Film Festivals

THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE To Close BET Urbanworld Film Festival; Larenz Tate to Serve as Fest Ambassador

Jennifer Hudson as “Gloria,” the troubled mother of son Mister (Skylan Brooks) in THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE

Actor Larenz Tate – star of the BET original movie GUN HILL – will serve as festival ambassador for the upcoming 17th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival presented by BET Networks, which runs September 18 to 22, 2013 at midtown Manhattan’s AMC 34th Street. George Tillman’s THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE will be the official Closing Night Film on September 21, 2013.

Known for iconic performances in Love Jones, Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and Why Do Fools Fall in Love?, Tate will attend the Gun Hill screening on Friday,September 20 at 8:00pm. Directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, the film centers around a pair of identical twins on opposite sides of life: Trane, a cop, and Bird, a con (both played by Tate). On one fateful night, Trane is killed. Bird assumes his identity and begins his own search for redemption.

“I’m honored to not only have my new BET project, ‘Gun Hill,’ premiering here, but to also be festival ambassador of this year’s Urbanworld Film Festival,” said Tate. “This festival is a celebration of multicultural art and its diverse and innovative contributors. I look forward to working with the Urbanworld team and enjoying some great films!”

Directed by Tillman and written by Michael Starrbury, the festival’s Closing Night Film THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE stars Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jordin Sparks, Golden Globe® and Emmy® Award winner Jeffrey Wright, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Anthony Mackie and Academy Award® and Golden Globe® winner Jennifer Hudson. Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, and Bob Teitel produced the film with Alicia Keys, Susan Lewis, Clay Floren, Aimee Shieh, Julio Depietro, Keith Kjarval, Mary Vernieu, and Amy Nauiokas executive producing.

THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER & PETE is a beautifully observed and tremendously moving film about salvation through friendship and the way transformation sometimes can happen just by holding on long enough. During a sweltering summer in New York City, 13-year-old Mister’s (Skylan Brooks) hard-living mother (Jennifer Hudson) is apprehended by the police, leaving the boy and nine-year-old Pete (Ethan Dizon) alone to forage for food while dodging child protective services and the destructive scenarios of the Brooklyn projects. Faced with more than any child can be expected to bear, the resourceful Mister nevertheless feels he is an unstoppable force against seemingly unmovable obstacles. But what really keeps the pair in the survival game is much more Mister’s vulnerability than his larger-than-life attitude.

Urbanworld also announced the official jurors for this year’s festival, award category sponsors and prizes.

NARRATIVE FEATURES JURORS
Dori Begley – Senior Vice President, Magnolia Pictures
Nikkole Denson-Randolph – Vice President – Specialty & Alternative Content, AMC Theatres
Zola B. Mashariki – Senior Vice President, Production, Fox Searchlight Pictures
Valerie Meraz – Vice President, Program Acquisitions, Turner Entertainment Networks
Maria Zuckerman – Vice President, HBO Films

NARRATIVE SHORTS JURORS

Andre Des Rochers – Partner, Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers LLP
Kelly Edwards – VP, Talent Development, HBO
Smokey D. Fontaine – Chief Content & Creative Officer, Interactive One
Niija Kuykendall – Vice President, Production Warner Bros. Pictures
Frida Torresblanco – Award Winning Producer

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES JURORS

Jacqueline Glover – Vice President, Documentary Films, HBO
Shola Lynch – Award-Winning Filmmaker
Tricia Rose – Professor of Africana Studies, Brown University

SCREENPLAY JURORS

Scott Budnick – President, Green Hat Films
Franklin Leonard – Founder, The Black List
Christopher Mack – Vice President, Warner Bros. Television Workshop, Warner Bros. Entertainment
Constance Orlando – Vice President, Original Programming, BET Networks
Heather Morris Washington – Manager, Emerging Writers Fellowship Program, Universal Pictures

TELEPLAY JURORS

Roger Bobb – President & CEO, Bobbcat Films
Nkechi Okoro Carroll – Writer
Erica Montolfo-Bura – Executive Producer

FESTIVAL PRIZES

Best Narrative Feature – Presented by Fox Audience Strategy – $5,000 Cash Prize
Best Documentary Feature
Best Narrative Short – Presented by HBO – $5,000 Cash Prize
Best Screenplay – Presented by BET Networks – $5,000 Cash Prize
Best Teleplay – Presented by BET Networks – $5,000 Cash Prize
Audience Awards for Best Feature & Best Short

Final Schedule Released for 2013 Buffalo Intl Film Fest; incl. “WHEN DERIN FALLS” “BRANDONWOOD”

WHEN DERIN FALLS

The Buffalo International Film Festival announced the schedule of events for the upcoming 7th annual film festival scheduled to take place October 3rd to 6th, 2013. The festival lineup includes the North American Premiere of “WHEN DERIN FALLS,” as well as numerous Western New York Premieres of Documentaries, Feature Films and short subjects. Local highlights include screenings of two feature films one, “BRANDONWOOD,” a World Premiere, and other shorts and documentaries filmed in Buffalo, N.Y. There is a four-film tribute to the Mexican star María Félix, and special guest appearances from eight of the filmmakers whose work is featured in this year’s festival, including Charlene Amoia, a recurring character on “How I Met Your Mother.”

September 20, 2013 is a special tribute to Buffalo Curtain Up!
The Buffalo Film Festival proper runs from October 3-6, 2013

BUFFALO CURTAIN UP! TRIBUTE

Fri, Sept. 20, 8 p.m-10:30 p.m. – Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” – Celebrating Buffalo Curtain Up! is a HD video of the New York Philharmonic production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” starring Stephen Colbert. Directed by Lonny Price and written by George Furth, the story follows five couples and their friend Robert (Neil Patrick Harris), the perpetual bachelor, as they explore the true meaning of being in a relationship through a series of vignettes. Winner of the 1971 Tony Award for Best Musical, Harris leads an all-star cast which includes Patti LuPone, Martha Plimpton, and, of course, Stephen Colbert. The screening is preceded by a catered dinner supplied by My Tomato Pie

October 3, 2013 Buffalo Film Festival Begins.

Thurs. Oct 3, 7 p.m-9 p.m.- OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION and SCREENING: “Les aventures extraordinaires d’Adèle Blanc-Sec (The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec)” – Westqern New York Premiere — The opening night film and party features a live-action adventure set in the early part of the 20th century focused on a popular novelist and her dealings with would-be suitors, the cops, monsters, and other distractions. Written and directed by Luc Besson from classic comic books written by Jacques Tardi. In French with English sub-titles. Pre-screening reception is catered by Coco’s French Restaurant.

Thurs., Oct 3, 9 p.m.-11 p.m. – “Aayna Ka Bayna” – Western New York premiere of the fabulous Indian dance musical directed by Samit Kakkad. In English and Marathi with English Subtitles

Thurs., Oct 3, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. – Free screening of “La Bandida (The Bandit)”- A tribute to María Félix, the leading lady of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Directed by Roberto Rodriguez, “La Bandida” is a melodrama representing the last vestiges of Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema. The free screening is hosted by Casa de Arte, located at 141 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo N.Y. 14201. In Color. In Spanish with English Subtitles

Friday, Oct. 4, 4 p.m-6 p.m – “Made in Buffalo Shorts” – A collection of short films created in Buffalo, N.Y. directed by Chris Walczyk and Jerry Theresanathan, Schott Mawhiney, Jerry Thres, Christian de Rezendes, Christian de Rezendes, John M. Scherer, Brianna Blank, Katie Egan, and Darren Canham.

Fri, Oct. 4, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. –“La Cucaracha (The Cockroach)” – The second film in the festival’s tribute to María Félix. A 1959 drama about the Mexican revolution is directed, produced and written by Ismael Rodriguez. An opening reception begins at 6 p.m. with the free screening to follow at 7 p.m. at Casa de Arte. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Fri Oct 4, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. – “Persistence of Vision” – The Western New York premiere Directed by Kevin Schreck. A gripping documentary about the visionary animator Richard Williams (‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’) and the untold story of the greatest animated film never made: The Thief and the Cobbler (which will be shown, restored, on Saturday, October 5 at 4PM).

Fri Oct 4, 9 pm-10:45 pm – “Brandonwood” – World Premiere of a romantic thriller filmed in Buffalo, N.Y. following four years in the lives of a young couple, from the reckless highs of new love to the lows of circumstances they cannot change. The film is produced, written, directed, a by John Fink with Tilke Wood serving as co-producer. The director will be present for a question and answer session after the screening, followed by a Cast & Crew Party. Accompanied by a witty Made in Buffalo Short, “Captive,” directed by Chris Walczyk and Jerry Theresanathan.

Sat., Oct 5, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – “Comfort Zone – A WNY Climate Change Documentary” – Western New York Premiere — “Comfort Zone” brings the global issue of climate change to a local and personal level in Upstate New York asking what does climate change mean in a place where it’s not an obvious threat, where people might like it to be a little warmer? The documentary is produced by Kate Kressmann-Kehoe, Sean Donnelly, and Dave Danesh. The UK animated short, “Jamón” and a short film (by Buffalo Film Makers), “Broken Wings” which follows reporter Cliff Collins as he meets and interviews his childhood hero, The Sparrow, accompany this screening.

Sat., Oct. 5, 12 p.m.-2 p.m. – “The Long Bike Back” – Western New York Premiere Directed by Buffalo native Julia Wrona, this documentary follows Pearson Constantino on his quest to bike across America advocating for improved bicycle infrastructure, legislation and road sharing. His journey is all the more inspiring because it is attempted after a devastating accident which, despite wearing a helmet, left Pearson with serious and permanent injuries. Wrona will be present after the screening for a question and answer session. The short film “She” will precede the feature introduced in-person by Buffalo actress Charlene Amoia who appears on “How I Met Your Mother.”

Sat., Oct. 5, 2 p.m.-4 p.m. – “Prestidigitation for Kids: Magic Camp” – A Western New York premiere documentary directed by Emmy-nominated Judd Ehlrich, takes audiences on a journey to the real-life Hogwarts: Tannen’s Magic Camp, the oldest and most prestigious training ground for young magicians. In honor of Buffalo Gene Gordon Magic Ring 12.

Sat., Oct. 5, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. – “The Thief and the Cobbler – Recobbled” – New York State Premiere. The original 1993 film was directed by three-time Academy Award nominated Richard Williams and written by Williams and Margaret French with such familiar actors such as Vincent Price, Sean Connery, and Hilary Pritchard lending their voices to the cast of characters. Garrett Gilchrist, an independent film-maker with a passion for animation, has spent many years attempting to rebuild the original director’s cut of one of animation’s greatest might-have-been epic films. Mr. Gilchrist will be present in-person for a Q&A with the audience. The short film “She” will precede the feature introduced in-person by Buffalo actress Charlene Amoia who appears on “How I Met Your Mother.”

Sat., Oct. 5-6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. – “El Rapto”– Another free screening paying tribute to María Félix hosted by the festival’s friends at Casa de Arte, The 1964 dramatic film directed by Emilio “El Indio” Fernández stars Félix as the tenacious beauty Aurora who seduces the municipal authorities so that she can purchase the estate of missing local named Ricardo played by Jorge Negrete. Her elaborate ruse is complicated when Ricardo eventually returns home. In Spanish with English Subtitles.

Sat., Oct. 5, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. – “Red Light Revolution” – Western New York Premiere – A witty, laugh-out-loud, adults-only comedy from Beijing, China, directed by Sam Voutas, focuses on an unlucky man who opens an adult shop to make ends meet, sparking a sexual revolution in his conservative neighborhood. In Mandarin Chinese with English Subtitles.

Sat., Oct. 5, 9 p.m.-11 p.m. – “Buffalo Boys” – Western New York Premiere Filmed in Western New York and inspired by a true story, this feature film tells the story of Ian, a 15-year-old entangled in family secrets, drugs, love, friendship and a plot to murder a 67 year-old woman. Co-written by Raymond Guarnieri and Elana Lott and directed by Guarnieri who will also be on hand for a question and answer session after the screening. Followed by Cast and Crew Party. The screening is nearly sold out.

Sun., Oct. 6, 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. – “When Derin Falls” – Written and directed Çagatay Tosun, audiences will play witness to the unchild-like world of 7-year-old Derin after the loss of her mother. This is the North American Premiere of this fine Turkish drama. In Turkish with English Subtitles. This screening is accompanied by the short film, “Riddle of the Black Cat,” an animated short based on the tales of Edgar Alan Poe.

Sun., Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m – “Dear Mr. Watterson” – Western New York Premiere. A documentary directed by Joel Allen Schroeder explores the world of the famous Sunday comic strip, “Calvin & Hobbes” and its creator Bill Watterson.

Sun., Oct. 6, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. – “Made in Buffalo Documentaries” –

Directed by Diedie Weng, “Ming Day and Night” details chef, artist, and Buffalo-resident Sam Lam and how his career and passion for art has impacted his life. Filmmaker and star will be present for Q&A.

“East Side: A Community of Hope,” produced by Erik Taheri and Rich Lunghino, examines faith-based initiatives being undertaken to revitalize the once-thriving neighborhood of Buffalo. Filmakers will be present for Q&A

“Where the Crow Will Be Forever,” is produced by Keith R. Burich, Ph.D., Ashley Fike, and Lauren Mosier and explores the history of the Crow tribe, life on the reservation and why the Crow have chosen to stay.

Sun., Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. – “Long Live TOY: Defending Children’s Theater in the Nickel City” – Closing Night Film & Awards Announcements – Western New York Premiere — A documentary film profiling the Theatre of Youth children’s theater company located in Buffalo, N.Y. during their 40thseason. The devoted artistic members attempt to stay focused on producing innovative and artistically exciting children theater against the backdrop of unforeseen local county funding cuts. Buffalo-born director Mary Beth Murray and her husband Austin Mcloughlin will be present for a question and answer session after the film screening. The short film, “She,” about a how a dog changes a woman’s life, stars Buffalo-born actress Charlene Amoia will accompany the screening which is about how a rescue dog changed a woman’s life. Well-known actress Amoia will also be live, in-person, to speak with the audience after the screening. This screening will be held at the Allendale Theater, located at 203 Allen St., Buffalo, N.Y. 14201. Special reception catered by Quaker Bonnet Eatery.

Sun., Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. – “Harlem Street Singer” – Western New York Premiere A documentary illuminating the little-known story of Reverend Gary Davis, the great American ragtime, blues and gospel guitarist. Directed by Simeon Hutner & Trevor Laurence, the film traces the blind master guitarist’s journey from the tobacco warehouses of the rural south to the streets of Harlem and onto the 1960s folk music scene.

Sun., Oct. 6, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. – “Doña Barbara” – The final free screening paying tribute to María Félix hosted by Casa de Arte, located at 141 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14201. The 1943 Mexican drama stars Félix as a young woman who is raped and her would-be lover killed by a group of brutal seamen. She settles on the arid plains as a cattle trader, ruthlessly building an empire out of violence and cold-hearted determination. However, when a wealthy lawyer, played by Julián Soler, arrives to sell his family’s ranch, her hatred towards men and him wane, but she must compete for his attraction with her own daughter. In Spanish with English Subtitles

SPECIAL POST-FESTIVAL EVENT

Sun., Oct. 27, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. – “Fourth Annual House on Haunted Hill with EMERGO! and SPOOK SHOW: Frankenstein’s Monster LIVE in Person!” –Do you dare to attend this terrifying screening at the haunted 19th Century Lancaster Opera House? The sell-out success of the 2010 Buffalo Film Society Classic Film Series returns for a fourth year recreating William Castle’s original theatrical release including EMERGO! The amazing new wonder where ghosts fly right into the audience! The Lancaster Opera House is located at 21 Central Ave., Lancaster, N.Y. 14086.

New Films, Panels and Parties Announced for Hollywood Black Film Festival

Filmmaker and screenwriter winners of the 2012 Hollywood Black Film Festival

Tanya Kersey, Executive Director, announced the 2013 season of The Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF) with an inspiring line up of films, panels, panelists and festivities over a four day period. HBFF happens October 2-6, 2013 and will be hosted at the Montalban Theater, 1615 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA and The W Hotel, 6250 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028.

Some of this year’s highlights include: Film Diaspora Sidebar, launching independent films and filmmakers from the Diaspora outside of the U.S. and Canada. Happening Thursday, October 3 from 11am-8pm, 11 films from eight countries – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, England, Haiti, Madagascar, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Africa.

Twinkie Byrd’s Monologue Slam is back on Saturday, October 5 at 7pm , a panel of celebrity judges will participate in a lively Q&A discussion about all things acting. Also returning is Live Storyteller Staged Reading on Friday, Oct 4 at 7pm, featuring a live staged reading from the finalist scripts in the festival’s storyteller competition.

Recognized as the premiere Black film festival in Hollywood showcasing the best independent films from Black filmmakers, HBFF leads with innovation by delivering top-shelf panels designed to empower filmmakers and expose Black film to diverse audiences right in the heart of the movie capital.

“This year marks a pivotal moment in our history as we celebrate the artistry of Black film from coast-to-coast and worldwide,” said Kersey. “This year it’s our goal to expose the masses to dynamic Black film, while educating people on best practices for getting film financing, creating stories and tapping into the power players doing the deals through our informative Infotainment Conference panels and workshops.”

HBFF 2013 Schedule (Subject to Change)

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

12 noon 3pm Registration (The W Hollywood) 8:00pm Opening Night Film (Montalban Theatre) 10:30pm Opening Night After Party (TBA)

Thursday, October 3, 2013

9am 5pm Registration (The W Hollywood)

9am 6pm Infotainment Conference (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2 unless otherwise noted)

9:00am 10:00am  The Impact of Science Fiction on New Technology Project Stargazer (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3) A panel of NASA scientists and engineers will discuss how science fiction has influenced the reality of advanced engineering and technology solutions, as well as how these solutions to real world space science challenges have given birth to products that address everyday societal needs. We will address current and future space missions and ways to inspire and excite audiences about the future of space exploration.

10:00am 11:00am  Developing Science Fiction inspired by Space Science Facts Project Stargazer (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3) This will be a dynamic and interactive discussion between NASA engineers/scientists and writers/filmmakers to inspire new ways of portraying science fiction while uncovering the realities of space science facts. The goal is to further the collaboration between an industry that is charged with telling visual stories and an organization responsible for undertaking the pursuit of hard science and space exploration. The two groups will meet to focus collectively on uncovering material useful to both the scientific and filmmaking communities, with an emphasis on a quality information exchange that is accurate, compelling, and innovative.

10:00am  The Ins & Outs of Navigating a Film Festival This discussion will give filmmakers the necessary information to successfully navigate film festivals in order to maximize your time, make career changing connections, and gain visibility for your project.

11:15am  Turning the Tide: A Hollywood Success Story This panel will talk to artists who had momentum in their careers and they used that momentum to create a success story. Panelists will share their stories of struggle to triumph. Come learn what it takes to take your career from aspiring to true Hollywood story.

12:30pm  Shooting Abroad This panel will discuss opportunities for U.S. filmmakers to go overseas and make their movies, coproductions, financing, etc. Learn what you need to know to film overseas, and how is it different. Find out what shooting abroad can offer in terms of locations, financial instruments and incentives, cast and crew, infrastructure and coproducing. With the right preparation and local partners, filming overseas can be the experience of a lifetime.

2:00pm  Brown Bag Lunch: Social Media Strategies to Expand Your Brand Discover opportunities to reach new audiences and promote your projects on your own. In this handson session, entertainment industry professionals will finally learn the difference between Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, which tools to use, and critically, when and how to use them. From blogs to wikis to widgets, find out how to navigate social media to expand your entertainment brand.

3:30pm  A Conversation with Writer/Director …

5:00pm  Crowdfunding Master Class: How to Build a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign Learn how to set up a successful crowdfunding campaign and shape the perfect message to get your project funded. Hear from content creators who have successfully funded their projects through crowdfunding, and learn about the latest news and developments & legal issues in the crowdfunding space.

11am11pm Film Screenings (Montalban Theatre) 11am5pm Film Diaspora Sidebar

11:15am 1pm  Project Stargazer SemiFinalists Workshop (closed door by invitation only) (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3)

1:30 5:30pm Storyteller SemiFinalists Workshop (closed door by invitation only) (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3)

57pm HBFF Happy Hour (The W Hollywood Living Room) 10pm Evening Event

Friday, October 4, 2013

9am 7pm Registration (The W Hollywood)

9am 1pm  Project Stargazer Pitch Development Workshop for SemiFinalists (closed door by invitation only) (The W Hollywood, Great Room 3)

In this closedsession workshop, Project Stargazer semifinalists will further developed their scifi pitches with an eye to working up a strong narrative throughline, affecting characters, character arcs, subplot, and a sense of what the story is about most, i.e. what the writer is trying to communicate most in telling the story being told. The goal of the workshop is to prepare Project Stargazer semifinalists to give their best pitch possible during the Project Stargazer Pitch Panel.

10am 6pm Infotainment Conference (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2 unless otherwise noted)

10:00am  Produce & Distribute Films on any Budget Independent film financing and distribution of a film can be tricky. You can pitch a film project, but you must also be able to dance to music of the investor. It’s their stage, and they don’t like indie filmmakers looking for funding. Come find out how the availability of commercial distribution opportunities for films at any budget level is changing as the industry embraces an explosion of new and unconventional resources for financing, producing and distributing independent films.

11:15am  Creating Content for the New Digital Hollywood This panel will explore the ever evolving development, distribution and marketing of content and show you how you can take advantage of new opportunities as digital content options are spreading across new platforms such as the web (Internet TV), phones and tablets, and audiences evolve how they watch content. New programming options created by YouTube, Google, Netflix, Amazon and Yahoo, to name just a few, have changed the strategy for producing content and the way it is monetized.

12:30pm  Pitching Yourself & Your Project (followed by Speed Networking Session) You need to be prepared to talk about you and your project at any time or place. In this workshop, you’ll develop and sharpen your pitch, polish your presentation skills, and learn how to clearly convey your passion and the marketability of your film, TV or new media project. Then you’ll have an opportunity to use what you just learned while getting mentorship from top executives, producers and artists in the industry.

1:15pm  The Creative Process This panel discussion will help filmmakers understand the creative process and how to tackle the daunting task of making a feature film. How do producers and industry gatekeepers decide to take on a project? How do you assemble the right team? How to polish a script? How do actors interpret the story? The questions can be endless for a new filmmaker. This panel serves to answer some of those questions with practical answers.

2:45pm  Out of This World: Writing & Producing SciFi Project Stargazer Do you have an idea for a movie that is worlds away or light years ahead of its time? This panel will show you how to flesh out your futuristic hero, create detailed new worlds, weave your fiction from the laws of physics and the universe, and transcend the typical science fiction story to write a really special script. A good scifi movie relies on both a high concept idea and the emotions of a human story to make it enduring. Learn how to turn your idea into a working screenplay that crafts a visual narrative and tells a compelling story then bring it all together in post to create an epiclooking film that is visually stunning and keeps moviegoers on the edge of their seats. Explore the technologies, visual special effects and green screen techniques that increase the production value of your scifi film. This panel will feature writers, directors, designers, producers and distributors discussing the essential creative elements and business issues around getting scifi films off the ground.

4:15pm  Making Money through the Film Distribution Pipeline This session will address the many ways filmmakers can make money with their films through the distribution pipeline.

5:30pm  A Conversation w/Producer …

11am11pm Film Screenings (Montalban Theatre)

1:30 5:30pm Storyteller Finalists Workshop (closed door by invitation only)

(The W Hollywood, Great Room 3) 57pm HBFF Happy Hour (The W Hollywood Living Room) 7pm Storyteller Live Staged Reading (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2) 10pm Evening Event (TBD)

Saturday, October 5, 2013

9am 7pm Registration (The W Hollywood)

10am 6pm Infotainment Conference  (The W Hollywood Great Room 1 & 2 unless otherwise noted)

10:00am  Distributing and Marketing Independent Films

11:15am  Screenwriting Workshop Sponsored by Writers Bootcamp

12:30pm  The Directors Chair Sponsored by Directors Guild of America This session will give us an inside view into the life of a director and their personal stories. What does a director do? How do you get into the directors chair? How do you become a member of the DGA?

1:45pm  Becoming a Powerbroker and the Deals That Made Them! Some of Hollywood’s top legal minds, agents and managers will discuss a broad range of topics from how they became powerbrokers to how to get one of them on your team.

3:00pm  Acting Out Directors discuss their films and careers, the industry, and the building blocks needed to successfully develop a directing career.

36pm  Project Stargazer Pitch Panel  (The W Hollywood Great Room 3)  Watch the ten (10) Project Stargazer semifinalists compete for three (3) spots in HBFF’s Project Stargazer 2014 Lab as they pitch their scifi projects to a stellar panel of judges from the entertainment industry and scientific community. Get valuable tips from seasoned writers, producers, and executives as they provide insight and feedback to the Stargazer hopefuls on how to craft a captivating pitch, one that engages listeners so that they want to read the script.

4:00pm  Masters Class: Producers Prospective  All projects face the same basic challenges – from developing material, finding the money, building strong collaborative teams, and ultimately, taking the project from script to screen. This is a roundtable discussion with seasoned and successful film and television producers and production executives who share their experience and offer concrete advice on producing for film and television.

5:15pm  A Conversation With …

7pm  Twinkie Byrd’s Monologue Slam  A panel of celebrity judges will participate in a lively Q&A discussion about all things acting career development, audition tips & techniques, and much more. Following the panel discussion, the 11 contest finalists will perform their monologue in front of a panel of celebrity judges and a live audience. The panel will also give each actor feedback on their performance.

11am 11pm Film Screenings (Montalban Theatre) 57pm HBFF Happy Hour (The W Hollywood Living Room) 10pm Evening Event (TBD)

Sunday, October 6, 2013

10am4pm Registration (The W Hollywood) 11am4pm Infotainment Conference (The W Hollywood Great Room)

11:00am  A Conversation With …

2:00 pm Pitchathon

“KILL YOUR DARLINGS” to Open, “12 YEARS A SLAVE” to Close 2013 Hamptons International Film Festival

KILL YOUR DARLINGS

The 21st Hamptons International Film Festival which takes place this year from October 10th – 14th, 2013, will open with John Krokidas’ KILL YOUR DARLINGS and close with Steve McQueen’s much buzzed 12 YEARS A SLAVE. Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA, starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte has been selected as the Festival’s Sunday Centerpiece film.

KILL YOUR DARLINGS will be the Opening Night film at Guild Hall in East Hampton on Thursday, October 10th. Director and Co-Writer John Krokidas along with actor Dane DeHaan will be in attendance for the premiere. Based on true events, KILL YOUR DARLINGS recounts the pivotal year that changed Allen Ginsberg’s life forever and provided the spark for him to start his creative revolution. The Sony Pictures Classics film will open in theaters October 16, 2013.

NEBRASKA

Alexander Payne’s NEBRASKA, starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte, is the Festival’s Sunday Centerpiece film, playing at Guild Hall. After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune. Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America. Paramount Vantage will be releasing the film on November 22, 2013.

12 YEARS A SLAVE

12 YEARS A SLAVE is HIFF’s Closing Night Film premiering Monday evening. Directed by Steve McQueen, the film is based on an incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist, played by Brad Pitt, forever alters his life. The film will play at Guild Hall and FOX Searchlight Pictures will release it theatrically on October 18, 2013.

Milwaukee Film Festival Announces 2013 Panels Line-up; incl. Sundance Institute ShortsLab

The Milwaukee Film Festival, announced the topics and speakers for its 2013 Panels series. This year’s line-up includes four panel discussions, one lecture built around our Passport: Germany program, and the Milwaukee debut of the Sundance Institute ShortsLab. This special workshop comes to Milwaukee for the first time, and digs into the world of short filmmaking, including how and why programmers select films and how filmmakers transition from shorts to features.

“Bringing the Sundance Institute ShortsLab to Milwaukee happened because of a trip I made to the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year,” explained Artistic & Executive Director Jonathan Jackson. “It provides an opportunity for aspiring directors to hear about all aspects of short filmmaking firsthand from the leading directors and programmers in the field.”

Scheduled to appear at the first ever ShortsLab Milwaukee are acclaimed filmmakers David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints;Pioneer, MFF 2011), Ry Russo-Young (You Wont Miss Me, MFF 2009), and Calvin Lee Reeder (The Rambler, MFF 2013), as well as the Sundance Film Festival’s Short Film Programmer Mike Plante. ShortsLab is free to UWM students, and $100 for the general public.

In addition to the Sundance Institute ShortsLab, this year’s Panels line-up will feature two other panels for filmmakers, including the Work-In-Progress Forum and the brand new Filmmaker, Meet Entrepreneur panel, where three Milwaukee filmmakers will interview three Milwaukee entrepreneurs to find out how to apply business practices and an entrepreneurial spirit to their filmmaking.

For the general public, two panels extending from films being screened at this year’s festival include Representing Race, andMKE At Risk: Transgender Youth Awareness.

All panel events will be held in the back room at Colectivo Coffee (2211 N. Prospect Ave.) and are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

PANELS LINE-UP:

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE SHORTSLAB
SATURDAY, OCT. 5 | 10 AM – 3:30 PM | UWM UNION
UWM students register for FREE
General public: $100

Join us as the Sundance Institute’s acclaimed workshop comes to Milwaukee for the first time. Co-presented with the Production Club at UWM and the UWM Student Association, this all-day workshop will dig into the world of short filmmaking, including how and why programmers select films and how filmmakers transition from shorts to features.

SPEAKERS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR:
David Lowery, Ry Russo-Young, Mike Plante, Calvin Lee Reeder

REPRESENTING RACE
SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 | 3 PM
Join this panel discussing concerns and questions that arise when representing race issues on-screen in contemporary film.

MODERATOR
Dr. Donte McFadden, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
PANELISTS
Eugene Kane, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Nathaniel Kohn, Producer; Bayou Maharajah
Grace Lee | Director; American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs
T.J. McKay Martin, Director; Undefeated (MFF 2011), Academy Award Winner

PASSPORT: GERMANY
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29 | 1 PM
As part of our Passport: Germany program, this lecture will discuss current trends and concerns in German cinema.

SPEAKER Dr. Sara Hall, University of Illinois-Chicago

MKE AT RISK: TRANSGENDER YOUTH AWARENESS
SUNDAY, SEPT. 29 | 4 PM
Following the matinee screening of Valentine Road at the Oriental Theatre, this panel will consider LGBT and transgender youth awareness and advocacy in Milwaukee.

WELCOME Paul Fairchild, Cream City Foundation
MODERATOR Mitch Teich, WUWM’s Lake Effect
PANELISTS
michael munson & Loree Cook-Daniels, FORGE
Tina Owen, Alliance School
Syd Robinson, ACLU of Wisconsin
Additional panelists TBA

WORK-IN-PROGRESS FORUM
SUNDAY, OCT. 6 | 2 PM
A lively and informative sneak peek at several in-progress films from Wisconsin filmmakers.

MODERATOR Jeff Reichert, Director; Remote Area Medical; VP of Theatrical Marketing, Cinedigm, and editor; Reverse Shot
PANELISTS
Pat Buckley and Manny Marquez, Serenity Prayer
Jeff Gendelman, The Surface
Cris Siqueira, Monga*Ape Girl
Chris James Thompson, Guantánamo Lawyers
Rubin Whitmore II and Xavier Ruffin, Mad Black Men

FILMMAKER, MEET ENTREPRENEUR
SUNDAY, OCT. 6 | 4 PM
In recent years, Milwaukee has witnessed a more organized and energetic effort toward supporting local startups and the entrepreneurial spirit at large. We tasked three local filmmakers with interviewing three successful business professionals, to find out how film professionals can use the language of business to turn their artistic and technical successes into financial successes as well.

WELCOME David Sengkhammee
FILMMAKERS Susan Kerns, Brad Lichtenstein, Kurt Raether
ENTREPRENEURS Kelly Fitzsimmons, Andy Nunemaker, Michael Drescher

image via Facebook

“VISITORS” “MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM” Among New Films Added to 2013 New Orleans Film Festival

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

New Orleans Film Festival has added 5 more films to the 2013 lineup including the US premiere of the new film VISITORS from acclaimed director Godfrey Reggio. Other new films include NEBRASKA, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM, and KILL YOUR DARLINGS. The 24th annual New Orleans Film Festival will take place October 10-17, 2013.

VISITORS, the U.S. premiere of acclaimed director Godfrey Reggio’s newest film. Best known for his celebrated Qatsi trilogy (including Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Naqoyqatsi), Reggio, a New Orleans native, shot some of the film in the New Orleans area. Similar to the Qatsi films, Visitors has no dialogue but features a rich score composed by his collaborator Philip Glass.

NEBRASKA, the latest picture from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants). Nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival (where Bruce Dern won the Best Actor Award), Nebraska is about a father (Dern) and son (Will Forte) who trek from Montana to Nebraska to claim prize money.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, the film version of Tracy Letts’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play of the same name. The film features an all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Juliette Lewis.

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM, based on the 1994 book Long Walk to Freedom from former South African president Nelson Mandela. Fresh from its premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, Mandela stars Idris Elba, who is already creating awards buzz around his powerful performance.

KILL YOUR DARLINGS, about a little-known homicide involving Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs. The film, directed by first-time feature director John Krokidas, stars Daniel Radcliffe as Ginsberg and also features Elizabeth Olsen, Michael C. Hall, Ben Foster, David Cross, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and will be released theatrically following the New Orleans Film Festival.

Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival To Screen New Anti-Bullying Documentary TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL | TRAILER

Cinema Diverse: The Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will screen Gary Takesian’s new anti-bullying documentary, TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL. The screening, which was made possible by actress and activist Katharine “Kat” Kramer, the daughter of legendary producer/director, Stanley Kramer, will include a special video introduction by Ms. Kramer and actress Lily Tomlin, who also narrates the film. The screening will take place at 11:30am on Sunday, September 22nd, at Camelot Theatres.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL is designed to advance the conversation about how we as a society must respond to homophobia, bullying and violence, leading to a greater acceptance of, and respect for, those who identify as LGBT. The film presents the issues surrounding homophobia in a multi-segment format that engenders group discussion. The topics unfold through one-on-one interviews with students, teachers, parents and leaders in the LGBT support and ally communities.

“Few contemporary social issues generate as much passion, misunderstanding and resistance as homosexuality,” says filmmaker, Gary Takesian. “Deeply held homophobic beliefs, passed on from one generation to the next, pose ongoing challenges to the peaceful coexistence of today’s young people. This is especially problematic in our schools when it comes to the treatment of LGBT students by their straight-identifying peers, and by the adults who teach, counsel and supervise them.”

http://youtu.be/kdcDwlqEh-Q

NYFF Adds ENOUGH SAID Director Nicole Holofcener as Final FREE SUMMER TALK | TRAILER

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced today a final addition to the very popular free-to-the-public Summer Talks lineup, with Nicole Holofcener on September 17 at 7PM, to discuss her new film ENOUGH SAID. With Opening Night for the 51st New York Film Festival less than three weeks away, on September 27, FSLC also announced details forThe New York Film Festival at 50, a panel discussion with Joanne Koch, Kent Jones and Richard Peña at the Jacob Burns Film Center (364 Manville Road, Pleasantville, New York) on Wednesday, September 11 at 7:30PM. Visit Filmlinc.com for more information.

ENOUGH SAID director Nicole Holofcener

On Tuesday, September 17 at 7PM, Nicole Holofcener will join NYFF Director of Programming Kent Jones for a free Summer Talks event in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater. Holofcener, who previously wrote and directed WALKING AND TALKING, LOVELY & AMAZING, FRIENDS WITH MONEY and PLEASE GIVE, will discuss her upcoming film ENOUGH SAID, and also show clips. The Summer Talks series began in May with BEFORE MIDNIGHT director Richard Linklater and actors Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke and has since welcomed an impressive list of talented filmmakers including Sofia Coppola (THE BLING RING), Ryan Coogler (FRUITVALE STATION), Nicolas Winding Refn (ONLY GOD FORGIVES), Lee Daniels (LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER), David Gordon Green (PRINCE AVALANCHE), Brian De Palma (PASSION) and many more. Visit Filmlinc.com/holofcener for more information.

ENOUGH SAID is about a divorced and single parent, Eva (Julia Louis Dreyfus) who spends her days enjoying work as a masseuse but dreading her daughter’s impending departure for college. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini) – a sweet, funny and like-minded man also facing an empty nest. As their romance quickly blossoms, Eva befriends Marianne (Catherine Keener), her new massage client. Marianne is a beautiful poet who seems “almost perfect” except for one prominent quality: she rags on her ex-husband way too much. Suddenly, Eva finds herself doubting her own relationship with Albert as she learns the truth about Marianne’s Ex. ENOUGH SAID is a sharp, insightful comedy that humorously explores the mess that often comes with getting involved again. The Fox Searchlight Pictures release is opening in NY and LA on September 18.

On Wednesday, September 11, The Jacob Burns Film Center celebrates NYFF with The New York Film Festival at 50, a panel discussion with Joanne Koch, Kent Jones and Richard Peña, moderated by Steve Apkon. A touchstone of the US film scene since 1963, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s New York Film Festival has long served as a guide to the masterworks of cinema and a forum for the artists who create them. Apkon will discuss the history of the film festival with three of the people who’ve been instrumental in the programming and presentation of NYFF for many years: Joanne Koch (Executive Director of FSLC 1971 – 2003), Richard Peña (FSLC & NYFF Program Director 1988 – 2012) and Kent Jones (current NYFF Program Director), all contributors to the lavish new book New York Film Festival Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration. A special limited number of autographed copies of the book will be available for purchase that evening, signed by director Pedro Almodóvar and Richard Peña.

The 340-page coffee table book features recollections by esteemed critics and scholars who recount their personal involvement with the festival. Also included are hundreds of rare stills and behind-the-scenes shots with over 130 filmmakers, reproductions of all 50 NYFF posters and a complete listing of all the films and events that have been featured in the festival for the past 50 years. The NYFF 50th Anniversary collector’s book can also be purchased at FilmLinc.com and on Amazon.

http://youtu.be/xOdX1Pb9aoU

Official Awards of 70th Venice Film Festival; SACRO GRA by Gianfranco Rosi Wins Golden Lion for Best Film | VIDEO

Gianfranco Rosi was awarded the GOLDEN LION for Best Film for SACRO GRA at the 70th Venice Film Festival

The documentary SACRO GRA by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, France) was awarded the GOLDEN LION for Best Film at the 70th Venice Film Festival, and the GRAND JURY PRIZE went to JIAOYOU by Tsai Ming-liang (Chinese Taipei, France). In SACRO GRA, Gianfranco Rosi travelled over two years in a minivan and filmed life on Rome’s giant ring road—the Grande Raccordo Anulare, or GRA, to discover the invisible worlds and possible futures harbored in this area of constant turmoil.

Official Awards of the 70th Venice Film Festival

GOLDEN LION for Best Film to:
SACRO GRA by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy, France)

SILVER LION for Best Director to:
Alexandros Avranas for the film MISS VIOLENCE (Greece)

GRAND JURY PRIZE to:
JIAOYOU by Tsai Ming-liang (Chinese Taipei, France)

COPPA VOLPI
for Best Actor:
Themis Panou
in the film MISS VIOLENCE by Alexandros Avranas (Greece)

COPPA VOLPI
for Best Actress:
Elena Cotta
in the film VIA CASTELLANA BANDIERA by Emma Dante (Italy, Switzerland, France)

MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD
for Best Young Actor or Actress to:
Tye Sheridan
in the film JOE by David Gordon Green (US)

AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY to:
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
for the film PHILOMENA by Stephen Frears (United Kingdom)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE to:
DIE FRAU DES POLIZISTEN by Philip Gröning (Germany)

LION OF THE FUTURE – “LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS” VENICE AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM to:
WHITE SHADOW by Noaz Deshe(Italy, Germany, Tanzania)
VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS’ WEEK

ORIZZONTI AWARDS

the ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST FILM to:
EASTERN BOYS by Robin Campillo (France)

the ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR to:
Uberto Pasolini for the film STILL LIFE (United Kingdom, Italy)

the SPECIAL ORIZZONTI JURY PRIZE to:
RUIN by Michael Cody and Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Australia)

the SPECIAL ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE CONTENT to:
MAHI VA GORBEH by Shahram Mokri (Iran)

the ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM to:
KUSH by Shubhashish Bhutiani (India)

VENEZIA CLASSICI AWARDS

the VENEZIA CLASSICI AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY ON CINEMA to:
DOUBLE PLAY: JAMES BENNING AND RICHARD LINKLATER by Gabe Klinger (USA, Portugal, France)

the VENEZIA CLASSICI AWARD FOR BEST RESTORED FILM to:
LA PROPRIETÀ NON È PIÙ UN FURTOby Elio Petri (Italy, France)

EUROPEAN SHORT FILM 2013 – EFA AWARD to:
HOUSES WITH SMALL WINDOWSby Bülent Öztürk (Belgium)

GOLDEN LION FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 2013
William Friedkin

JAEGER-LECOULTRE GLORY TO THE FILMMAKER
Ettore Scola

PERSOL AWARD
Andrzej Wajda

L’ORÉAL PARIS PER IL CINEMA AWARD
Eugenia Costantini

http://youtu.be/YMqgHM_MgMU

images via flickr | Venice Film Festival

SAVING MR. BANKS will Open, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS to Close AFI FEST 2013

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS

The North American Premiere Gala of Disney’s SAVING MR. BANKS will open AFI FEST 2013 on Thursday, November 7, and the World Premiere Opening Weekend Gala of Sony Picture Classics’ FOXCATCHER on Friday, November 8 will launch a lineup of independent and auteur films that will screen over the course of the festival from November 7-14, 2013.

SAVING MR. BANKS, starring Academy Award®-winning actress Emma Thompson and AFI Life Achievement Award recipient and Academy Award®-winning actor Tom Hanks, will have its North American Premiere on Thursday, November 7 as the Opening Night Gala. Inspired by true events, SAVING MR. BANKS is the extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney’s classic MARY POPPINS made it to the screen – and the testy relationship between the legendary Walt Disney and author P.L. Travers that almost derailed it. John Lee Hancock (THE BLIND SIDE) is the director, and Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith wrote the screenplay. SAVING MR. BANKS also stars Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Annie Rose Buckley, Ruth Wilson, B.J. Novak, Rachel Griffiths, Kathy Baker and Colin Farrell.

FOXCATCHER, a psychological drama directed by Academy Award® nominee Bennett Miller (MONEYBALL) and starring Golden Globe® winner Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Academy Award®nominee Mark Ruffalo, Academy Award® winner Vanessa Redgrave and Sienna Miller, will have its World Premiere on Friday, November 8 as the Opening Weekend Gala. The film was written by E. Max Frye and Academy Award® nominee Dan Futterman. FOXCATCHER tells the story of Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Tatum), who sees a way out from the shadow of his more celebrated wrestling brother Dave (Ruffalo) and a life of poverty when he is summoned by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont (Carell) to move onto his estate and train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Desperate to gain the respect of his disapproving mother, du Pont begins “coaching” a world-class athletic team and, in the process, lures Mark into dangerous habits, breaks his confidence and drives him into a self-destructive spiral. Based on actual events, FOXCATCHER is a gripping and profoundly American story of fragile men who pinned their hopes for love and redemption on a desperate obsession for greatness that was to end in tragedy.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, written and directed by Academy Award® winners Joel and Ethan Coen (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), was produced by Scott Rudin and Joel and Ethan Coen and will be the Closing Night Gala on Thursday, November 14. The film stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund and Justin Timberlake and follows a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Llewyn Davis (Isaac) is at a crossroads. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, some of them of his own making. Brimming with music performed by Isaac, Timberlake and Mulligan (as Llewyn’s married Village friends), as well as Marcus Mumford and Punch Brothers, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS – in the tradition of O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? – is infused with the transportive sound of another time and place. An epic on an intimate scale, it represents the Coen Brothers’ fourth collaboration with multiple-Grammy® and Academy Award®-winning music producer T Bone Burnett. Marcus Mumford is the Associate Music Producer. INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS recently won the Grand Prix at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival.

Christoph Rainer’s REQUIEM FOR A ROBOT Wins 2013 RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition at TIFF | WATCH FILM

Christoph Rainer

RBC and the Toronto International Film Festival announced the winners of the 2013 RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition. Christoph Rainer, Vienna, Austria is the national winner and received $20,000 prize. In Christoph Rainer’s film REQUIEM FOR A ROBOT, Rob, a worn out robot with a corrupt memory, drowns his sorrows of his ‘screwed’ existence in alcohol and asks himself the essential question: what did he do wrong?

NATIONAL WINNER: $20,000

Christoph Rainer, Vienna, Austria

REQUIEM FOR A ROBOT, Christophe Rainer

REQUIEM FOR A ROBOT – Tortured by a recurring nightmare, an alcoholic robot has nothing left but a corrupt memory. In order to find out what has happened, he returns to his creator.

http://youtu.be/uZEzO_3HK68

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: $5,000 each

Dan Popa, Montreal, Canada
TALES OF SANTA FE – A traveler shares his impressions of a city through a photographic journey into his fragmented past.

Kevan Funk, Vancouver, Canada
DESTROYER – A young athlete struggles with the weight of witnessing his fellow teammates commit an act of violence.

Each year, participants are provided a theme to guide their creative process and the theme for 2013 was Memory. The national winner and honourable mentions were selected from 16 submissions and then narrowed to five finalists by the jury panel. The other finalists were Rafael Balulu (Israel) and Mako Kamitsuna (U.S.).

“These winning films demonstrate the work of unique, emerging voices in filmmaking,” said Piers Handling, director and CEO, TIFF. “The Emerging Filmmakers Competition is a platform to share these voices and we are thrilled to partner with RBC once again on this initiative.”

“We look forward to seeing how up-and-coming filmmakers interpret, define and express the theme each year,” said Jennifer Tory, RBC’s regional president for Greater Toronto. “The winning films chosen this year represent the talent and creativity that make us proud to support TIFF and the RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition.”

The RBC Emerging Filmmakers Competition is part of Talent Lab, a four-day intensive program at the Toronto International Film Festival that offers artistic development opportunities to a select group of emerging Canadian and international filmmakers.

Each filmmaker is provided with $500 cash to develop a one-to-five minute short film for the competition.

James Gray, Richard Curtis, Paul Greengrass among Filmmakers and Shorts Program Lineup Confirmed for 2013 NYFF

Joanna Hogg's Exhibition Joanna Hogg’s Exhibition

Richard Curtis, Paul Greengrass, Agnieszka Holland and Frederick Wiseman have been selected to participate in the HBO Directors Dialogues and the popular HBO On Cinema conversation will feature James Gray at the upcoming 2013 New York Film Festival. The festival also announced the selection of Joanna Hogg and Fernando Eimbcke as the two filmmakers whose work will be screened and celebrated as NYFF’s Emerging Artists this year, as well as the selections for NYFF’s Shorts Programs.

The fifth edition of NYFF’s annual master class, HBO On Cinema, will feature James Gray (THE IMMIGRANT) speaking to NYFF Director of Programming and Selection Committee Chair, Kent Jones on Saturday, October 12 about his cinematic influences. Film clips will also be shown, spotlighting filmmakers and films that have inspired him, and continue to today.

The popular HBO Directors Dialogues return to the New York Film Festival with four diverse filmmakers, paired with a journalist or Selection Committee member as they discuss their careers, views on their own approach to making movies as well as the current state of the art of filmmaking. This year’s lineup will feature Paul Greengrass (CAPTAIN PHILLIPS) on Saturday, September 28; Frederick Wiseman (AT BERKELEY) on Sunday, September 29; Richard Curtis (ABOUT TIME) on Wednesday, October 2; and Agnieszka Holland (BURNING BUSH) on Saturday, October 5.

Co-Presented with the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), NYFF’s Emerging Artists is the next step in FSLC and RBC’s combined efforts to promote and encourage the work of promising filmmakers by providing a spotlight on two enormously talented filmmakers, Fernando Eimbcke from Mexico and Joanna Hogg from England.

Eimbcke’s comedy CLUB SANDWICH (2013) deals with the fraught territory of puberty and separation anxiety as it follows the experiences of a teenage boy taking his first tentative (and furtive) steps into the uncharted waters of sex. NYFF will also screen Eimbcke’s prior two films, DUCK SEASON (2004), which screened previously at New Directors/New Films, and LAKE TAHOE (2008).

Hogg’s drama EXHIBITION (2013) is an intimate look at two married middle-aged artists that live and work in their unusual London home, at once labyrinth, battleground and refuge. Hogg’s films UNRELATED (2007) and ARCHIPELAGO (2010), both starring Tom Hiddleston will also be presented.

NYFF also announced today the films and filmmakers selected for this year’s Shorts Programs (4 in total). The selections are highlighted by films directed by returning NYFF alumni, including Miguel Gomes’s REDEMPTION (TABU, NYFF 2012) and João Pedro Rodrigues’s THE KING’S BODY (TO DIE LIKE A MAN, NYFF 2009), as well as Lav Diaz, whose short film PROLOGUE TO THE GREAT DESAPARECIDO will join his feature, NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY in the NYFF lineup. Nicolas Saada’s AUJOURD’HUI stars Academy Award nominee Bérenice Béjo from THE ARTIST (NYFF 2011) and includes an appearance by documentary filmmaking legend (with frequent NYFF appearances to his credit) Frederick Wiseman.

Additional notable directors with films in the Shorts Programs include Michael Almereyda (HAMLET, NADJA) with his short, THE MAN WHO CAME OUT ONLY AT NIGHT; Damien Chazelle (GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH) with his film, WHIPLASH; and David Kestin, who has two films set to be screened (THE AIR MATTRESS and OPEN HOUSE).

HBO DIRECTORS DIALOGUES

Paul Greengrass
With films like Bloody Sunday, United ’93 and the new Captain Phillips, Paul Greengrass has established himself as one of the masters of reality-based cinematic fiction. With The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, he brought the immediacy of those films to the suspense genre. We’ll discuss the fine points of the geopolitical thriller, and the art of bringing history to life on the screen.

Frederick Wiseman
Frederick Wiseman is not just one of our greatest documentary filmmakers, he’s one of our greatest filmmakers, period. From his 1967 debut Titicut Follies to the present, Wiseman has taken his camera into Metropolitan Hospital in New York, a Benedictine monastery in Michigan, Madison Square Garden, the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris, and the University of California at Berkeley among many other places and institutions, and fashioned vast cinematic frescoes of the ways we live, die, work, grieve, and create.

Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland has a career like no one else’s. She studied cinema in Czechoslovakia in the late 60s and was imprisoned for six weeks for her participation in the student uprising that followed the Soviet invasion after Prague Spring (dramatized in her extraordinary mini-series Burning Bush, showing in this year’s NYFF). She began working for Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzéj Wajda, and she has slowly built an extraordinary body of work, including Europa Europa and Olivier, Olivier, which opened the 1992 NYFF; her stunning 1993 adaptation of The Secret Garden; the Oscar-nominated In Darkness (2012); and numerous episodes of some of the best of episodic television, including “The Wire” and “The Killing.”

Richard Curtis
Without a doubt, writer/director Richard Curtis has become the most formidable presence in modern comedy. This is the man who wrote The Black Adder, Mr. Bean, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Bridget Jones’ Diary, and has thus far written and directed Love Actually, Pirate Radio and now About Time.

HBO ON CINEMA

James Gray
From Little Odessa in 1994 to his new film The Immigrant, James Gray has lovingly crafted five deeply personal films one image and emotion at a time. He is a New York director through and through, and he has shown us people and places within the city that one rarely sees in movies. This marks Gray’s first visit to the New York Film Festival, and we are very happy that he has agreed to talk with us about the films that have formed him and his own unique approach to movies.

EMERGING ARTISTS

JOANNA HOGG

EXHIBITION (2013) 110 min
Director: Joanna Hogg
Country: UK
Joanna Hogg’s exactingly minimal and intimately character-driven portrait of a married middle-aged couple – both artists – living and working in their unusual London home, at once labyrinth, battleground and refuge.

ARCHIPELAGO (2010) 114 min
Director: Joanna Hogg
Country: UK
A group stay on the island of Tresco off of Sicily, animated by resentments, jealousies, upheavals and revelations that will ring true to anyone who has ever spent a vacation with their family. Tom Hiddleston, a mainstay of Hogg’s films, is the discontented son at a crossroad in his life, at odds with his mother (Kate Fahy) and sister (Lydia Leonard). His priorities are re-set by landscape artist Christopher Baker, who appears as himself, and the pungent, wondrous landscape.

UNRELATED (2007) 105 min
Director: Joanna Hogg
Country: UK
Middle-aged, discontented Anna (Kathryn Worth) decides to spend her summer holiday apart from her husband, in Tuscany with her friends. As the days go by, she finds herself more attuned to their teenaged children (Tom Hiddleston and his sister Emma). Hogg’s 2007 debut established her right away as an unusual artist with a place-specific approach to drama.

FERNANDO EIMBCKE

CLUB SANDWICH (2013) 82 min
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Country: Mexico
The new low-key, slow-burn comedy from Fernando Eimbcke, venturing into the fraught territory of puberty and separation anxiety, focuses on a teenage boy taking his first tentative (and furtive) steps into the uncharted waters of sex.

LAKE TAHOE (2008) 84 min
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Country: Mexico
In this whimsically wayward comedy with a poignant twist, Eimbcke’s ’scope camera follows the meanderings of Juan (Diego Cataño) through the sleepy streets of a small town as he searches for a spare part after crashing the family car.

DUCK SEASON (Temporada de patos) (2004) 90 min
Director: Fernando Eimbcke
Country: Mexico
Two 14 year olds are home alone for the day, with video games, soda and snacks—how bad can it get? Soon they have company: a teenage neighbor who wants to bake herself a birthday cake, and a thirtysomething pizza delivery man. Then the power goes out…

NYFF SHORTS PROGRAMS

Shorts Program 1: 102 min
THE AIR MATTRESS (2013) 9 min
Director: David Kestin
Country: USA
Sometimes a noisy neighbor isn’t so bad after all…

MY MIND’S OWN MELODY (2012) 29 min
Director: Josh Wakely
Country: Australia
A bright, musical world exists within the depths of a comatose state.

9 METER (2012) 17 min
Director: Anders Walter
Country: Denmark
Daniel believes that his record-breaking jumps are the cause of his mother’s health improvements, but he needs to find a way to do better.

OPEN HOUSE (2013) 11 min
Director: David Kestin
Country: USA
Worst birthday gift ever: find a NYC apartment ASAP.

SAMNANG (2013) 22 min
Director: Asaph Polonsky
Country: USA
Samnang works long hard nights at a donut shop. One day his steady and solitary routine is shaken by the arrival of another worker.

TRYOUTS (2013) 14 min
Director: Susana Casares
Country: USA
Nayla discovers that the only way to fit in as a cheerleader is to rebel.

Shorts Program 2: 97 min
BASICALLY (2013) 15 min
Director: Ari Aster
Country: USA
An actress provides a hilarious tour of her privileged but dysfunctional world.

BUTTER LAMP (La lampe au beurre de yak) (2013) 15 min
Director: Hu Wei
Country: France
Families of Tibetan nomads get their pictures taken against an array of exotic scenic backdrops.

CARNY (Animador) (2012) 20 min
Director: Fernanda Chicolet
Country: Brazil
Ligia’s psyche escapes the dullness of her daily routine at an amusement park in danger-filled dreams that betray the flip side of her passive nature.

FRAYED (2013) 9 min
Director: Georgia Oakley
Country: UK
Plagued by imaginary terrors, Freya cannot keep her demons at bay in this wild mix of live action and animation.

#POSTMODEM (2012) 12 min
Directors: Jillian Mayer and Lucas Leyva
Country: USA
A musical satire on preparing for the singularity, based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil.

SUBCONSCIOUS PASSWORD (2013) 11 min
Director: Chris Landreth
Country: Canada
Charles’ subconscious plays games with him as he tries to remember an acquaintance’s name.

UNCLE ŞEREF AND HIS SHADOW (Şeref Dayı ve Gölgesi Fragman) (2013) 15 min
Director: Buğra Dedeoğlu
Country: Turkey
In a moment of anger Şeref berates his shadow, which promptly walks out on him.

Shorts Program 3: 61 min
AUJOURD’HUI (2012) 8 min
Director: Nicolas Saada
Country: France
The end of the world as experienced by a young mother (played by Bérenice Béjo from THE ARTIST) in Paris. She finds herself face to face with a silent, menacing prophet played by the great documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.

L’ASSENZA (2013) 20 min
Director: Jonathan Romney
Country: UK
A young man (Stephen Mangan) goes to see an Italian movie from the 60s with his wife (Amanda Ryan) and is confronted with a strange apparition; an extra, who appears to be his doppelganger, haunting the edges of the frame.

THE MAN WHO CAME OUT ONLY AT NIGHT (2013) 15 min
Director: Michael Almereyda
Country: USA
Michael Almereyda’s wry adaptation of Italo Calvino’s folktale, shot in the East Village in black and white, is about a man (James Ransone) who marries the youngest of three sisters (India Kotis), and shares a very strange secret with her on their wedding night.

WHIPLASH (2013) 18 min
Director: Damien Chazelle
Country: USA
In this wild and intense new film from the director of GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH, a young jazz drummer (Johnny Simmons) beats his brains out trying to please his unforgiving conservatory instructor (J.K. Simmons – no relation).

Shorts Program 4: 89 min

Three ingenious explorations of history and myth from a trio of NYFF Main Slate alumni.

REDEMPTION (2013) 26 min
Director: Miguel Gomes
Country: Portugal
1975: from a village in northern Portugal, a child writes to his parents in Angola. 2011: an old man in Milan remembers his first love. 2012: a new father in Paris talks to his baby daughter. 1977: in Leipzig, a woman prepares for her wedding day. Where and when did these four poor devils begin searching for redemption? Combining voiceover and image as brilliantly as he did in TABU (NYFF 2012), Miguel Gomes pairs suggestively edited archival material with bittersweet, wryly funny monologues that put their speakers in a surprising new light.

THE KING’S BODY (O Corpo de Afonso) (2013) 32 min
Director: João Pedro Rodrigues
Country: Portugal
Dom Afonso Henriques was Portugal’s first king, a figure whose legendary strength and much-vaunted sword have been subject to considerable myth making over the years. In this sly, playful investigation into the meaning of national identity, director João Pedro Rodrigues (TO DIE LIKE A MAN, NYFF 2009) stages a casting session of sorts for the king’s body. A group of muscle-bound men, stripping down against a green-screen backdrop, answer questions about the fabled past and the mundane realities of their lives. The results, by turns amusing and poignant, speak volumes about Portugal in the present day.

PROLOGUE TO THE GREAT DESAPARECIDO (2013) 31 min
Director: Lav Diaz
Country: Philippines
Andrés Bonifacio, the freedom fighter known as the father of the Philippine revolution, was executed by rival revolutionaries in 1897. His wife, Gregoria de Jesus, searched for his body in the mountains for 30 days. It was never found. The next feature by Lav Diaz — whose latest, NORTE, THE END OF HISTORY, is also a Main Slate presentation this year — concerns Bonifacio’s controversial death. Returning to his familiar palette of rich, deep black-and-white after the blazing colors of NORTE, this short film about the desperate quest of Bonifacio’s widow is both a haunting standalone work and a tantalizing preview of the film to come.