Film Festivals
The 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival continues through Monday, October 17, 2011, but Saturday proved to be a very popular day for festival goers. With a packed day of screenings, it was frustrating because many of the great films and events (like TV channels) all seem to be happening at the same time, so it was really hard to pick and choose.
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}
The new drama film, My Week With Marilyn has just been added to the 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival lineup. The film screens Saturday, October 16th at Guild Hall. My Week With Marilyn is directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges; and stars Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh Early in the summer of 1956, American film star Marilyn Monroe set foot on British soil for the first time. On honeymoon with her husband, […]
This year’s Annual Gotham Screen International Film Festival (GSIFF) moves to a new home — NY’s QUAD Cinema. GSIFF. This year’s festival showcases more than 10 ‘cutting-edge’ features, documentaries and three programs of short films from independent, first- or second-time directors as well as international releases making their East Coast or US debut. This year’s Festival is highlighted by the World Premiere of Henry Miller’s OCCUPANT; the World Premiere of Dana Packard’s, 40 WEST, starring […]
The International Film Festival Rotterdam has appointed Bianca Taal as programmer for its upcoming edition. Bianca will oversee the 2012 selection of feature length films from Greece, Turkey, Israel, Iran and the Arab world. She is also a member of the CineMart Selection Committee. After finishing her Film and Television Studies at the University of Utrecht, Bianca Taal started working with the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2001 as a staff member of the Hubert […]
Reeling 2011: The 30th Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, running November 3-12, kicks off its 10-day festival with the Opening Night Gala presentation of The Wise Kids by Chicago-based filmmaker Stephen Cone, to be held at the Music Box Theatre on Thursday, November 3. The Wise Kids is a coming-of-age drama set in the South, featuring a “brilliant cast of young actors” (Variety). The film has garnered Best Feature awards at Outfest and Newfest (the Los Angeles and New York gay film festivals).
Reeling closes on Saturday, November 12, at the Portage Theater with dual closing night selections: Lorene Machado’s Margaret Cho performance film, Cho Dependent(6:00 pm) and Casper Andreas’ satire on “making it” in Hollywood, Going Down in La-La Land (9:30 pm).
Documentaries take center stage this year with three centerpiece films. On Saturday, November 5, Reeling presents Wish Me Away, about country music sensation Chely Wright’s struggle and fears around publicly coming out. The film has already won best documentary awards at the Los Angeles Film Festival and Frameline (San Francisco’s gay film festival). Fresh from its New York Film Festival world premiere, Vito is about activist and author of The Celluloid Closet, Vito Russo. The film screens on Monday, November 7 (on the anniversary of Russo’s death from AIDS). Sundance documentary We Were Here is a moving look back at the onset of the HIV epidemic 30 years ago at its epicenter, San Francisco, screening on Sunday, November 6.
The full festival line-up {jathumbnail off}
The 25th Leeds International Film Festival runs November 3 – November 20, 2011, today announced that Steve MQueen’s Shame will screen at the Closing Gala on Friday 18th November, and also released it full Official Selection program. Directed by Steve McQueen and starring Michael Fassbender, Shame follows Brendan (Fassbender) who plans his life around relentless sexual encounters until a visit from his wayward sister forces him to reassess his priorities. The festival will kick off […]
The Virginia Film Festival is returning for its 24th year from November 3-6, 2011, with a lineup of more than 100 films