Film Festivals

Winners Announced at 2014 Beaufort International Film Festival

THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU

The Eighth Annual Beaufort International Film Festival concluded on February 15th with the winners being announced in 9 categories and the presentation of the first ever Behind the Scenes Award. The award for Best Feature went to THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU, directed by Katharyn Grant and the award for Best Documentary went to AKA, DOC POMUS, directed by William Hechter and Peter Miller. The top award went to Film Editor and two-time Oscar Winner Arthur Schmidt (Forrest Gump and Who Framed Roger Rabbit). He was awarded the prestigious Jean Ribaut Award for Excellence in Film Editing.

Despite flight delays and reroutes and closed major highways due to a major winter storm hitting the southeast, filmmakers and film lovers still made the effort to get to the festival and once here, enjoyed four fun filled days of filmmaking excellence. “It was a tremendous turnout. We were quite pleased, “ stated Festival Director Ron Tucker. “Even with the adverse weather conditions at the start of the festival, the weather got better and we neared attendance of around 7000 people enjoying some part of festival events,” Tucker stated.

The film festival celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of the film Forrest Gump with special activities which included the screening of the film with some of the cast and crew in attendance. A video tribute to Mr. Schmidt was played on awards night that included video messages from actors Gary Sinise and Tom Hanks and Director Robert Zemeckis.

James Passanante was presented the inaugural “Behind the Scenes” Award for is more than 30 years of work in the film industry as a Scenic Designer.

Other Winners include:

Best Feature: The One Who Loves You, directed by Katharyn Grant, Denver, CO;

Best Documentary:   AKA, Doc Pomus, directed by William Hechter and Peter Miller, Ontario, Canada;

Best Short Film: The Long Wait, directed by Wolfgang Bodison, Los Angeles, CA

Best Student Film: Helpless, directed by Christene Hurley, Winston-Salem, NC, University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Best Animation: Death & the Robot, directed by Austin Taylor, Winston-Salem, NC University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Best Screenplay:  Pawn, written by Uyen Le and VW Scheich, Los Angeles, CA

Best Actor: Elizabeth Yoder, Los Angeles, CA ( The Long Wait)

Best Director: Katharyn Grant, Denver, Co (The One Who Loves You)

Audience Choice:   AKA, Doc Pomus (Directors, William Hechter and Peter Miller)

The World Without Purple Award: Special award presented by Alzheimer’s Family Services of Greater Beaufort to filmmaker Barbara Klutinis for her film The Sum Total of Our Memory.
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Complete Lineup for 43rd New Directors/New Films; Ana Lily Amirpour’s A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT is the Opening Night Film

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT

The complete lineup was unveiled for the 43rd edition of New Directors/New Films taking place March 19 to March 30, 2014 in New York City and presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art. This year’s festival will screen 27 international feature films and 13 short films. The opening night feature is Ana Lily Amirpour’s A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, a Persian, black-and-white, noirish thriller that recently bowed at the Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim and is based on a graphic novel written by Amirpour about a young female vampire who stalks the streets of a fictional lonely Iranian ghost town. The closing night feature, 20,000 DAYS ON EARTH, by visual artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, also had its premiere at Sundance, where it won directing and editing awards in the World Cinema Documentary category. The film follows a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musical and cultural icon Nick Cave as he is writing his 2013 album “Push the Sky Away.”

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A WORLD NOT OURS, URANIUM DRIVE-IN Lead Winners of 2014 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

A WORLD NOT OURS

The winners of the 2014 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival’s Feature, Big Sky, Short and Mini-Doc categories were announced before an energized and packed house last night at the Top Hat Lounge in downtown Missoula. The Best Feature award went to A WORLD NOT OURS, described as an intimate and funny portrait of three generations of exile in the refugee camp of Ain el-Helweh, in southern Lebanon. “Through his unique sensibility and keenly perceptive eye, filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel gives us a fascinating glimpse into the world of the Palestinian refugee camp where he grew up,” read the judges’ statement. “In so doing, he creates a remarkable cinematic journey that is both highly personal and strikingly universal.”

The Big Sky Award was earned by URANIUM DRIVE-IN, described as the gripping story of a once-booming Colorado mining town as it grapples with the prospect of a return to the mining industry that offers a conflicting mix of economic prosperity and environmental and health challenges. The film was directed by Susan Beraza. “We chose URANIUM DRIVE-IN for the Big Sky Award because of its balanced and raw look at the realities of mining,” said the jury. “The filmmakers took great care with the subject and the characters and the result is a powerful story about life in the west.” URANIUM DRIVE-IN also took home a cash prize of $1000 sponsored by the Montana Film Office.

The Best Short award winner was THE RECORD BREAKER, described as the funny and surprisingly heartfelt tale of Ashrita Furman, the man with the most Guinness World Records of all time. The film’s director is Brian McGinn. “THE RECORD BREAKER is witty, fast-paced and accomplished, with an engaging character who has found his own personal quirky passion in life,” said the judges. “Underneath the fun, the film grapples with deeper, even profound issues such as the nature of obsession and changing relationships between parents and child.”

And finally, the winner of the Best Mini-Doc award went to EUGENE, directed by Jordan Olshanksy and Jason Stanfield. The 13-minute film, shot over the course of several months, tracks the last days of a homeless man living in the outskirts of San Francisco. The judges’ statement was not available as of press time.

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival’s status as a qualifying festival for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the Short and Mini-Doc categories means that THE RECORD BREAKER and EUGENE are now eligible for consideration for next year’s Oscars.

In addition to the category winners, judges were given the option of presenting an Artistic Vision award in each category. In each case, the jury found a film so deserving. They are: TRUCKER AND THE FOX (Feature), directed by Arash Lahooti; TRANSMORMON (Big Sky), directed by Torben Bernhard; PRISON TERMINAL (Short), directed by Edgar Barens; and ADRIFT (Mini-Doc), directed by Frederik Depickere.

The award screenings will cap a busy final weekend of the nine-day festival. In addition to Friday evening’s full slate of films, screenings will be held in all four festival venues throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday, including a slate of “Movies You Missed” made up of some of the most popular films screened during the previous week. Film schedule and information can be found at bigskyfilmfest.org.
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TIME IS ILLMATIC, Documentary on Rapper Nas to Open 2014 Tribeca Film Festival

The world premiere of the documentary TIME IS ILLMATIC, will open the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows the trajectory of Nas’ 1994 landmark debut album, Illmatic– widely considered one of the most important and revolutionary albums in hip-hop. The premiere, taking place on Wednesday, April 16, will be followed by a special musical performance where Nas will perform the groundbreaking album from front to back. TIME IS ILLMATIC, is directed by multimedia artist, One9, written by Erik Parker, and produced by One9, Parker, and Anthony Saleh. The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, will run through April 27th.

TIME IS ILLMATIC traces Nas’s influences and the insurmountable odds he faced in creating the greatest work of music from hip-hop’s second golden era. The film tracks the musical legacy of the Jones family — handed down to Nas from his jazz musician father, Olu Dara, the support of his Queensbridge neighborhood crew, and the loyalty of his younger brother Jabari “Jungle” Fret. Twenty years after its release, Illmatic is widely recognized as a hip-hop benchmark that encapsulates the sociopolitical outlook, enduring spirit, and collective angst of a generation of young men searching for their voice in America. Time Is Illmatic is supported by The Ford Foundation’s Just Films and Tribeca Film Institute’s Tribeca All Access program.

“I want to thank the Tribeca Film Festival for supporting the film with the incredible platform they’ve built over the years,” said Nas. “It’s an honor to premiere this film in my hometown. I also want to thank One9 and Erik Parker for their persistence and hard work. Those guys and I come from the same place and era, which gives the doc an authenticity that is important to me. We wanted this film to represent the real, from the storyline all the way down to the directors and producers.”

“Like the Festival itself, Time is Illmatic and the groundbreaking body of work it recognizes has roots grounded in New York City, but represents and reaches communities far beyond,” said Jane Rosenthal, CEO and Co-founder of Tribeca Film Festival. “The film spotlights a musical journey with community and family at its core and we look forward to celebrating this pivotal moment in hip hop history as we open our 13th edition.”

“Throughout the journey, we see the metamorphosis of Nas as a young street poet, full of a rich musical legacy, transforming the pain and isolation of growing up in Queensbridge Houses into raw, honest lyrics, illuminating a spirit that inspired generations from the past, present, and the future. Experiencing the stories, passion, and energy of a modern day alchemist shaping lyrical dust to diamonds was truly an honor and we are extremely proud to premiere the film at Tribeca,” said One9. “I want to thank Nas, Jungle, Olu Dara, The Jones family, the Tribeca Film Institute, and Ford Foundation for allowing Erik Parker and me to create an authentic and unfiltered documentary film.”

Hip Hop luminary and multi-platinum artist, Nas, released his debut album Illmatic in 1994, and he has gone on to sell over 20 million albums worldwide. The legendary Queens rapper, son of jazz musician Olu Dara, is widely recognized as a visionary and lauded for a seminal body of work that spans a two-decade career. He has released nine solo albums and three compilations, and will release Illmatic XX, a special 20th anniversary edition of the landmark debut, on April 15 by SONY Legacy.
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THE LAST ONE, a New Documentary about the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Screen at 2014 American Documentary Film Festival

The 2014 American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund will screen THE LAST ONE – a look at the AIDS quilt and those who wove the panels. In the eighties and nineties, as AIDS ravaged the United States gay community, the AIDS Memorial Quilt was born out of a public battle for treatment and understanding. THE LAST ONE is a feature-length documentary tracing its history as an international art project and the role it continues to play as a response to a disease that still imperils vulnerable communities around the world.

Through the intensely personal stories of its founders, volunteers, and panel-makers, THE LAST ONE examines how stigma and discrimination exacerbated and still fuel a disease that has already claimed the lives of 30 million people and currently infects 65 million men, women and children around the globe–including 50,000 new infections a year in the US alone. Longtime LGBT Activist and Founder of The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, Cleve Jones, will attend the screening of THE LAST ONE, along with the film’s director, Nadine Licostie.

The American Documentary Film Festival opens on Thursday, March 27th and continues through Monday, March 31st, 2014.
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John McKay’s NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING to Open 2014 Cleveland International Film Festival

NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING directed by John McKay has been announced as the Opening Night film of the 38th Cleveland International Film Festival, kicking off the festival on on Wednesday, March 19, 2014. This “gentle, stylish, and quirky romantic comedy” stars Karen Gillan, Stanley Weber, Amy Manson, Iain De Caestecker, Kate Dickie, Freya Mavor, Gary Lewis, and Henry Ian Cusick. The 38th Cleveland International Film Festival takes place March 19 to March 30, 2014.

NOT ANOTHER HAPPY ENDING tells the story of struggling publisher Thomas Duval (Stanley Weber) who discovers his only successful author, Jane Lockhart (Karen Gillan), has writer’s block; and it is up to him to unblock her or he is finished. With her newfound success, she’s become too happy and she can’t write when she’s happy. The only trouble is, the worse he makes her feel, the more he realizes he is in love with her.

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Complete List of Award Winners of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival; BLACK COAL, THIN ICE by Diao Yinan Wins Golden Bear for Best Film

(BAI RI YAN HUO) BLACK COAL, THIN ICE by Diao Yinan

The winners of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival were announced on Saturday and the Chinese thriller (BAI RI YAN HUO) BLACK COAL, THIN ICE by Diao Yinan is the big winner, taking home the Golden Bear for Best Film. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL by Wes Anderson took second place, winning the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. The public cast its votes and DIFRET won the Audience Award for Best Fiction Film, and DER KREIS (THE CIRCLE) for Audience Award for Best Documentary.

GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST FILM
Bai Ri Yan Huo
Black Coal, Thin Ice
by Diao Yinan

SILVER BEAR GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel
by Wes Anderson

SILVER BEAR ALFRED BAUER PRIZE for a feature film that opens new perspectives
Aimer, boire et chanter
Life of Riley
by Alain Resnais

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater for
Boyhood (Boyhood)

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTRESS
Haru Kuroki in
Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House) by Yoji Yamada

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTOR
Liao Fan in
Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice) by Diao Yinan

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST SCRIPT
Dietrich Brüggemann, Anna Brüggemann for
Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) by Dietrich Brüggemann

SILVER BEAR FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION
in the categories camera, editing, music score, costume or set design
Zeng Jian for the camera in
Tui Na (Blind Massage) by Lou Ye

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD,
Güeros
Güeros
by Alonso Ruizpalacios

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY

GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST SHORT FILM
Tant qu’il nous reste des fusils à pompe
As long as shotguns remain
by Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel

SILVER BEAR JURY PRIZE (SHORT FILM)
LABORAT
LABORAT
by Guillaume Cailleau

BERLIN SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
Taprobana
Taprobana
by Gabriel Abrantes

DAAD SHORT FILM PRIZE
Person to Person
Person to Person
by Dustin Guy Defa

PRIZES OF THE JURIES GENERATION

Children’s Jury Generation Kplus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
Killa
The Fort
by Avinash Arun

SPECIAL MENTION
Hitono Nozomino Yorokobiyo
Joy of Man’s Desiring
by Masakazu Sugita

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
Sprout
Sprout
by Ga-eun Yoon

SPECIAL MENTION
Sepatu Baru
On Stopping the Rain
by Aditya Ahmad

International Jury Generation Kplus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film,
Ciencias Naturales
Natural Sciences
by Matías Lucchesi

SPECIAL MENTION
Killa
The Fort
by Avinash Arun

THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film,
Moy lichniy los’
My Own Personal Moose
by Leonid Shmelkov

SPECIAL MENTION
el
away
by Roland Ferge

Youth Jury Generation 14plus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
52 Tuesdays
52 Tuesdays
by Sophie Hyde

SPECIAL MENTION
ärtico
arctic
by Gabri Velázquez

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
Mike
Mike
by Petros Silvestros

SPECIAL MENTION
Emo (the musical)
Emo (the musical)
by Neil Triffett

International Jury Generation 14plus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film,
Violet
Violet
by Bas Devos

SPECIAL MENTION
Einstein and Einstein
Einstein and Einstein
by Cao Baoping

THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film,
Vetrarmorgun
Winter Morning
by Sakaris Stórá

SPECIAL MENTION
Søn
Son
by Kristoffer Kiørboe

INDEPENDENT JURIES

PRIZES OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY
Competition Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) by Dietrich Brüggemann
Special Mention ’71 (’71) by Yann Demange

Panorama Calvary (Calvary) by John Michael McDonagh
Special Mention Triptyque (Triptych) by Robert Lepage, Pedro Pires

Forum Sto spiti (At Home) by Athanasios Karanikolas

PRIZES OF THE FIPRESCI JURY
Competition Aimer, boire et chanter (Life of Riley) by Alain Resnais
Panorama Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks) by Daniel Ribeiro
Forum Forma (Forma) by Ayumi Sakamoto

PRIZE OF THE GUILD OF GERMAN ART HOUSE CINEMAS
Boyhood (Boyhood) by Richard Linklater

CICAE ART CINEMA AWARD
Panorama Kuzu (The Lamb) by Kutluğ Ataman
Forum She’s Lost Control (She’s Lost Control) by Anja Marquardt

LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS
Blind (Blind) by Eskil Vogt

TEDDY AWARD
Best Feature Film Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks) by Daniel Ribeiro
Best Documentary/
Essay Film Der Kreis (The Circle) by Stefan Haupt
Best Short Film Mondial 2010 (Mondial 2010) by Roy Dib
Teddy Jury Award Pierrot Lunaire (Pierrot Lunaire) by Bruce LaBruce

MADE IN GERMANY – PERSPEKTIVE FELLOWSHIP, endowed with € 15,000
funded by Glashütte Original
Sandra Kaudelka for Intershop

EX AEQUO
Sebastian Mez for 274

FGYO-AWARD DIALOGUE EN PERSPECTIVE, endowed with € 5,000
funded by the French-German Youth Office
Anderswo (Anywhere Else) by Ester Amrami

SPECIAL MENTION
nebel (fog) by Nicole Vögele

CALIGARI FILM PRIZE
Das große Museum (The Great Museum) by Johannes Holzhausen

NETPAC PRIZE
Cheol-ae-kum (A Dream of Iron) by Kelvin Kyung Kun Park

EX AEQUO
Non-fiction Diary (Non-fiction Diary) by Jung Yoon-suk

PEACE FILM PRIZE
We Come as Friends (We Come as Friends) by Hubert Sauper

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM PRIZE
Al midan (The Square) by Jehane Noujaim

CINEMA FAIRBINDET PRIZE
Concerning Violence (Concerning Violence) by Göran Hugo Olsson

HEINER CAROW PRIZE
Meine Mutter, ein Krieg und ich (My Mother, a War and Me) by Tamara Trampe, Johann Feindt

THINK:FILM AWARD, funded by the Allianz Kulturstiftung
Provenance (Provenance) by Amie Siegel

READERS’ JURIES AND AUDIENCE AWARDS

PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARD – fiction film
Difret (Difret) by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari

PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARD – documentary film
Der Kreis (The Circle) by Stefan Haupt

BERLINER MORGENPOST READERS’ JURY AWARD
Boyhood (Boyhood) by Richard Linklater

TAGESSPIEGEL READERS’ JURY AWARD
Zamatoví teroristi (Velvet Terrorists) by Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský, Peter Kerekes

ELSE – SIEGESSÄULE READERS’ JURY AWARD
52 Tuesdays (52 Tuesdays) by Sophie Hyde

PRIZES BERLINALE CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & BERLINALE TALENTS

ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE, endowed with € 6,000
Emir Baigazin (Kazakhstan)
for The Wounded Angel

VFF HIGHLIGHT PITCH AWARD, endowed with € 10,000
Bavo Defurne (Belgium)
for Souvenir

DOLBY® ATMOS POLICY TRAILER
Yulia Glukhova (Russian Federation)
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Film Lineup Announced for 2014 European Independent Film Festival

NOT ANYMORE: A STORY OF REVOLUTION

The European Independent Film Festival (ÉCU) announced it’s Official Selection of films for the ninth edition of the festival which will take place April 4 to 6, 2014, in Paris. ÉCU 2014 will showcase 85 films from 32 countries ranging from feature films, short films, documentaries, animation and student films to experimental works. Films will be competing in 12 categories for 22 awards, including the prestigious title of ‘Best European Independent Film 2014’. In addition, the festival will be presenting a special section competing for the Ahmed Khedr Award for Excellence in Arab Filmmaking.

Some highlights from the ÉCU 2014 Official Selection are: “NOT ANYMORE: A STORY OF REVOLUTION” (Dir. Matthew VanDyke, USA), a documentary that recounts the Syrian revolution through the experiences of one young Syrian female photo-journalist. “WE WILL RIOT” (Dir. Romas Zabarauskas, Lithuania), a feature film that follows Luke, a DJ from an affluent New York family, who decides to fly to Lithuania to meet up with his roots. Another film in competition is “216 MONTHS” (Dir. Valentin Potier and Frédéric Potier, France), in which Maureen, a successful ventriloquist country and western singer, dealing with her 24 year-old unborn son. Also in the Official Selection is the short film “DAMN GIRL” (Dir. Kira Richards Hansen, Denmark); a coming-of-age story about Alex, a 12-year old tomboy.

Click here for a full list of the 2014 Official Selection.
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Additional Films Announced for 2014 SXSW Film Festival

YAKONA

An additional eight features have been announced for the 2014 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival. With these additions, the 2014 SXSW Film Festival will host a total of 133 features, consisting of 89 World Premieres, 11 North American Premieres and 8 U.S. Premieres, with 70 first-time directors. 113 shorts will screen as part of 11 overall shorts programs. SXSW Film will open on Friday, March 7, 2014 with the world premiere of CHEF, and run through March 15 in Austin, Texas.

In addition to nine full days of film screenings, the SXSW Film Conference (Friday, March 7 – Tuesday, March 11), will feature over 150 informative and entertaining sessions. Also announced were Convergence sessions, and Marc Webb as the fourth and final keynote speaker. Additional Featured Sessions announced for the 2014 SXSW Film Conference include: A Conversation with Jason Bateman, A Conversation with Mike Myers, A Conversation with Ralph Steadman, A Conversation with Robert Duvall and A Conversation with Tilda Swinton.

ADDITIONAL FILMS

VISIONS

MAY THE BEST MAN WIN
Director: Andrew O’Connor, Screenwriters: Matthew Robinson, Lee Hupfield, Andrew O’Connor
Two pranksters compete against each other in a series of increasingly outrageous stunts to win the affections of the girl they’ve both fallen for.Cast: Whit Thomas, Drew Tarver, Rosa Salazar (World Premiere)

YAKONA
Directors: Anlo Sepulveda & Paul Collins
A river’s dreams and memories told from the perspective of the water that runs through it – a visual journey from prehistoric times to the modern era along what is now known as the San Marcos River. (World Premiere)

24 BEATS PER SECOND

BIG IN JAPAN
Director/Screenwriter: John Jeffcoat
Big in Japan is a comedic rock-and-roll road movie about struggling Seattle rock band, Tennis Pro, who decide to sell their tour-van and head to Tokyo for one last shot at acceptance. Cast: David Drury, Philip A Peterson, Sean Lowry, Alex Vincent, Adam Powers (World Premiere)

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK. THE STORY OF RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
Director: Alejandro Franco Fernández
The amazing and inspiring journey of Mexican guitarists ‘Rodrigo y Gabriela’ who at a very young age decided to do only what they loved the most: music. (World Premiere)
*Title Change: Previously announced as Sheffield: Sex City, the Florian Habicht documentary is now entitled PULP

SXGLOBAL

LAST HIJACK
Directors: Tommy Pallotta & Femke Wolting
A true tale of survival in Somalia told from the pirate’s perspective. Combining animation with documentary storytelling.

FESTIVAL FAVORITES

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Directors/Screenwriters: Taika Waititi & Jermaine Clement
From Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement who shared writing, directing and acting duties- What We Do In the Shadows is a hilarious comedy chock full of one-liners that showcases whether you’re immortal or human-life is better with friends. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer

SPECIAL EVENTS

THE DOUG BENSON MOVIE INTERRUPTION
Comedian Doug Benson and a few funny friends take over the theater’s front row, providing a live comedy soundtrack to the classic film onscreen.

HANNIBAL BURESS LIVE FROM CHICAGO
Director: Marcus Raboy
Hannibal Buress’ newest stand-up hour, Live From Chicago, is premiering at SXSW before it’s on Comedy Central, March 29th! (World Premiere)
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New International Shorts Programme to Launch at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

The Toronto International Film Festival, announced that Short Cuts International, a program of international short films will premiere at the 2014 Festival. “With new technologies and a constant influx of new talent, short filmmaking is flourishing,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “As TIFF expands its global reach, we want to bring some of the world’s finest short films to the audience, industry and media that gather in Toronto every year.”

Selected international shorts will screen in five curated programmes this September. The Festival’s Short Cuts International screenings will kick off a new monthly shorts programme that will run year-round at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Shane Smith, TIFF’s Director of Special Projects, will oversee Short Cuts International. Programmers will be announced in the coming months.

The Festival will begin accepting film submissions for all film programmes on Wednesday, February 12, with an early-bird deadline of May 2 and a late deadline of May 30. Canadian short films will continue to be programmed in the Short Cuts Canada program.

The 39^th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4 to 14, 2014.
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Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Announces 2014 Thematic and Tribute Programs; Festival to Honor Director Steve James, Director Lucy Walker to Curate Thematic Program

Festival Will Honor Emmy-Winning Director Steve James, Oscar®-Nominated Director Lucy Walker to Curate Thematic Program

The 17th Full Frame Documentary Film Festival taking place April 3 to 6, 2014, in Durham, North Carolina, announced its annual Thematic Program and Tribute. The Full Frame Tribute will celebrate the work of award-winning filmmaker Steve James. The 2014 Thematic Program will look at the role of the subject in documentary film through a series of films curated by esteemed filmmaker Lucy Walker.

“I’ve always enjoyed Full Frame’s Thematic Program, and credit it with introducing me to films I’d never seen on the big screen before,” said Lucy Walker. “The documentaries I most enjoy all have memorable characters, and in my own work, I’ve gravitated towards character-led stories. I’m thrilled and honored to guest curate a selection of films for the Thematic Program that have unforgettable personalities at their heart and center.”

“Character-driven documentaries depend on the relationship a filmmaker can forge with his or her subject. We’re interested in how the people featured in documentary films – their personal openness and charisma – shape the impact of these works,” said director of programming Sadie Tillery.

Lucy Walker is a British film director who has twice been nominated for an Academy Award®. Her Oscar®-nominated film “Waste Land” won the 2010 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Audience Award. Her other feature documentaries include “The Crash Reel,” “Countdown to Zero,” “Blindsight,” and “Devil’s Playground.” She has also directed several short documentaries, including “The Lion’s Mouth Opens,” which recently premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Oscar®-nominated “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.” Her films have been nominated for seven Emmys, an Independent Spirit Award, and a Gotham Award, and have won over eighty other film awards.

The festival will honor Steve James with the Full Frame Tribute and will feature a retrospective of his work. Steve James produced and directed “Hoop Dreams,” winner of every major critics’ prize including a Peabody and Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. Other films include “Stevie,” which won IDFA’s grand jury prize; the acclaimed miniseries “The New Americans”; Tribeca Grand Prize-winner “The War Tapes,” which James produced and edited; “At the Death House Door,” which won numerous festival awards; “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson,” produced for ESPN’s Peabody-winning “30 for 30” series; and “The Interrupters,” which won an Emmy, Independent Spirit Award, and the duPont Journalism Award, among numerous others. James’ most recent documentary on the life and career of critic Roger Ebert, “Life Itself,” premiered to great acclaim at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

“There’s a deep tie between our Thematic Program and Tribute this year in that Steve James is responsible for introducing audiences to some of the most memorable documentary subjects of all time,” said Tillery. “We’re proud to recognize his remarkable films and the powerful stories he’s captured over the years.”

“Full Frame has always been one of my absolute favorite festivals because of its devotion to artistic and challenging documentaries and to making filmmakers feel loved and appreciated,” said Steve James. “That love extends from the passionate festivalgoers to Full Frame’s incredible staff and programmers. It is both thrilling and humbling to attend this year and receive this tribute.”

Both Walker and James will attend the festival. Specific titles for the Thematic Program and Full Frame Tribute, along with additional attending guests, will be announced in March.
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Philadelphia International Children’s Film Festival Announces 2014 Dates

The Philadelphia Film Society (PFS) announced the official dates of the Philadelphia International Children’s Film Festival (PICFF). Partnering with New York International Children’s Film Festival, one of the longest running and acclaimed children’s film festivals on the circuit, the three-day festival, held June 6- 8, 2014, will offer a variety of animated, live-action and experimental short and feature films from all around the world. Now in its second year, the event will be held exclusively at the PFS Theater at the Roxy, 2021 Sansom Street Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Film Society.
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