDIENCE AWARD
While We’re Asleep, directed by Summer Matthews (USA)

FUTUREWAVE PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIP
Khidr Joseph, Clapping for the Wrong Reasons (USA)

SIFF 2014 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

All short films shown at the Festival are eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Award and Jury Award. Jurors choose winners in the Narrative, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $1,000 and winners in any of the three categories may also qualify to enter their respective films in the Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.

LIVE ACTION

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Twaaga, directed by Cédric Ido (Burkina Faso/France)

JURY STATEMENT: A rich and compelling world with beautiful cultural and generational chapters. The seamless use of animated comic book imagery to reflect the protagonist’s journey and the larger political backdrop.

SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Aban + Khorshid, directed by Darwin Serink (USA)

JURY STATEMENT: A beautifully filmed and tragic story, based on real life events, about freedoms here that carry the death penalty elsewhere.

DOCUMENTARY

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Maikaru, directed by Amanda Harryman (USA)

JURY STATEMENT: An honest, vulnerable and authentic piece that exposes an invisible issue that is happening in Seattle and worldwide. The character’s story of healing leaves the audience with a sense of hope. The use of artistic footage illustrating the character’s transformative journey.

SPECIAL JURY MENTION
The Queen (La Reina), directed by Manuel Abramovich (Argentina)

JURY STATEMENT: Effective framing, to craft a haunting portrait of youth in exhibition pageants.

ANIMATION

GRAND JURY PRIZE
Rhino Full Throttle, directed by Erik Schmitt (Germany)

JURY STATEMENT: A story of self redemption told through quirky and playful animation bounding with shifting formats that would be dizzying if the story wasn’t so timeless. An animated love story that tips its hat to its own genre.

The Short Film Jury comprised of Laura Jean Cronin (B47 Studios), Craig Downing (Couch Fest Films), and Brooks Peck (EMP Museum).
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Lineup Announced for African Diaspora International Film Festival – Chicago; Opens with “Freedom Summer”

Freedom Summer

The Chicago African Diaspora International Film Festival is back in Chicago to celebrate 12 years of consecutive work in the Windy City. To be held from June 13-19, hosted by Facets Cinematheque and presented by ArtMattan Productions, the festival will showcase 14 documentary and fiction films set in The United States, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Egypt, France, Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Curacao, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay, and Mexico.

The festival will open with Freedom Summer by Emmy-winning MacArthur “genius” Fellow filmmaker Stanley Nelson. A Sundance Film Festival favorite, this film covers the Civil Rights Movement efforts during a very intense period in Mississippi, the Summer of 1964. The screening will be preceded by a catered reception and will be followed by a discussion with veteran film producer Cyndee Readdean who will discuss the making of this powerful film that commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Summer events.

Another historical program highlighting the African American experience is the African-American Trailblazers Program that pays homage to the creativity, imagination and resilience of two remarkable African-American women: Josephine Baker and Madame C.J. Walker. The two films in the program: Josephine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World and Two Dollars and a Dream will be enhanced by a conversation with Professor Zakiya R. Adair, Ph.D. whose areas of specialization are transnational women’s cultural history, African American history and black expressive culture.

As Freedom Summer explores a historic moment in American History, Tula, The Revolt and The Jews of Egypt explore historic moments in Curaçao and Egypt respectively. Tula, the Revolt is an epic narrative about the slave revolt led by Tula on the island of Curaçao in 1795. The Jews of Egypt is a documentary that describes Egypt’s nation building and identity definition processes in the first half of the 20^th Century.

Music and dance are celebrated in ADIFF 2014 with four documentaries representatives of the revealing nature of art as they make us travel and see people dance and sing to incredibly rich musical expressions.

Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango moves in and out of Uruguay and Argentina as it illustrates the ever present African component in Tango, Candombe, Milongon and other African based musical styles found in the Rio de la Plata region. Made in Jamaica is a powerful and revealing musical documentary that presents a rich social portrait of contemporary Jamaica through interviews with and performances by acts as diverse as Third World, Yellow Man, Bunny Wailer and Bounty Killer, just to name a few.

Presented to celebrate South Africa Youth Day in collaboration with the Chicago South African Consulate – The African Cypher is a film that harnesses the energy of the unique and diverse dancing styles of isiPantsula and sBhujwa to Krump and B-boy and that demonstrates how South Africa is a reservoir of music and dance that, with the change of times and a very creative youth movement, has tremendously enriched its musical scenario.

From Coffee Plantation to the Tumba Francesa, to be featured in the program entitled Haiti in the Spanish Speaking Caribbean, is a film that traces the origins of “Tumba Francesa” in Cuba: a dance practiced by descendants of Saint-Domingue slaves in accordance with the choreography and religious traditions of their Dahomeyan ancestry. The presentation of this film together with that of the documentary Birthright Crisis will be followed by a discussion with Frantz Voltaire, founder and current chairman of CIDIHCA, a Haitian and Caribbean research center based in Montreal. The discussion will focus on the contributions of the Haitian people to Cuba and the Dominican Republic nations.

ADIFF 2014 will also present four fiction films dealing with love, friendship, and the confrontations of ideas and ideals. Between Frienda is a story of love, friends and life in Trinidad and Tobago. Go for Sisters by award-winning filmmaker John Sayles (The Brother from Another Planet) tells us a story of immigration, friendship, motherly love and intrigue. The Miscreants, from Morocco/Switzerland, follows a group of actors who are kidnapped by religious extremists. The interaction between both groups is very revealing. Love Triangle is an African-American romantic thriller that follows two men and a woman entangled in an impossible love affair.

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Stony Brook Film Festival Unveils 2014 Film Lineup incl. NY Premiere of Juliette Binoche in “A Thousand Times Good Night”

Juliette Binoche in A Thousand Times Good Night, directed by Eric Poppe

The 19th Annual Stony Brook Film Festival, produced by Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, will screen ten evenings of the best in new independent film from Thursday, July 17 through Saturday, July 26 in the Staller Center Main Stage Theatre. The popular summer festival will include three World Premieres and four U.S. Premieres among the seventeen features and twenty shorts and host Q&As with filmmakers and Opening and Closing Night receptions.

The U.S. Premiere features include Back on Track directed by Kilian Riedhof, a bittersweet drama from Germany about a man well over 70 years old training for the Berlin marathon; Kenau, directed by Maarten Treurniet, a big-screen adventure from the Netherlands set in the 16th century; Paper Souls (Les âmes de papier) a quirky and surprising comedy from France; The Dark Valley directed by Andreas Prochaska, with Sam Riley (On the Road), a tale of revenge from Austria/Germany reminiscent of the best of American Westerns.

Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”) star in the Closing Night film, the New York Premiere of A Thousand Times Good Night, directed by Erik Poppe, inspired by his own experience as a Reuters war photojournalist. Other actors seen on screen in the Festival: Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Seth Green and Joe Pantoliano in the New York Premiere of The Identical; Daphne Rubin-Vega (“Smash”) in Fall to Rise; Hiam Abass (Lemon Tree) in the New York Premiere of May in the Summer. Karina Smirnoff (“Dancing with the Stars”) and Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl) are both expected to accompany Ralph Macchio screening his short film Across Grace Alley, opening the film Festival along with Back on Track. Among the short films are three World Premieres, The Ring Cycle, a film by Erin Cramer with Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones,” “The Tudors”); The Showdown, a film by Daniela Schrier Kafshi; and Sorta’ Horny, a film by Don Cherel.

Alan Inkles, founder and director of the Stony Brook Film Festival noted, “In addition to receiving hundreds of entries as we send out a Call for Entries with a ‘no entry fee,’ and working with many U.S. sales agents and distributors, we have also established good relationships with foreign sales agents and film distributors. Films Distribution, Eye International (Holland Films), Beta Cinema, eOne Films International, Media Luna, and Global Screen have been pivotal in securing an exciting and diverse program. Along with films from the U.S., the international slate of features, documentaries and shorts will take audiences to Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Israel, Iraq, France, Netherlands, Singapore, Italy, Spain, Austria, Argentina, and Jordan.”

Tiffany Bartok, producer of Fall to Rise, as well as the short, The Showdown, returns to the Festival this year with Fall to Rise’s writer/director Jayce Bartok. She noted, “In this carefully curated, highly selective festival, all filmmakers who screen their film at Stony Brook feel like winners. With the intense competition to secure a spot on the program, it is an honor to screen at Stony Brook once again. We have been in the theater with close to 1,000 appreciative filmgoers and it’s an awesome experience.” Tiffany Bartok’s short Little Pumpkin screened at a past festival and Jayce Bartok wrote and starred in Mary Stuart Masterson’s The Cake Eaters, which premiered at the Stony Brook Film Festival in 2008.

Other Premieres

East Coast Premieres include Maïna, directed by Michel Poulette, a historical feature from Canada in Innu, Inuit and English; Canopy, directed by Aaron Wilson, an almost wordless drama set in wartime 1942; and The Green Prince, directed by Nada Schirman, a documentary about a top Hamas leader’s son who spies for Israel.

New York Premieres include The Identical directed by Dustin Marcellino, with Blake Rayne, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Seth Green and Joe Pantoliano, a rock and roll tale about identical twins separated at birth; 45 RPM, directed by Juli Jackson, a charming road movie; My Sweet Pepper Land, directed by Hiner Saleem from Iraq/France/Germany, an engrossing drama set in a remote village at the edge of Kurdistan; Thesis on a Homicide, directed by Hernán Goldfrid, from Argentina/Spain, a murder-movie thriller, A Five Star Life, directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi, a sophisticated drama from Italy about a luxury hotel inspector, and May in the Summer, directed by Cherien Dabis, who also plays the leading role of May, a Jordanian woman who lives in New York and goes home to plan her wedding.

OPENING NIGHT – Long Island’s Own: Ralph Macchio

Among the expected guests for opening night are the cast and filmmaker for the short film, Across Grace Alley. Ralph Macchio, a Long Island native, wrote and directed Across Grace Alley. Karina Smirnoff, the dancer who partnered with him on the television show, “Dancing with the Stars,” makes her acting debut in Across Grace Alley and is expected to attend. In addition, actors Marsha Mason (The Goodbye Girl) and newcomer Ben Hyland are also expected to attend the screening. Ralph Macchio is well-known for his role in The Karate Kid, celebrating its 30th anniversary.

“The Art of the Short” – Special Program

The Art of the Short brings John Salcido and Michael Nathanson to Stony Brook on Friday, July 25 to present a collective body of award-winning work,beginning with a program of three acclaimed shorts – from Michael’s starring role in the Oscar-nominated Time Freak (directed by Andrew Bowler), through John Salcido’s audience favorite Cataplexy, to the darkly funny and daring This Is Ellen, all of which have been showcased previously at the Stony Brook Film Festival. The event will culminate in the East Coast premiere of their latest collaboration, Tribute, a dark comedy that explores loss, love and obsession.

Michael and John will discuss the creative process of each film and how the meeting of two successful filmmaking teams, brought together through the Stony Brook Film Festival, resulted in the creation of Tribute, their most ambitious work to date.

Funded and Executive Produced by Stony Brook sponsor and University alum Joe Campolo, along with his partner Joe Zepf, Tribute represents the evolution of two talented filmmakers who became one team, blending their comic voices to create a surprising and bold new film.

Closing Night/Additional Screenings

The Closing Night Awards will be announced by John Anderson, film critic, at a reception following the screening of A Thousand Times Good Night, starring Juliette Binoche and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”), along with young newcomer Lauryn Canny.

Additional features include Fall to Rise, a film about a principal dancer’s injury forcing her out of her dance company, written and directed by Jayce Bartok,Life’s a Breeze, a raucous comedy from Ireland about a search for one family’s treasure, written and directed by Lance Daly, Hanna’s Journey, a film from Israel/Germany directed by Julia von Heinz, about a German business woman’s trip to Israel as a volunteer.
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