Film Festivals
AFI FEST has released the film retrospective curated by Guest Artistic Director Pedro Almodóvar for the 2011 festival. In addition to the screening of his film LAW OF DESIRE as An Evening With Pedro Almodóvar Gala presentation on Monday, November 7, Almodóvar’s program of classic horror films and thrillers are EYES WITHOUT A FACE (DIR Georges Franju, 1960), LE CERCLE ROUGE (DIR Jean-Pierre Melville, 1970), NIGHTMARE ALLEY (DIR Edmund Goulding, 1947) and THE KILLERS (DIR […]
The Doc NYC Film Festival is kicking off at the IFC Center on 6th Avenue on November 2nd through November 10th 2011. Vimooz’s Francesca McCaffery is covering the Festival, and here are some of the first highlights of what is proving to be a truly inspiring, not-to-be-missed line-up:
The Island President: If you only go see a few films at the Doc NYC Film Festival this year, Jon Shenk’s “The Island President” should be at the very top of your list. Focusing on the pint-sized President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives Islands (the country comprised of a thousand scattered islands, South of India) and his amazing quest to crush the threat of global warming- which is literally threatening the life of the Island’s inhabitants. (The Maldives are literally sinking at a stomach-lurching rate, due to the additional CO2 in the air, which is raising ocean water levels.) Learning about his twenty years as a political activist and political prisoner before he was elected- this movie is a tribute to a brilliant, illuminating spirit, and absolutely MUST be seen. (Radiohead does the soundtrack, another great reason to see it!) {jathumbnail off}
AFI FEST announced the remaining programs and films that will screen in the festival’s World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight and Shorts programs at the 25th edition this November.
The festival describes each programs as “World Cinema showcases the most anticipated and prize-winning international films of the year, Breakthrough highlights works discovered only through the submissions process and Midnight’s eclectic selection presents films with provocative and unexpected ideas.” {jathumbnail off}
The Ashland Independent Film Festival has a new Executive Director. She is Anne Ashbey Pierotti, and she will succeed Tom Olbrich on November 1. Pierotti is already well known to the festival, having served on the Ashland Independent Film Festival’s board of directors from 2006 to June of 2011 and was the board’s President from 2008 to 2010. “I am deeply honored to have been selected for this position,” said Pierotti. “I look forward to […]
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival has unveiled its new website design just in time for the 26th edition which runs October 21 – November 11, 2011 The festival kicks off with the film, About Fifty, previously titled Fifty Nothing, directed by Thomas Johnston. The film is described as “A “coming-of-age story about the coming of age,” Thomas Johnston’s comedy tackles a very timely subject in these times of aging baby-boomers: what happens when youth, […]
The hometown film, Marc Levin’s HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND, and THE ARTIST directed by Michel Hazanavicius took the audience awards tonight at the 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival.
HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND follows a group of Long Island residents as they courageously describe the effect that their long time unemployed status has had on their families, finances, and ultimately their American dream; and THE ARTIST is a comedic tribute to silent film starring Jean Dujardin. {jathumbnail off}
Mini Reviews {jathumbnail off}
Le Havre, Finland’s official submission for 2012 Academy Awards – Best Foreign Language Film, topped a lineup of more than 180 feature-length fiction films, documentaries and shorts to win the top prize, the Gold Hugo at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival Competitions. Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, “in this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) into the path of Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight.” Le Havre opens in LA and NYC on October 21.
The complete list of winners of the 2011 Chicago International Film Festival. {jathumbnail off}
AFI FEST 2011 announced the films that will be featured in the festival’s Young Americans, New Auteurs and Spotlight sections at the 25th edition this November. Young Americans features work by emerging U.S. filmmakers, while New Auteurs highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world. This year’s Spotlight section focuses on acclaimed independent American filmmaker Joe Swanberg, featuring presentations of films from his Full Moon Trilogy – SILVER BULLETS, ART HISTORY and the world premiere of THE ZONE. {jathumbnail off}
VITO, an HBO documentary film about gay rights activist Vito Russo, premieres tonight at the New York Film Festival. The film premieres at 6:00 PM with an encore screening at 9:15 PM. VITO offers rare insight into one of the most important voices in the birth of contemporary gay culture and AIDS activism. His book The Celluloid Closet published in 1981 (and updated in 1987), remains a landmark historical work and his co-founding of GLAAD, […]
Cucalorus Film Festival released its official schedule of films and events for this year’s festival, revealing a roster of over 150 films from 23 different countries. The festival opens on Thursday, November 10th with Dance-a-lorus, an exploration of film and dance at the historic Thalian Hall. Other films include Happy, Happy (Sykt Lykkelig), Norway’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2011 Academy Awards. Our Day Will Come, the first feature film by Romain Gavras, […]
The 6th annual San Francisco International Animation Festival, returns Thursday, November 10 through Sunday, November 13, 2011 at the Film Society’s new theatrical home, San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema.
The San Francisco International Animation Festival includes an ‘enticing mix of the latest anime, family-friendly fare, documentaries, wonderfully unclassifiable shorts from around the world and a fabulous Opening Night party.’
This year’s festival includes Cannes entry and multiaward-winning Tatsumi by Eric Khoo, the Bay Area-produced Annecy competitor Glitch in the Grid, the long-awaited feature-length film by Keita Kurosaka, Midori-ko and several shorts programs, including the always popular Best of Annecy compilation.
Complete lineup and program information: {jathumbnail off}